There are countless slow cookers available to consumers which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s great to have a lot of options but with so many options available it can be difficult to choose the right one. To help make things a little bit easier for you we put together this slow cooker buyers guide, outlining some tips for choosing the best slow cooker for you.
Consider Your Budget
How much are you willing to spend on a slow cooker? You can probably find a budget slow cooker for $30 or less, or you could buy a high-end unit for several hundred dollars. First determine how much you’re willing to spend, then look into some of the different features that you might want.
The Size of Your Slow Cooker
If you are cooking for one or two people you can get away with a much smaller cooker than you could if you were cooking for a large family. However, if you want to be able to prepare large amounts of food for a family gathering or a party of some kind, you may want to invest in a larger capacity unit. The size of the slow cooker will have an effect on the price of the unit so it is something that is important to consider.
Slow Cooker Features
Many slow cookers these days are programmable. You can set a timer to cook your food for a given period of time and then come back later when the food is done. Many programmable slow cookers also have an automatic keep warm function that kicks in once the countdown timer has expired. This is a great feature because you won’t have to be there to take your food out of the slow cooker as soon as it is done. Your food will be warm and waiting for you when you are ready.
Some slow cookers offer a locking lid which makes it a lot more convenient to transport food from one place to another. If you are taking a dish to a family gathering or a potluck, a locking lid will allow you to take your slow cooker, put it in the car, and drive from point A to point B without making a mess.
You may also want to look for a slow cooker that is easy to clean. Many slow cookers have a removable cooking basin that is also dishwasher safe. A lot of slow cookers also have touchpad controls and those would be a lot easier to clean than knobs and buttons.
Research Customer Reviews
You may determine your budget, figure out the right size unit, and put together a list of features that you are looking for, but how do you know if you’re making the right choice? You may find several options that you would be interested in but how do you choose the right one? Researching customer reviews online is a great way to get additional information to help you make a decision.
Listening to feedback from customers that have used a slow cooker that you are considering can certainly help you make a more informed decision. You’ll be able to learn what they like or don’t like about a particular model and that is the next best thing to actually trying it out for yourself. So once you have considered some of the different options and you have narrowed down a list of contenders, make sure you see what other people have to say about the models you are considering.
