Get Rid Of Slow Cooker Problems Once And For All
The Test Kitchen's Guide to Buying a Slow Cooker
Today's slow cookers come in a vast variety of sizes with a great deal of different features. Which
ones are worth the investment?
A slow cooker promises to be a bit dream grandma who sits at the kitchen all day
Cooking for you, but use the wrong cooker and that fantasy
could fizzle. A cooker might
Run hotter than expected, drying the food out or turning it mushy, or slower than you
Want, so dinner is not ready when you are. Then there can be problems with hot spots,
That make food cook unevenly. And what if operating your system is so perplexing
That you have to pore over the manual each time you use it?
For the ideal machine that would deliver a properly cooked meal and be completely
Lids were a must, as they allow you to see progress without losing heat. So were ovalshaped
Crocks, as these can accommodate large roasts and offer more flexibility than
round crocks. We also wanted a generous 6- to 7-quart capacity. With these criteria in
Mind, we piled up eight models priced from $39.99 to $148.71.
We analyzed these eight slow cookers, preparing a variety of recipes using both low and
High temperature settings and varied cooking times.
Map heating patterns, and a panel of testers evaluated how simple the cookers were to
We also dismantled a set of the dividers to Comprehend the placement
And type of heating elements they contained. What were our favorites of the bunch?
The KitchenAid 6-Quart Slow Cooker With Solid Glass Lid ($99.99), our former winner,
Handled every recipe with ideal results, albeit a bit slowly.
Insulated housing, built-in thermal detector, and crystal-clear controls place a well-thoughtout
Design at your service--and at a moderate cost.
Central ($148.71) is also a solid option. It offers the advantages of a light, unbreakable
Metal crock with stay-cool plastic grips, as well as a brown-and-sear function that lets
You skip using another skillet before slow-cooking in recipes that call for it.
More About Our Testing Team
It's not uncommon, as you walk through the offices of America's Test Kitchen, to pass a
Table of 25 or so staffers silently focusing on tasting a dozen varieties of olive oil,
Peanut butter, or soy sauce. Should you continue to the main test kitchen, you might find, say,
Eight slow cookers, each hooked up to a separate thermometer, each of which is
Connected to a computer so we can gauge how evenly they maintain a temperature
Walk out the back door and you might see someone
Dropping one portable grill after another onto the pavement from a specified height to
see how well they will stand up to abuse.
Testing Slow Cookers
It's all in a day's work for our Tastings and Testings team. And if you think the evaluation
Cooks here at America's Test Kitchen are obsessive in their quest for the best--and
You're quite right, they're--you need to spend some time with this group. The lengths
They go to in order to be sure their evaluations are accurate, comprehensive, and
Conducted on a level playing field are enough to make the rest of us look relaxed.
There are strict written protocols for choosing the items to be analyzed, for conducting the
Tests themselves, and for evaluating them. You will find detailed instructions for tasters.
And if there is ever a question, our staff will go back and run the tests again, just to be
sure.
But even when that rigorous (and at times seemingly endless) procedure is over, their
Work is truly just beginning. Because it's not enough to say which product or piece of
Equipment came out on top--we need to know why. Sometimes it appears random to the
Rest of us, but these people do not believe in that word, so they keep digging and assessing,
Consulting experts all over the world and sending samples to labs for analysis, until they
Locate the keys to the particular puzzle. It May be the amount of bevels on a serrated
Knife (spoiler: fewer is actually better) or the processing system used in making a
Particular soy sauce, but there'll be a reason. Once they find it, we can love
Even more clearly how solid a base our tastings and testings rest on.
This all holds true even for the smallest kitchen gear--the testing process has been just
As disciplined, extensive, and intensive, because this group hasn't heard of cutting
corners.
Today's slow cookers come in a vast variety of sizes with a great deal of different features. Which
ones are worth the investment?
A slow cooker promises to be a bit dream grandma who sits at the kitchen all day
Cooking for you, but use the wrong cooker and that fantasy
Run hotter than expected, drying the food out or turning it mushy, or slower than you
Want, so dinner is not ready when you are. Then there can be problems with hot spots,
That make food cook unevenly. And what if operating your system is so perplexing
That you have to pore over the manual each time you use it?
For the ideal machine that would deliver a properly cooked meal and be completely
Lids were a must, as they allow you to see progress without losing heat. So were ovalshaped
Crocks, as these can accommodate large roasts and offer more flexibility than
round crocks. We also wanted a generous 6- to 7-quart capacity. With these criteria in
Mind, we piled up eight models priced from $39.99 to $148.71.
We analyzed these eight slow cookers, preparing a variety of recipes using both low and
High temperature settings and varied cooking times.
Map heating patterns, and a panel of testers evaluated how simple the cookers were to
We also dismantled a set of the dividers to Comprehend the placement
And type of heating elements they contained. What were our favorites of the bunch?
The KitchenAid 6-Quart Slow Cooker With Solid Glass Lid ($99.99), our former winner,
Handled every recipe with ideal results, albeit a bit slowly.
Insulated housing, built-in thermal detector, and crystal-clear controls place a well-thoughtout
Design at your service--and at a moderate cost.
Central ($148.71) is also a solid option. It offers the advantages of a light, unbreakable
Metal crock with stay-cool plastic grips, as well as a brown-and-sear function that lets
You skip using another skillet before slow-cooking in recipes that call for it.
More About Our Testing Team
It's not uncommon, as you walk through the offices of America's Test Kitchen, to pass a
Table of 25 or so staffers silently focusing on tasting a dozen varieties of olive oil,
Peanut butter, or soy sauce. Should you continue to the main test kitchen, you might find, say,
Eight slow cookers, each hooked up to a separate thermometer, each of which is
Connected to a computer so we can gauge how evenly they maintain a temperature
Walk out the back door and you might see someone
Dropping one portable grill after another onto the pavement from a specified height to
see how well they will stand up to abuse.
Testing Slow Cookers
It's all in a day's work for our Tastings and Testings team. And if you think the evaluation
Cooks here at America's Test Kitchen are obsessive in their quest for the best--and
You're quite right, they're--you need to spend some time with this group. The lengths
They go to in order to be sure their evaluations are accurate, comprehensive, and
Conducted on a level playing field are enough to make the rest of us look relaxed.
There are strict written protocols for choosing the items to be analyzed, for conducting the
Tests themselves, and for evaluating them. You will find detailed instructions for tasters.
And if there is ever a question, our staff will go back and run the tests again, just to be
sure.
But even when that rigorous (and at times seemingly endless) procedure is over, their
Work is truly just beginning. Because it's not enough to say which product or piece of
Equipment came out on top--we need to know why. Sometimes it appears random to the
Rest of us, but these people do not believe in that word, so they keep digging and assessing,
Consulting experts all over the world and sending samples to labs for analysis, until they
Locate the keys to the particular puzzle. It May be the amount of bevels on a serrated
Knife (spoiler: fewer is actually better) or the processing system used in making a
Particular soy sauce, but there'll be a reason. Once they find it, we can love
Even more clearly how solid a base our tastings and testings rest on.
This all holds true even for the smallest kitchen gear--the testing process has been just
As disciplined, extensive, and intensive, because this group hasn't heard of cutting
corners.
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