Slow cooker season is here. Perfect for creating casseroles, stews, soups and more, slow cookers are very versatile and, once you own one, you’ll wonder how you ever coped without the kitchen appliance.
The most basic slow cookers come with a few settings – usually high and low, maybe a midway point. They warm food in a pot and keep it at an even temperature for as long as they’re switched on. Slow cookers are more energy efficient than hobs or ovens, so they’re super handy if you have a dish that requires low-and-slow cooking.
Most slow cookers have extra features, though, including timers and auto-shut off functions, so food isn’t overcooked. Many slow-cooker recipes call for the searing of meat before adding it to the slow cooker, as this locks in more flavour. So, some slow cookers have removable bowls that enable you to sear ingredients on the hob. A few slow cookers also sear the food on the appliance, so you don’t need to use a hob at all.
As well as a standard slow cooker, you could consider a multicooker – a kitchen appliance that does more than one job but feature a slow cooker setting. Multicookers are great if you want a slow cooker and steamer, for example, but lack storage space. We’ve included some such models below.
If you’re stuck for Christmas gift ideas, the best slow cookers can make great presents, too. Keep scrolling for our pick of top-rated models.
How we tested
We spent a month slow cooking everything from soups and stews to pie fillings and desserts. We looked for slow cookers that maintained a low temperature over the course of cooking – we didn’t want food catching on the bottom of the bowl. Useful settings, such as timers and keep-warm options, were also considered. When testing multicookers, we looked at whether they made good slow cookers. Price, space and durability were also called into question.
The best slow cookers for 2024 are:
Crock-Pot CSC112 sizzle & stew digital slow cooker
Crock-Pot is one of the big names in the slow cooker world, and the brand’s CSC112 held up very well during testing. We used this slow cooker to create a chocolate-orange bread-and-butter pudding. It was as delicious as it sounds. You can take the bowl out of this slow cooker and use it on the hob, which cuts down on washing up and faff. The huge oval bowl has a generous capacity and was perfect for feeding a crowd. We loved that there’s a timer and keep-warm options, which meant we could leave it to cook away and get on with other jobs. The high, medium and low settings offered just the right level of versatility for us – the medium setting cooked our recipe perfectly, in line with the method.
Buy now £89.99, Currys.co.uk
Salter cosmos slow cooker
If you’re looking for something simple but that gets the job done, this Salter slow cooker is the way to go. Costing less than £30, this is incredible value for some cheap and easy dinners. There is no saute function here but we were able to whip up a delicious roasted tomato soup. We selected the medium settling on the dial, and then let the appliance do its thing. At this price, there are a few sacrifices, and one of them is that there isn’t a timer – so, you’re going to need to rely on your memory or phone timer here. It won’t switch itself on to keep warm, either – you have to do this manually. However, we still think this little slow cooker is a great buy – ideal for students and smaller families.
Buy now £27.99, Currys.co.uk
Cuisinart cook in multicooker
We set about making a steak-and-ale pie filling with this slow cooker. The recipe called for searing off the beef and the onions before adding everything to the pan. We were able to get the appliance up to searing temperature pretty quickly (it warms faster with the lid on). The design of this slow cooker means the pan has a wide base, which was great for getting a lot of direct heat onto the meat, to sear it quickly. However, once we added the liquid and other ingredients, the pan took a long time to cool down to the right temperature. We also missed a timer function on this slow cooker. However, you can also steam, grill and sear using this multicooker – handy if you’re short on hob space.
Buy now £68.99, Amazon.co.uk
GreenPan slow cooker
To test this slow cooker, we made a smoky chilli con carne. This required us to brown mince and pork medallions first, which we could do in this unit. A wide surface area on the pan meant we could efficiently sear lots in one go, too. Once we hit the slow cook button, the screen offered us high or low settings, plus reheat, buffet or warm options. Our chilli cooked all day without drying out – we were able to keep an eye on it through the glass lid. We liked that this model has a buffet option, which keeps food slightly warmer – the perfect eating temperature.
Buy now £200.00, Amazon.co.uk
Morphy Richards sear & stew slow cooker
Great for smaller families, couples or if you’re cooking for one person this slow cooker is simple to use. You can lift the bowl out and brown off ingredients first – we made a pesto chicken stew this way, browning off the meat first. You can then pop the bowl into the appliance, put on the lid and select from high, medium or low on the dial. This is literally all there is to it. You cannot set a countdown timer, nor does it switch to a keep warm function – you’ll need to remember to switch it off, so your food doesn’t overcook. We found the slow cooker maintained an even temperature, and kept in a lot of moisture, so we had a succulent stew at the end of cooking.
Buy now £40.50, Amazon.co.uk
Tefal multicook actifry
If you’re very short on space but hear the siren’s call of lots of different kitchen appliances (air fryers, steamers, slow cookers, etc), the multicooker actifry can deliver all that in one for you. Along with slow cooking, this multicooker air fries, sautés, steams, bakes bread and even makes yoghurt. There’s a tier system, so you can cook on two levels at once, if you’re air frying or steaming. Plus you can steam rice in it – we were thrilled to dump our rice cooker and convert to this. We focused on cooking a veggie stew with herby dumplings while testing this model. You can use the sauté function first to brown off ingredients, and then switch to the slow cooker function to get stewing. We loved the “later meal” function, which meant we could put the appliance on a delay to come on. Meanwhile, the keep-warm function added yet more convenience. For a busy family, this is hard to beat as a kitchen appliance.
Buy now £176.44, Amazon.co.uk
Russell Hobbs good to go multicooker
We made an absolutely delicious bolognese sauce with this slow cooker. Thanks to the sear function, we were able to brown off the mince, onions and pancetta before getting on with the main event. The controls make it pretty easy to switch between functions, although, we wish the modes were written on the appliance, as we found it hard to remember what the different symbols meant. When in slow cooker mode, the appliance lets you choose from high or low heat settings. There’s a timer, too, so we could leave our ragu sauce cooking without a care in the world. Once the set time was up, the appliance clicked into keep-warm mode, which operates for four hours and then auto shuts off, got extra peace of mind.
Buy now £59.99, Russellhobbs.com
Lakeland 3.5l digital slow cooker
The digital controls on this slow cooker made it really easy to use. We could click through heat settings (low, high or warm) and get things fired up quickly. The Lakeland slow cooker stayed evenly warm throughout cooking, without drying out our pulled pork. One downside we noticed is there’s no keep-warm function once the timer has counted down and cooking has finished. However, there is a delay timer – so, we were able to set the appliance to come on later, so we could return at the end of the day to freshly cooked pulled pork.
Buy now £59.99, Lakeland.co.uk
Slow cookers FAQs
Are slow cookers cheap to run?
Not only can slow cookers help you knock up some seriously delicious dinners, they are also energy efficient, with energy company USwitch noting the appliances use a little more energy than a traditional light bulb to run. While they take a little while to cook food, they use just 1.3kWh per meal cooked.
According to research by energy company Utilita, an electric oven is one of the most energy-intensive cooking appliances, costing on average £1.05 per day to run, whereas a slow cooker is typically five times cheaper to run.
What are the benefits of slow cooking?
There are many benefits to using a slow cooker, including that you can create delicious dinners with minimal prep and without spending hours in the kitchen. Once your ingredients are in, you do not have to check on or stir, because the pot warms up evenly and should never overheat.
Cooking for a long time at a low temperature is also perfect for tenderising meat and can preserve nutrients that are sometimes lost when cooking via other methods.
What are the key features to look for in a slow cooker?
Slow cookers often have a number of important features you should consider when choosing the right one for you...
Top tips for using a slow cooker
Choose cheap cuts of meat
Slow cookers work best when it comes to cooking cheaper cuts of meat such as brisket, ham hock, pork or lamb shoulder and chicken thighs, so bear this in mind when shopping for your ingredients.
Remember to reduce the liquid in your slow cooker
The liquid in a slow cooker won’t evaporate as it would in a standard pot, thanks to the appliance’s tightly sealed lid. You can reduce the liquid in your pot by roughly a third, so it covers the meat and vegetables but make sure not to overfill your slow cooker, as the food won’t cook as well.
Use flour to thicken your sauce
If you have added too much liquid and need to thicken the sauce, mix a small amount of cornflour with some cold water and at it into your slow cooker contents at the end.
Optimise the slow aspect of the cooker
Use the low setting on your slow cooker so whatever dish you’re making can benefit the most from a slow, gentle heat. It is also the safest option, should you be putting something to slow cook overnight or if you nip out to the shops with the appliance on, while cooking a dish.
Throw everything in together
If you’re looking to optimise a relaxed form of cooking and not have to stand by the pot, you’ll want to choose recipes featuring ingredients that can be added all at once, at the beginning, and then left to cook.
How long should you leave things in a slow cooker for?
The general rule of thumb is that if a dish usually takes 15-30 minutes in an oven, it will cook in one to two hours in a slow cooker on the high setting, or in four to six hours on the low setting. If it takes one to two hours to cook in an oven, it will take three to four hours on ‘high’ in a slow cooker, or six to eight hours on ‘low’. If it take two to four hours in an oven, cook it for four to six hours on your slow cooker’s ‘high’ setting, or eight to 12 hours on ‘low’.
The verdict: Slow cookers
There are so many amazing slow cookers in this line-up, but we especially loved the Crock-Pot, thanks to its simplicity, value for money and the fact it doesn’t skimp on size, either. The fact we could brown ingredients on the hob first, all in one pan, was a big bonus, too. Meanwhile, if you’re just looking for a basic, budget-friendly option, the Salter cosmos will do nicely.
For more ways to make weeknight meals a little easier, read our guide to the best air fryers
