12 Best Slow Cookers (Review) In 2021

The great thing about a slow cooker is that you don’t even have to think about the temperature, the appliance itself does this for you. The Crock-Pot is the Unclutterer best choice for simplicity, size, and capability. Available in a wipe-clean stainless steel design you can cook a whopping 7lb roast chicken or beef in this. It has a high, low, and warm setting control. Although it’s called a slow cooker, the high setting will allow you to heat a hot dinner fairly quickly. Prefer to plan for this evening? Set it to low and leave it to cook while you go to work, do household chores, walk the dog… whatever you choose to cook throughout the day will be delicious and ready to eat later on.

Available in black the Hamilton Beach Extra-Large Portable Slow Cooker is the Unclutterer choice for its extra-large capacity. We like the design which comes with a lockable lid so that wandering little fingers can’t get burned by touching the food whilst the slow cooker is in operation. The large handles make it easy to carry and the exterior is wipe clean so it’s easy and quick to clean and put away after each use. The insert, or stoneware crock, and lid are dishwasher safe and easy-clean so there’s no chance of burnt food sticking to it. Although it has a large capacity it is surprisingly light and, with its large handles, it is also easy to transport. The only thing we disliked was finding out that parts are not available, so should you need a new lid or handle, the entire model would need replacing.

Hamilton Beach Portable 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker is the second of three Hamilton Beach slow cookers we decided to review, this is the Unclutterer ‘temperature probe’ choice which, as the title predicts, comes with a temp probe which allows you to check the precise cooking temperature as your food warms, ensuring that you can check how your meat is doing as it warms through. Temperature probes are accurate and offer the exact degree at which the food is cooking and they work well with pressure cookers, toasters, toaster ovens, and even microwaves.

The 6 quart, or 6 pounds, the capacity of this portable slow cooker is great for cooking meals for small gatherings and it’s light enough to be able to transport to parties and other locations so you might like to use it to cook all day then take to a friend or family later on. Also worth considering is that it has a power-cut auto system which, should you experience a brief power outage, it will remember its digital settings.

The Elite Gourmet Slow Cooker is a sweet little appliance in stainless steel with a removable stoneware crock which, as well as the glass lid, is dishwasher safe with the exterior of the cooker being easily wiped clean after use. Roundly shaped, it’s small enough to store away when not in use. Its three settings – warm, high, and low – allow you to cook throughout the day, heat up meals, and keep food warm until you are ready to eat. Like with any slow cooker, this isn’t a quick-fix meal creator like a pressure cooker but it is a time saver if you want to pop your ingredients in to cook while you do other things instead.

The Unclutterer team chose Hamilton Beach Portable 7-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker as it promises to be easily portable due to it being lightweight for its size, and the lid latch helps to keep the food where it should be without risk of spills. The touchpad on the front display doesn’t have little delves that would make others difficult to clean so when you’re finished using this crock-pot, simply remove the inner and lid, pop those in the dishwasher or sink, and wipe the exterior of the slow cooker clean so it’s ready to store away. You might find that you like the fact this can be transported safely but, like with anything that uses electricity to heat it, do resist moving it when it’s hot.

The Elite Gourmet 2QT slow cooker is a sweet looking appliance in red which will compliment any kitchen decor. With three heat settings – high, low and warm, you are able to heat a meal for two while you go about your daily business. Simply pop your ingredients into the cooker after pre-heating it, set on low if you plan to cook for the whole day or high if you prefer a slightly quicker meal in approximately half a day. Due to its size it is a portable device and the design includes cool-touch handles should you need to move it while it’s still hot. With that in mind, and safety of course, it does not have a lockable lid so don’t attempt to carry it with hot food inside as you may scald yourself and cause food spills.

With most appliances these days being just one plain color the Crockpot Round Slow Cooker is our ’round pick’ with a difference. It has a fun black and white geometric design which is completely different to most of the rounder cookers available at the moment, although when we were reviewing this one we did find a few quite ‘out there’ designs. At 4.5QT it’s ideal for small families, 2 fair-sized meals, and even recommended for single people wishing to create meals for putting in the freezer or refrigerator. With that in mind, you will like the convenience of this little round pick and the patterned design compliments any kitchen design so if you choose not to store away when out of use, it still looks good on any kitchen work surface.

The easy carry handles on Crock-Pot Cook and Carry Portable Manual Slow Cooker make it ideal for transporting should you be offering a meal to a friend or taking it to a party. For meals indoors, switch it to high for a fairly quick cook (although don’t compare to pressure cookers or microwaves – the clue is in the title! The low setting is ideal for when you have pre-prepared your ingredients, just pop them in the ceramic stoneware crock in the morning, set it onto low, and your evening meal will be ready when you are. Use the ‘warm’ setting if you need to serve the food at an edible temperature later than planned.

At the very affordable price, Elite Gourmet MST-250XW still cooks delicious and flavorful meals for one and you might like its sleek white design which retains a clean refreshing look in your kitchen. It is wipe clean and the internal crock and glass lid are dishwasher safe. We found it was also good for cooking side dishes for entertaining, and of course, it is lightweight enough, with cool-touch handles, to transport. You might like that the power cord is coiled so it retracts enough when plugged in so that it doesn’t get in your way. This is the Unclutterer best value choice, especially for daily smaller meals.

The Unclutterer choice for the premium pick is the All-Clad SD700450 Programmable model which has a digital display that’s easy to use. It heats evenly without burning and we like the fact that the total timing option can be set for up to 26 hours. You may be concerned that the handles are metal but we did find that they weren’t too hot to touch even in operation. The black ceramic insert is removable as you would expect, which is great for lifting out for serving your meal at the table. The 6 1/2 QT capacity means it’s an ideal size for family meals, or for cooking spare for refrigerating or freezing, and is a nice size for entertaining too. This model switches to warm mode at the end of the selected heat cycle.

The rectangular design of Crock-Pot 3.5-Quart Casserole is something we often can’t find, as you will see in our review list the majority of slow cookers are oval or round in shape, so we found this one to be great for bake-style cooking for even things like lasagne and desserts. The insert is oven-proof too so can be used two ways – in the oven, then popped in the slow cooker for warming through until the food needs to be served or of course used entirely to slow-cook your meals. This appliance has a safe locking lid where the brackets extend from the base over the lid, so it could be transported conveniently without the risk of food spillages. Whilst it isn’t the least expensive option, it’s a good size and easy to clean and store.

The Unclutterer team enjoyed reviewing Crockpot 2.5-Quart Mini Casserole Crock as one of only two slow cookers in our list with a quirky exterior design in blue and white which sets off quite nicely when placed on a surface, and it’s small enough to be neatly stored when not in use. Even though this 2 1/2 QT slow cooker is small and built for one-pot meals or side dishes, it works well and the mainly white color doesn’t appear to stain although with all appliances it is important to clean it immediately after use (of course when it has cooled down). You might like that it is so lightweight with a locking lid so it could easily be transported.