The Next 6 Things You Should Do For Slow Cooker Success
Slow cookers are certainly popular--over 80 percent of American families
has one. In such a crowded field, it is tricky to sort out which is the best one
To purchase, especially when they all seem pretty much identical. I've spent the
last year doing almost nothing but slow cook, writing a book called
Adventures in Slow Cooking, which will be published in October by William
Morrow.
My apartment looks like Hoarders: Slow Cooker Edition. I've learned that
There are factors among slow cooker models which produce a big difference in
Both your experience working with the appliance and in the quality of the finished
dish.
The slow cooker was invented by Irving Naxon in 1940. He called his gadget a
Naxon Beanery, as it had been inspired by the slow-simmered citrus bean stew
called cholent. From the '70s, he sold the rights to the Rival company, which
rebranded it Crock-Pot.
And other bells and whistles, but the basic cooking mechanism hasn't
Changed much since Naxon first came up with it. The pot (or "crock") sits
Inside a casing that contains a wrap-around electrical heating element. The
Control panel on the exterior of the casing provides warm, low and higher heat
settings.
The super-simple, closed design of the slow cooker is in the heart of its
Strengths and its flaws: It excels at any dish that requires low, moist
heat. Clearly, that includes anything braised or steamed, but it can also
Gently poach delicate fish, or be deployed as a water bath for making
foolproof custards and cheesecakes. It uses less energy than the stove or oven
(most require about the same wattage as a lightbulb or 2), and you can
Leave it on all day without stressing you're going to burn down your house.
However, a slow cooker can over-cook your meals. Modern models run
Considerably hotter than the originals in the '70s, because of concerns
about food safety. (The rule of thumb is that cooked foods should not be held
Between 40˚ and 140˚ for over four hours.) And there is no standard
They can vary by as much as
That's why it's so important to choose the
Right machine: If you're using the toaster for all-day cooking, you want
One that runs as slow and low as possible.
So, out of the hundreds of slow cookers on the market, I analyzed some of the
Most popular to find out which one performs the best. I started with these
1. A sixquart
Oval slow cooker can create a recipe that serves four, but it will also
A two-quart souffle dish or a
loaf pan can fit inside, for making bread pudding or cheesecake. There's
Nothing you can do with a four-quart slow cooker that you can not do with a sixquart,
But the reverse is not true. There's no question that if you're going to
Buy one slow cooker, it should be this shape and size.
2. Programmability is a must-have feature.
Allows you to set cook time and heat level (say, 4 hours on low) and after the
Time has elapsed, the stove will automatically switch to heat, decreasing
the temperature. The warm setting shouldn't be abused--you can't just leave
But it's a
Lifesaver for a difference of a couple of hours between when a recipe is completed and when
Dishes like marinara sauce and polenta can sit on hot for
hours without suffering. The older and simpler models just run on whatever
Heat level you have set it to until you get home and change it off, making
Overcooking a lot more likely.
3. It's fine, but not necessary, to Be Able to sear or brownish in the
slow cooker insert. Many recipes call for sautéing aromatics and/or browning
meat before slow cooking. If you can do this in the slow cooker insert, you
Don't need to use a separate skillet on the stovetop.
Starting with those parameters, I tested seven popular slow cookers from six
Various brands, four with browning ability, to determine which offered the best
The Slow Cookers
Basic models
KitchenAid 6-quart Programmable Slow Cooker with Glass Lid
Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker with Temperature
Probe, 6-Quart
Models with the capability to brown
Crock-Pot Programmable Slow Cooker with Stovetop Safe Cooking Pot
All-Clad 7-Quart Gourmet Slow Cooker with All-in-One Browning
A note on one omission: I didn't include the best-selling slow cooker on
Because, over weeks of use, I've found that it runs unacceptably hot,
Reaching a full, rolling boil when set to low for even a few hours.
The Criteria
Temperature stability: Can the slow cooker maintain a low temperature (well
Under a boil, which is 212˚) for at least six hours?
Warming: When switched to heat, does the warmth drop precipitously to a very
Low (but still food-safe) fever?
Even cooking: Can it cook evenly on both low and high, or does it have hot
Spots which will scorch delicate dishes, like stratas, which are cooked directly in
the insert?
Controls: Is the control panel intuitive and simple to program and read?
Alarms: Does it have an alarm once the cook time has elapsed?
Comfort: How hot do the insert handles and lid get when cooking?
Searing: For People with searing capability: Can it sauté an onion and brown
Chicken skin and a skillet does?
The Tests
To answer those questions, I completed three tests on each one the cookers.
Temperature monitoring: I filled each cooker with 12 cups of cold (around 50˚)
water. Then I set them to cook on low for six hours and monitored the
Temperature of every one with an identical probe thermometer to determine how low
The low setting actually wasideally, it shouldn't rise much above 200˚. (In
Reality, the cookers ranged from 180˚ to 205˚ after four hours on low. For
Braising, I prefer a bare simmer, using a bubble breaking the surface of the
Liquid every now and then, which occurs around 190˚.)
Switch to warm for four hours to see how quickly and dramatically the
Temperature would drop--the lower the better, as long as it remains above 140˚.
Beans: To check the evenness of the high heat setting, I cooked one pound of
Soaked black beans with 6 cups of water in every slow cooker on high heat
I was looking
For beans that were all well tender at exactly the same time, rather than legumes that
Overcooked around the edges before the ones in the middle were done.
Strata: Creating a braise is too easy; any slow cooker can do that. A strata--
Essentially a savory bread pudding--is a more revealing test. Slow cookers
Can create beautiful, delicate-textured stratas, but some models have hot spots
Along the wall of the add, where it is closest to the heating element. Those
spots will cause uneven browning and scorching on the edges of the strata. I
Lined each slow cooker with parchment and then constructed this strata in
Each one, adapting the recipe slightly by increasing the egg quantity to six for
Extra structure and swapping the Gruyere for cheddar, because, well, that's
what I had. I then cooked it on low for 4 hours.
I added one more test for the three cookers with stovetop-safe inserts:
Browning and sautéing: Stovetop-safe inserts should function as well as a
Skillet, so I analyzed their ability to sauté and brown. In every one, I sautéed one
Large yellow onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat,
Stirring occasionally, to see whether it would become equally soft and translucent within
10 minutes. I also browned skin-on chicken thighs over high heat in one
Tablespoon of canola oil, leaving them undisturbed for 2 minutes before
flipping. I was looking for deep, even browning on the chicken skin and a few
Fond (browned bits) left behind in the add.
Our Favorite Slow Cookers
Abby Hocking / Food & Wine
Glass Lid ($78 on Amazon)
What worked: This cooker conducted the lowest and slowest by far: After six hours
On low it registered only 180˚ (the lowest temperature of seven) and when
It kicked over to heat it dropped all the way to 160˚ over the first hour and
Then to 147˚ following four hours--again, the lowest temperatures of the bunch.
Since many people use a slow cooker for all-day cooking, the ability to
Actually hold a very low temperature is the most significant feature a slow cooker
Can offer, and it is what sets this one apart.
The model is unique in that it has an internal thermostat that makes tiny,
Most other cookers allow the temperature climb slowly without adjustment. The
Electrical heating element can be specially insulated to prevent hot spots,
ensuring evenly distributed heat. This was the only cooker to take six hours
To cook the beans (the average time was four hours, but if they were
Finally done, they were absolutely creamy, without any breakage. (And
Presumably, if you would like to cook something fast, you are not using the slow
cooker.)
Along with dependably low heat, this cooker has a wonderfully simple,
Intuitive control panel that's very easy to set and read. There are separate
Buttons for the 3 heat settings and + and - buttons that permit you to
Correct the cook time up and down in 30-minute increments. The brightly lit
Display counts down the time as it cooks and an alarm sounds when the cook
When it switches over to warm, the timer starts from zero
And starts counting up, so when you get home, it is obvious how much time it's
Been running on hot. During cooking, the lid handle stays cool enough to
Touch with your bare hands, as do the insert's handles.
What did not: This was the only slow cooker to meet all the criteria. It doesn't
Provide in-insert browning, so you've got to use a separate skillet for that, but the
Dependable slow heat and exceptional design is well worth washing an extra dish.
Best for stovetop searing: Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Programmable Stovetop
What worked: I enjoyed that this model ran slow, reaching 183˚ following six hours
On low and then falling to 169˚ after one hour hot, and all the way down
To 150˚ after four hours on warm. It cooked beans in three and a half
Unlike traditional
slow cookers, which have a stoneware insert, this one is made of nonstick
Coated aluminum, which makes it stovetop safe--and also much lighter and easier
To handwash compared to heavier crocks. Over medium-high heat on the
Stovetop, it can sauté an onion to translucency in about ten minutes. Over
High heat, it can brown chicken thighs into a crisp, medium gold in about 8
Minutes, and though it is nonstick, which is never perfect for searing,
There was some fond left on the bottom of the pan.
I also loved this cooker's easy-to-use control panel. (You'd think
A fantastic control panel could be a common thing, but it is not.) This one has a
Large dial that satisfyingly clicks into place to place the heat level, and - and +
buttons to adjust the time by 30-minute increments.
Stays cool enough to touch, though the grips on the insert don't.
What did not: I wish there was an alarm when the cook time elapses, and
The insert's handles did not get so hot during cooking. The insert is
Not dishwasher safe, and you have to remember not to use metal implements
On the non stick surface.
Abby Hocking / Food & Wine
What worked: I really like this machine even though it has some drawbacks.
It runs a bit hot, topping out at 201˚ on low, but it has the same kind of
Internal thermostat that KitchenAid does, so it retains at about 200˚, still well
Below the boil, rather than continuing to climb. It is also well-insulated,
Cooking both legumes and strata very evenly, with no hot spots. The beans
Were completed in three hours, the shortest cooking time of all, partly because this
Model runs a bit hot and partly because it's larger than the others, at
seven quarts.
What I love about the All-Clad is its shape and searing ability, which
Makes it ideal for braises, soups and stews. The insert, which can be made of
Nonstick-coated aluminum, is long, rectangular and comparatively shallow
Compared to the others, with a ton of bottom surface area. You can easily sear
Five big chicken thighs in it without crowding the pan. It's stovetop safe,
And performed in sautéing the onion and searing the chicken
thighs. But it also has the capacity to sear when set into the stove casing--the
Only one I tested that has this feature--and it really works better that way.
It gets screamingly hot and can sear chicken skin to a deep, rich brown or
Quickly sauté an onion to gold. It feels really convenient to begin and finish
A braise using one pot in one place.
This model alarms Once the cook time has elapsed and counts up from zero
on warm. It's also a beautiful, sleek stainless steel machine--the luxury SUV
of slow cookers.
What didn't: This cooker is the most expensive by far at about $250. The
Control panel is simple to read, but not the most intuitive to set. It has
Minimum programmable times of four hours on low and 2 hours on high,
So you can't set it for, say, 2 hours on low, which can be irritating. (This is
Most likely a paternal effort to guarantee food safety.) The handle on the lid
Gets so hot that you will need a potholder to open it, which seems like an
Avoidable annoyance, especially at this price. As with all nonstick cookware,
You need to remember to not use metal implements.
Also Tested
Bella 5-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
What worked: This is a standard slow cooker that's a good value. It topped out at
192˚ following six hours on low and eventually fell to 145˚ after four hours on
warm.
What did not: The beans were commendable, but the ones against the back wall
Of the insert cooked through much quicker than others. That's because this
Model has a major hot spot there: The strata burned across the whole back
side. The control panel was easy to read but not intuitive to place--the power
Button doubles as the "set" button, which will not make sense to me. There's
No alarm once the cook time has elapsed and it is going to only operate on warm for
Four hours, half the time of others.
Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker With Temperature
Probe, 6-Quart
What worked: This model used to be my favorite--it is a reliable workhorse,
An excellent value, and it comes with its own probe thermometer, in order to
Set it to change to warm when a certain temperature is reached. It also runs
Fairly slow, reaching 186˚ after six hours on low, but the heat attribute
Doesn't work as well as others. (It only fell to 165˚ following four hours on heat,
The hottest of the bunch.) It produced equally creamy beans. I love It Is
Easy to place and has a loud alarm the moment it starts cooking and as soon as it finishes.
The handle on the lid remains cool enough to touch and has a bonus spoon rest.
What didn't: The warm setting doesn't fall . And it has two
Significant hot spots: The strata burned on both narrow ends.
Cuisinart 6.5 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
What worked: This model made a very respectable showing--it is also one of
my old favorites. It cooks nice and slowly, rising to only 181˚ over six hours
On low, the second lowest of the group after the KitchenAid. It cooked beans
perfectly. The control panel is easy to use and read and it beeps when the
cook time elapses. The handle on the lid gets a bit warm but is still cool
enough to touch.
What did not: The warm setting didn't fall low enough (over an hour, the
Temperature decreased only 10 degrees, instead of 20-plus degrees in
Other models) and it's a small but noticeable hot place where the strata
Burned against the back wall.
Crock-Pot Programmable Slow Cooker with Stovetop Safe Cooking Pot
What worked: This nonstick coated aluminum insert did a fine job sautéing
the onion and browning chicken skin on the stovetop. It made respectable--if
Slightly unevenly cooked--legumes and a golden strata.
What didn't: In my experience, Crock-Pots run too hot. This one was the
Hottest of the group, rising to 205˚ after six hours on low. The control panel
Is simple to use, but it is tough to tell when it's started cooking--there is no
Indicator light, which means you have to stand there and make sure that the timer starts
counting down. There's also no alarm Once the cook time finishe
Comments
Post a Comment