Slow Cookers

This review focuses on advanced models. Editors put seven slow cookers through their paces, cooking pot roast on both "high" and "low" settings and chili and beans on "high." Using remote temperature… probes, testers check the internal temperature of the roasts and evaluate total water loss after three hours of covered cooking on high. All the slow cookers did a good job, but editors deem certain features even more important than performance. These include a timer that automatically shifts to a "keep warm" setting at the end of timed cooking, a clear lid, an "on" indicator light and an insert with handles for easier removal. Pros and cons are listed for each slow cooker, and several are recommended.

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The editors at Real Simple test a dozen slow cookers. This article lists the three top performers and some of their features, as well as links to websites where they may be purchased. We wish there were… more details regarding the testing process used to rate these slow cookers. Favorites include Rival's Smart-Pot Programmable Crock-Pot SCVC550, Cuisinart's 6.5-quart model and All-Clad's 99009 slow cooker.

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Experts at Good Housekeeping test 16 slow cookers, identifying four favorites. While these four are not ranked in order, they offer a variety of features and a range of prices. We wish there were more… information about testing methodologies, but the article is helpful nonetheless. Favorites include Rival's Smart-Set Slow Cooker and Buffet Slow Cooker, as well as West Bend's Versatility and Cuisinart's 4-quart slow cooker.

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Which? magazine, a U.K.-based publication, is similar to Consumer Reports. More than a dozen slow cookers are tested for safety and cooking performance and then subjected to a "user trial" for more than two… weeks. The "Best Buy" Cuisinart 6.5-quart slow cooker is the earlier model CSC650U. The Rival VersaWare Crock Pot is given a poor score for cooking, although editors like the fact that it is fridge-, freezer-, oven- and stovetop-safe. None of these models are currently available here in the U.S.

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In this article, which also includes recipes, editors highlight the new Rival Crock-Pots. The Rival VersaWare Slow Cooker's insert can be used on the stovetop before being placed in the crock pot. The Rival… Smart-Pot automatically switches to "keep warm" mode after cooking food for four, six, eight or 10 hours. The Rival Recipe Smart-Pot can be programmed in 30-minute increments and comes with 200 recipes. None of these models appears to have been tested.

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