In the midst of winter, there’s no better time to reach for a slow cooker to make meals that'll warm you from the inside out.
These comforting and dependable one-pot wonders come into their own in the cooler, darker months.
Not to be confused with pressure cookers, which take a faster, higher temperature route to cooking, slow cookers take a decidedly more leisurely, laidback approach and require far less overseeing. Simply load and leave a bunch of ingredients, returning hours later to tuck into your latest hale and hearty home-cooked creation.
For our money, a decent slow cooker should be a firm fixture in any busy household - their ability to deliver dependably nutritious, low-faff meals chimes in these health-conscious and cash-strapped times.
They can also help budding home chefs ‘cross their Ts’, in this case texture, taste and tenderness. Cooking for long periods will deliver meat that falls off the bone, a bit of fat on the bone helping to avoid dryness, while maxing out the flavours from ingredients such as herbs and spices.
In such times of runaway fuel bills, it’s worth noting that slow cookers are refreshingly light on energy consumption, not least in comparison to regular ovens.
Moreover, you can turn out nutritious, delicious veggie soups and stews for pennies on the pound, transforming tougher, cheaper cuts of meat into mouthwatering marvels. Slow cookers can be surprisingly affordable, too. Take the Crockpot 1.8L Slow Cooker, a great basic option for students, couples and those living alone, available here for just £12.
What to look for in a slow cooker
Welcome features to look for include a ‘keep warm’ setting until you’re ready to tuck in, and a temperature probe to take the guesswork out of cooking items such as whole chickens to perfection.
Also look for models where the removable inner pot can be used on a hob - the ability to sear meat or sauté veggies before whacking them into the slow cooker can transform dishes, adding flavour and sealing in moisture. That said, you could always just use a different pan, of course.
Having the ability to set a timer to delay the cooking process can also be super handy as long as you don’t intend on leaving perishable ingredients sitting around inside the slow cooker at room temperature for extended periods. Some will appreciate hinged lids.
Other key considerations include size and capacity. If you live alone, and cook mostly just for yourself, you could probably get by with a sub-two litres model. For a family of four, the sweet spot starts at 3.5 litres although I’d personally recommend a 6.5 litre model for the flexibility, from occasional entertaining to batch cooking, harvesting leftovers for easy freezer meals.
Recent home slow cooker trends include the increased popularity of sous vide machines, ingredients placed in vacuum-packed bags sitting in temperature-controlled water baths to promote even cooking. Many multi-function slow cookers now feature this ability alongside other zeitgeist functions such as air frying.
As with any new kitchen gadget purchase, it can take a bit of experimentation to get great results. Just remember that cutting into smaller chunks will help avoid pitfalls such as hard veg, and liquid is your ally, helping to cook ingredients by aiding heat transfer and creating steam.
Here are some of the best options currently cooking on the market, including some tasty space-saving multi-function models and hybrids.
Best crockpots at a glance
- Best for a budget slow cooker with a searing function: Crock-Pot CSC066 Time Select Slow Cooker, 5.6L - £63, John Lewis
- Best for a lightweight slow cooker and searer: Morphy Richards Evoke Sear and Stew 3.5L Slow Cooker (460012) - £45, Argos
- Best for a sous vide and temperature probe included: Russell Hobbs 25630 slow cooker - £82.89, Amazon
- Best for an all-singing 15-function slow cooker: Ninja Foodi MAX 15-in-1 SmartLid Multi-Cooker (OL750UK) - £249, Ninja
- Best for a reasonably priced slow cooker and pressure cooker: Sage ‘Fast Slow Pro’ (BPR700BSS) - £198.95, Amazon
- Best for a dough folding and proofing slow cooker for ‘Bake Off’ fans: Brod & Taylor FP-205 – 9.5 litre - £189, Amazon
- Best for an affordable multi-function slow cooker with delay start: Instant Pot Duo Nova 7-in-1 Smart Cooker – 5.7 litre - £99.99, Amazon
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Crock-Pot CSC066 Time Select Slow Cooker, 5.6L
- Best for: A budget slow cooker with a searing function
- Functions: Slow cooker
- Capacity: 5.6 litres
- Power: 240W
- Dimensions: H29.3 x W41.2 x D25.4cm
- Hob searing function? Yes
Having pretty much invented the slow cooker market, Crockpot has built a solid reputation for delivering quality goods at attractive price points - and this great value stainless steel-clad device will cater to many users’ needs.
Top-line features include that large, family-friendly 5.6L capacity, the remarkably low price tag and the removable, non-stick dishwasher-safe internal pot. Sturdy and safe on the countertop at 5.7kg, it’s good for everything from soups and stews to whole chickens and puddings, with lots of good ideas and recipes on the website.
Buy now £63.00, John Lewis
Morphy Richards Evoke Sear and Stew 3.5L Slow Cooker (460012)
- Best for: A lightweight slow cooker and searer
- Functions: Slow cooker
- Capacity: 3.5 litres
- Power: 163W
- Dimensions: H210 x W375 x D255mm
- Hob searing function? Yes
With a wallet-friendly price tag and a capacity that will appeal to couples and small families, this simple-to-use, dishwasher-safe model has three heat settings and does the basics well. Its most welcome workhorse feature is the ability to use the removable, shatterproof non-stick cooking pot on the hob – great for searing meat, say, prior to slow cooking.
When in use the toughened glass lid enables you to keep an eye on the tasty developments going on inside. At just 2.2kg it’s refreshingly light, too, with cool touch handles and non-slip feet further aiding its usability. For this price, you really can’t go wrong.
Buy now £45.00, Argos
Russell Hobbs 25630 slow cooker
- Best for: A sous vide and temperature probe included
- Functions: Slow cooker, sous vide & temperature probe
- Capacity: 6.5 litres
- Power: 350W
- Dimensions: H368 x W272 x D446mm
- Hob searing function? No
This versatile and nice-looking option combines solid slow cooker credentials with some very welcome extra features, chiefly its useful temperature probe – great for cooking meats and tasty, foolproof Sunday roast joints – and a sous vide water bath. It is also complete with an easy to navigate digital display.
As for those slow cooker skills, the 6.5 litre capacity will be ample for most family households and the 7.7kg weight is pretty manageable. I christened mine with a whole chicken followed by a tasty casserole with tender meat and perfectly cooked veg. That price tag is pretty tasty, too. Kudos.
Buy now £82.89, Amazon
Ninja Foodi MAX 15-in-1 SmartLid Multi-Cooker (OL750UK)
- Best for: An all-singing 15 function slow cooker
- Functions: 15, including slow cook
- Capacity: 7.5 litres
- Power: 1760W
- Dimensions: H360 x W350 x D360mm
- Hob searing function? You can sear or sauté in the Ninja itself
For those of us Londoners with teeny kitchens and limited counterspace, a multi-function slow cooker can be worth its weight in golden meals - and this multi-tasking beast ticks a whole lot of boxes. While some models can be categorised under the ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ title, this kitchen crusader from the ever-dependable Ninja brand performs remarkably well and the price tag won’t ruin your appetite either.
As a slow cooker, it performs impeccably. Welcome features include the integrated Smart Cook System with its Digital Cooking Probe cook, offering more control over the cooking process and helping to avoid overcooking – especially useful when whipping up meat and fish dishes.
The 15 functions include the ability to sous vide, air fry, and the ‘Combi-Steam’ modes fusing the health of steaming with the stealth of convection cooking. Top marks for including a SmartLid, too, doing away with the common faff of switching lids when using different functions.
Buy now £249.00, Ninja
Sage ‘Fast Slow Pro’ (BPR700BSS)
- Best for: A reasonably priced slow cooker and pressure cooker
- Functions: slow cooker & pressure cooker
- Capacity: 6 litres
- Power: 1100W
- Weight: 5.5kg
- Dimensions: H320 x W300 x D370mm
- Hob searing function? Sear and sauté within the unit
This professional looking brushed metal appliance is one powerful proposition, offering the benefits of both slow cooking and speedier pressure cooking in one attractive bundle that you’ll be proud to have gracing your counter. It performs both functions admirably, with four additional overed in its pre-set programmes, namelysearing, steaming, sautéing and reducing.Alternatively, you can also just wing it, programming in your chosen times, temperature and pressure settings using the dials.
Added control comes from the sensors located at its top and bottom, which constantly monitor the slow cooking process as well as the variable steam release function automatically releasing steam as the food cooks and as required. The keep-warm setting ensures food stays hot and ready to serve for up to two hours after cooking, while the ceramic coating on the removable inner cooking pot and dishwasher safe lid make cleaning up a cinch. Supplied accessories include a stainless steel steaming basket, a roasting trivet and a cookbook to get you started.
Buy now £198.95, Amazon
Brod & Taylor FP-205 – 9.5 litre
- Best for: A dough folding and proofing slow cooker for ‘Bake Off’ fans
- Functions: Space-saving slow cooker and dough proofer
- Capacity: Can accommodate a 7.5L stockpot
- Power: 200W
- Dimensions: H270 x W460 x D370mm open; H80 x W460 x D370mm folded.
- Hob searing function? No
Another hybrid slow cooker, this innovative offering takes space-saving to a new level, folding away flat when not in use. As a slow cooker, it’s pretty basic, essentially consisting of a box that you place one of your existing lidded stew or stock pots into, controlling the internal temperature and timing via the programmable digital display, but it does the job.
The real head-turner here is its prowess in the bakery stakes with its ability to proof dough for everything from bread and brioche to pizza night. It’s particularly handy for making sourdough, where consistent, warm and humid temperatures are key to the outcome.
If, like me, you lack a nice, cosy, temperature-regulated space to stash your fresh dough in till it’s ready for baking, you’ll find this temperature-regulating gadget a godsend - particularly over the cooler months when fluctuating kitchen temperatures can wreak havoc.
Other handy uses include making yoghurt and there are some handy accessories to consider investing in too, including a storage case and an internal shelf. Lovely stuff.
Buy now £189.00, Amazon
Instant Pot Duo Nova 7-in-1 Smart Cooker – 5.7 litre
- Best for: An affordable multi-function slow cooker with delay start
- Functions: 7, including slow cook
- Capacity: 5.7 litres
- Power: 1440W
- Dimensions: H320 x W33 x D310mm
- Hob searing function? Sear and sauté within the unit
I really rate the ability to ‘delay start’ the cooking process on Instant Pots such as this great value model which offers the option of scheduling the slow cooking process up to 24 hours in advance. While you wouldn’t want to leave perishable items sat around in a slow cooker pot at room temperature for very long, this function is great for non-perishable goods, such as preparing my morning steel cut oats the night before. The keep warm function is equally handy, not least when I don’t know when I’ll be able to get back home to devour my latest one pot wonder.
The front-facing interface with its nice big digital display and surrounding one-touch menu buttons (including soup, porridge and bean/chilli) is a joy to use and really helps get the most out of the model’s slow cooking capability. Being a seven-in-one option, you can also do everything from sauté and steam, to making yoghurt. Plus, it looks pretty good.
Buy now £99.99, Amazon
