Get Rid Of Slow Cooker Problems Once And For All
The Test Kitchen's Guide to Buying a Slow Cooker
Today's slow cookers come in a vast array of sizes with lots of different features. Which
ones are worth the investment?
A slow cooker promises to be a little dream grandma who sits at the kitchen all day
Cooking for you, but use the wrong cooker and that dream could fizzle. A cooker might
Run hotter than expected, drying out the food or turning it mushy, or slower than you
Want, so dinner isn't ready when you are. Then there can be problems with hot spots,
That make food cook unevenly. And what if operating your system is so confusing
That you have to pore over the manual every time you use it?
For the ideal machine that would deliver a properly cooked meal and be absolutely
Easy and intuitive to use, we went shopping. Previous experience taught us that glass
Lids were a must, as they permit you to see progress without losing heat. So were ovalshaped
Crocks, because these can accommodate large roasts and provide more versatility than
round crocks. With these criteria in
Mind, we rounded up eight models priced from $39.99 to $148.71.
We analyzed these eight slow cookers, preparing a variety of recipes using both low and
High temperature settings and diverse cooking times. We used temperature probes to
Map heating patterns, and a panel of testers assessed how easy the cookers were to
We also dismantled some of the cookers to Comprehend the placement
And type of heating elements they contained. What were our favorites of the bunch?
The KitchenAid 6-Quart Slow Cooker With Good Glass Lid ($99.99), our former winner,
Handled every recipe with perfect results, albeit a little slowly. Its thick stoneware crock,
Insulated home, built-in thermal detector, and crystal-clear controls place a well-thoughtout
Design at your service--and at a reasonable price.
Central ($148.71) is also a solid option. It offers the advantages of a light, unbreakable
Metal crock with stay-cool plastic grips, in addition to a brown-and-sear function that allows
You skip using a separate skillet before slow-cooking in recipes which call for it.
Table of 25 or so staffers silently concentrating on tasting a dozen varieties of olive oil,
Peanut butter, or soy sauce. Should you continue to the main test kitchen, you may find, say,
Eight slow cookers, each hooked up to a separate thermometer, each of which is
Connected to a computer so we can gauge how evenly they maintain a temperature
over time (pictured below). Walk out the back door and you might see someone
Dropping one mobile grill after another on the pavement from a predetermined height to
see how well they will stand up to abuse.
Testing Slow Cookers
It's all in a day's work for our Tastings and Testings team. And if you think the evaluation
Cooks here at America's Test Kitchen are obsessive in their pursuit for the best--and
You're quite right, they are--you need to spend some time with this group. The lengths
They go to in order to be sure their tests are accurate, comprehensive, and
Conducted on a level playing field are sufficient to make the rest of us seem relaxed.
There are strict written protocols for choosing the items to be tested, for running the
Tests themselves, and for assessing them. There are detailed instructions for tasters.
And if there is ever a question, our team will go back and run the tests again, just to be
sure.
But when that rigorous (and sometimes seemingly endless) process is over, their
Work is really just beginning. Because it's not enough to say which product or piece of
Gear came out on top--we will need to know why. Sometimes it seems random to the
Rest of us, but these people do not believe in that word, so that they keep digging
and analyzing,
Consulting experts all around the world and sending samples to labs for analysis, until they
Find the keys to the specific puzzle. It May be the amount of bevels on a serrated
Knife (spoiler: fewer is really better) or the processing method used in making a
Particular soy sauce, but there'll be a reason. Once they find it, we can love
Even more clearly how strong a foundation our tastings and testings rest on.
This holds true even for the smallest kitchen gear--the testing procedure has been just
As disciplined, extensive, and intensive, because this group hasn't heard of clipping
corners.
Today's slow cookers come in a vast array of sizes with lots of different features. Which
ones are worth the investment?
A slow cooker promises to be a little dream grandma who sits at the kitchen all day
Cooking for you, but use the wrong cooker and that dream could fizzle. A cooker might
Run hotter than expected, drying out the food or turning it mushy, or slower than you
Want, so dinner isn't ready when you are. Then there can be problems with hot spots,
That make food cook unevenly. And what if operating your system is so confusing
That you have to pore over the manual every time you use it?
For the ideal machine that would deliver a properly cooked meal and be absolutely
Easy and intuitive to use, we went shopping. Previous experience taught us that glass
Lids were a must, as they permit you to see progress without losing heat. So were ovalshaped
Crocks, because these can accommodate large roasts and provide more versatility than
round crocks. With these criteria in
Mind, we rounded up eight models priced from $39.99 to $148.71.
We analyzed these eight slow cookers, preparing a variety of recipes using both low and
High temperature settings and diverse cooking times. We used temperature probes to
Map heating patterns, and a panel of testers assessed how easy the cookers were to
We also dismantled some of the cookers to Comprehend the placement
And type of heating elements they contained. What were our favorites of the bunch?
The KitchenAid 6-Quart Slow Cooker With Good Glass Lid ($99.99), our former winner,
Handled every recipe with perfect results, albeit a little slowly. Its thick stoneware crock,
Insulated home, built-in thermal detector, and crystal-clear controls place a well-thoughtout
Design at your service--and at a reasonable price.
Central ($148.71) is also a solid option. It offers the advantages of a light, unbreakable
Metal crock with stay-cool plastic grips, in addition to a brown-and-sear function that allows
You skip using a separate skillet before slow-cooking in recipes which call for it.
Table of 25 or so staffers silently concentrating on tasting a dozen varieties of olive oil,
Peanut butter, or soy sauce. Should you continue to the main test kitchen, you may find, say,
Eight slow cookers, each hooked up to a separate thermometer, each of which is
Connected to a computer so we can gauge how evenly they maintain a temperature
over time (pictured below). Walk out the back door and you might see someone
Dropping one mobile grill after another on the pavement from a predetermined height to
see how well they will stand up to abuse.
Testing Slow Cookers
It's all in a day's work for our Tastings and Testings team. And if you think the evaluation
Cooks here at America's Test Kitchen are obsessive in their pursuit for the best--and
You're quite right, they are--you need to spend some time with this group. The lengths
They go to in order to be sure their tests are accurate, comprehensive, and
Conducted on a level playing field are sufficient to make the rest of us seem relaxed.
There are strict written protocols for choosing the items to be tested, for running the
Tests themselves, and for assessing them. There are detailed instructions for tasters.
And if there is ever a question, our team will go back and run the tests again, just to be
sure.
But when that rigorous (and sometimes seemingly endless) process is over, their
Work is really just beginning. Because it's not enough to say which product or piece of
Gear came out on top--we will need to know why. Sometimes it seems random to the
Rest of us, but these people do not believe in that word, so that they keep digging
Consulting experts all around the world and sending samples to labs for analysis, until they
Find the keys to the specific puzzle. It May be the amount of bevels on a serrated
Knife (spoiler: fewer is really better) or the processing method used in making a
Particular soy sauce, but there'll be a reason. Once they find it, we can love
Even more clearly how strong a foundation our tastings and testings rest on.
This holds true even for the smallest kitchen gear--the testing procedure has been just
As disciplined, extensive, and intensive, because this group hasn't heard of clipping
corners.
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