Slow Cooker Recommendations

[fierydrunk]

Hollis already knows at some point in this bday-xmas season of his he will be receving a crock pot...so if you are reading this, Hollis, go somewhere else!

Anyway---any reccomendations for NEW slow cookers within the $39-$49 range? I will likely go the Amazon.com route.

[fifi]

I would stick with Rival. Also get the simplest one... low, high, warm... That's it. Skip the fancy stuff. Oh... and check out the Amazon ratings.

[andiesenji]

I generally check first at BizRate as they often show deals that are better than Amazon, not always, but sometimes.

The 6 quart for 39.95 at Linens 'N Things is a lot of bang for the buck.

[msphoebe]

I have always had Rival crockpots. At this time I own three different sizes, the latest addition is the oval with keep warm function. I've never had any complaints about Rival crockpots.

As for where to buy? Check WalMart, KMart, Linens'N Things, Bed Bath & Beyond. One tip: Bed Bath & Beyond sends out coupons (either 20% off or $5 off $15 purchase) and in my city, Linens'N Things accepts BB&B coupons. Another tip: Our BB&B accept coupons after their expiration date. I know this for a fact: I used to work there part-time and am a frequent shopper there.

[lmarshal1]

I have always had Rival crockpots.  At this time I own three different sizes, the latest addition is the oval with keep warm function.  I've never had any complaints about Rival crockpots.

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My favorite is the Rival. Mine is so old that it looks a little sad (70's green), but it still does a great job after all these years. I know I had it in our first house (from which we moved in 1973), so it is at least 31 years old. I have a newer one (larger, oval, Corning) which I like too, but not as well as the Rival. It is nice to be able to take out the pot by itself to wash though. lkm

[Marlene]

I also own 3 rivals of various sizes including one with the keep warm feature. One of them is almost 20 years old and still works like a charm.

They're everywhere.

[andiesenji]

I stopped in at Linens 'N Things on my way home this afternoon to pick up some more cooling racks and took a look at the crockpots and slow cookers.

That Rival one looks like a good deal at 39.99.

Unfortunately they also have a new one by Cuisinart and I had to buy one. I don't have it yet because they didn't have one in a sealed box on the floor and I didn't want to stick around until they could find a guy to get one down from a high shelf in the stockroom.

It is just gorgeous and it has a timer, something I can really use. See it here.

I have a timer into which I plug my other slow cookers but having this one with it built in is a big plus.

I had one of the programmable ones but it never worked quite the way I wanted so I gave it away. This one is much simpler to operate.

[snowangel]

Listen to the Godesses -- fifi and Marlene. RIVAL.

I'm still using the Rival that I inheritied when my grandmother died. It was old when she died, and that was 15 years ago.

[jayt90]

I stopped using my Rival years ago (the old cylinder shape) because it was not immersable and the cord attachment did not fit well. The new ones are a vast improvement, and not very expensive, but they take up a lot of counter space, so I bought a Korean made earthenware casserole a year ago, for $18. in an ethnic market. It is clam shell shaped, and works well over a slow gas flame. I think the closeness of the lid to the food helps a lot. The material is almost .5" thick, glazed on the inside, and a little more robust than French or Italian casseroles I've used.

I would rather have a small selection of earthenware in the cupboard than one large Rival on the counter.

[Toliver]

I thought I would bump this back since Amazon has the West Bend 84765 5-Quart Oblong Slow Cooker with Tote, White for $29.99. That price should qualify for free Super Saver Shipping.

The reason I recommend the West Bend Slow Cooker is because the pot itself can be used on the stove. So you can brown your meat on the stove in the cooker pot and then move the pot to the griddle-base, add the rest of your ingredients, put the glass lid on and your slow cooker is good to go.

[andiesenji]

I was in Target today and they have a new Rival with a very attractive crockery insert with a beautiful decorative design right on the crock. 5-quart, $34.99.

[carp]

...well since you put the question like that...

I got a slow cooker from Wal-Mart for $5 a few years ago. For the money, the thing is spectacular.

It's some cheap, no brand, rival knock-off, but it works...

[lovebenton0]

I thought I would bump this back since Amazon has the West Bend 84765 5-Quart Oblong Slow Cooker with Tote, White for $29.99.  That price should qualify for free Super Saver Shipping.

The reason I recommend the West Bend Slow Cooker is because the pot itself can be used on the stove.  So you can brown your meat on the stove in the cooker pot and then move the pot to the griddle-base, add the rest of your ingredients, put the glass lid on and your slow cooker is good to go.

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Saved me the intro words, Toliver. I love my West Bend! In addition to using the slow cooker on the griddle base you can actually use the griddle to cook eggs, bacon, sandwiches, etc. Also the glass top is an oven-proof and doubles as a nice gratin or casserole dish. I have had this one for over ten years now (12 years I think). The one I had first -- same model, I used for five years then gave to my son when he moved for college. He and his buds used it for years without hurting it. When they finally broke the glass lid during a party they just used foil as a cover. It is low and slim and fits easily on counter out of the way to use then slides into the cupboard for storage. Heat temp goes from very low (1) to pretty damn hot (5). I like it better than the Rival I had before the first one.

[2roost]

I have 2 Rivals and they are both brilliant - one is over 20 years old and the other is a large oval which I received as a cherished Christmas gift some 4 years ago.

My only advice is to go with the simplest one you can find ie: High, Low, Warm and remember that most "slow cooker recipe books" are poor at best - experiment, after all it's slow (read cheap cuts).

Winter is here and I can almost SMELL the butt roast !!!!!!

[annachan]

I've had one of those cheap, $10 ones for several years and it's treated me well. It did what it needed to do without giving me any troubles.

Now that I'm in Australia, I thought I can just pick a cheap one and be happy with it like before. I was WRONG! I got one of the cheapest, $35 for 5L model, at the store. This thing is a piece of sh*t! I've been cooking a pot of bolognese (2 lb grounded kangaroo, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, tomato products) for 10 hours (on and off) on HIGH. The vegetables (1/2 to 3/4 inch dice) are still barely cooked. I mean, I can smash the carrots with a wooden spoon, but need to use some force. The garlic has not fallen apart. This is extremely slow for a slow cooker!

So, this slow cooker will be returned to the store very soon (as soon as my bolognese is done!). Any suggestion on which slow cooker to get over here in Australia? I would really like to keep it under $100.

TIA!

[ChrisZ]

Hi Anna,

I've been casually looking at slow cookers for the past few months, but have yet to choose one. Can you let me know which brand you bought (and where from) so I can avoid the same mistake?

I browsed the Egullet forums for advice and one thing I read was to look for a slow cooker that had a variable thermostat, rather than a simple low/hi setting. However I haven't seen a single slow cooker with that feature! Even the really expensive ones are just low/hi.

In Australia there is a magazine called "Choice" which reviews products after testing them thoroughly. A search on the Choice website found a review of 15 different slow cookers, ranging in price between $44 and $200. Unfortunately I'm not a subscriber, so I couldn't skip straight to the results, but if you have a local library they will almost certainly have the magazine and you will be able to read it there. I'll have a look next time I'm near my own local library, because I'm just as interested in what they recommend and luckily I'm not in a hurry to buy.

For free you can look at other review sites on the internet, which can be interesting but they're not unbiased or very thorough.

But I'll probably end up going for one of the usual suspects in the mid-price range - Breville or Sunbeam.

[annachan]

I saw that same article on Choice! But also not a subscriber and not sure I want/need to do that. I also saw the reviews on the other review site you listed. Just wasn't sure how reliable since most of them have very few reviews.

The brand is Homemaker; I got it from Kmart.

I think I'll end up with a Breville as well. I saw it at Bing Lee and on Peter of Kensington's website. I'll see if Bing Lee will give me the lower price.

[ChrisTaylor]

'Homemaker' is, I think, Kmart's home brand. For future reference: cheap rubbish. You can get a Cuisinart for a touch over $100 from KitchenwareDirect. They're supposed to be good.

[annachan]

'Homemaker' is, I think, Kmart's home brand. For future reference: cheap rubbish. You can get a Cuisinart for a touch over $100 from KitchenwareDirect. They're supposed to be good.

Slow cookers just aren't things I thought I needed to spend tons of money on. It's really not a complicated machine. The cheap store brand ones in the US generally work just fine. I guess that is not the case here so I'll just have to pay more for one that works....or just don't bother with one.

I also bought a Homemaker rice cooker ($30) and it's been working fine. I just didn't have the heart to spend $200 on a Japanese model, even though that's all I would use in the US as I can get them for much less.

[ChrisTaylor]

Kitchen appliances are stupidly expensive here. Just wait until you see how much they want to sting you for a KitchenAid mixer.

EDIT

Oh and books (i.e. cookbooks). Never buy locally. Even when I worked in a bookshop and had (well, I still have it) a 30% discount card at two of the major book retailers, it was still almost always cheaper--often by a fair amount--to buy from Book Depository or sometimes Amazon (depending on the exchange rate).

Edited January 30, 2011 by ChrisTaylor (log)

[mgaretz]

While very expensive for a slow cooker (and I'm not even sure you can get it in Australia) I love my All-Clad with the aluminum insert. I can brown meat, saute onions etc. on the stovetop and go right into the slow cooker. If there are leftovers, the insert with lid goes in the fridge and then straight onto the stove for reheating. It also cooks very well.

[andiesenji]

I suggest you try asking at Forum Thermomix

Brazen, one of the moderators of this segment has three crockpots or slow cookers and has posted about them in other threads.

I can't recall who else has them but several Australian members use them in addition to the TMX and they are always very helpful with purchasing information.

[annachan]

Kitchen appliances are stupidly expensive here. Just wait until you see how much they want to sting you for a KitchenAid mixer.

EDIT

Oh and books (i.e. cookbooks). Never buy locally. Even when I worked in a bookshop and had (well, I still have it) a 30% discount card at two of the major book retailers, it was still almost always cheaper--often by a fair amount--to buy from Book Depository or sometimes Amazon (depending on the exchange rate).

I know about the KA mixer. It's insane! So, I shipped mine over along with a transformer....

I checked out the books at some bookshops and they are really pricey. I checked the prices on a few books and they're double or triple the price of what's in the US or even from online here. Good thing I will have visitors coming from the US. They will all end up having to bring me a few cookbooks every time they visit.

[annachan]

I suggest you try asking at Forum Thermomix

Brazen, one of the moderators of this segment has three crockpots or slow cookers and has posted about them in other threads.

I can't recall who else has them but several Australian members use them in addition to the TMX and they are always very helpful with purchasing information.

I forgot about the Thermomix forum. Thanks for reminding me.

[Kerry Beal]

Given the relatively low power requirements of a slow cooker - it would be a suitable to use with a converter/transformer. Anyone from the US coming to visit soon?