slow cooker-which ones do you love

Kenzi is an Assistant Editor of Food52.

added 7 months ago

I'm sure I'll be met with opposition, but I don't use (or own) one. A good old-fashioned dutch oven and low and slow cooking do the trick for me. Perhaps others out there have favorite models they can offer up!

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I purchased a Cuisinart 3.5 / 4 quart cooker (there are only two of us) and I have already found it to be a huge convenience for weekday cooking. Not a complete substitute for the dutch oven but at least you don't have to be present and accounted for!

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Like kenzi I just use a Dutch oven. I have, however, been tempted by the All Clad bc it had a cook top safe insert for browning. I would love to hear from anyone who has it.

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I have a GE slow cooker & I use it for pot roasts & pulled pork, mostly. I love being able to fogey about it for hours, delay eating for as long as necessary, & know the final product will be fine. (That should be forget)

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MTMitchell added 7 months ago

I have the larger Cuisinart one. We love it. I use it once a week, usually. I use my Dutch oven on weekends but during the week....not sure the dog can be trusted to remember to stir, check liquid levels etc. and she's the only one home.

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I have the All Clad slow cooker and I adore it. The stovetop-safe insert makes prep so much easier: no sauté pans to clean and it makes sure that all the sauté bits end up in my dish! It's volume is rather large which is great for large batches of sauce. I purchased it when Williams Sonoma had it on sale a couple years back.

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Sam1148 added 7 months ago

We had a large "rival" model that has a timer setting that would switch from higher heat to low heat after a set number of hours....we used it about 4 times, and gave it away last year. Far too over sized for us.
I prefer oven cooking in a dutch oven. I know lots of people love slow cookers, but I never got the appeal.

However. If you're compleatly new to slow cookers...and just want to try one. Go to a thrift store..you often see unopened slow cookers donated there for super cheep. Try the tech...see if you like it and the products it makes...then invest in a higher end model.

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allans added 7 months ago

I don't like them. I use a Dutch oven instead. More control!

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