Which is the best slow cooker? We review energy efficient, easy to use models from Ninja, Russell Hobbs, Sage
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The irony of an appliance with a name like slow cooker actually speeding up meal prep isn’t lost on us. But, because of the one-pot-wonder nature and the very minimal effort a recipe often requires once it’s bubbling away, it really is a time-saver where cooking is concerned.
Ideal for families, batch-preppers, busy folk, and anyone who favours faff-free cooking, slow cookers tend to take the stress out of meal prep. You pop your ingredients in, switch it on, and a few hours later – having simmered away on a low temperature – Bob’s your uncle – dinner is served. But, how do you choose the best slow cooker for you?
Best slow cookers at a glance
- Best for function: Crock-pot CSC026 5 Litre Duraceramic Digital Saute Slow Cooker
- Best for additional features: Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 Multi-Cooker 6L OP350UK
- Best for cooking meat: Russell Hobbs Sous Vide Slow Cooker
- Best for family sized portions: Morphy Richards Easy Time 6.5L Slow Cooker
- Best advanced slow cooker: Sage The Fast Slow Pro
- Best for two-person meals: Lakeland 3.5L Slow Cooker
- Best value for money: Tower Cavaletto 6.5L Slow Cooker
- Best budget option: Next Copper Slow Cooker
How to shop for the best slow cooker
Generally speaking, slow cookers are pretty straightforward to use. Some have more settings than others, so it’s worthwhile considering if you’re in the market for easy and breezy or something a little more sophisticated.
Capacity and size are also important to bear in mind – a larger capacity feeds more mouths or makes leftovers for meals later in the week, but takes up more counter – or cupboard - space.
Finally, think about ease of care (is the pot non-stick, and is it dishwasher friendly?) and, importantly, your budget.
Are slow cookers energy efficient?
You may logically assume that because slow cookers are on for such a long time, they use a great deal of power. To the contrary, they’re a very energy efficient means of cooking food - because the element uses a very low current, instead relying on trapped heat to cook food.
For example, a slow cooker running for around 9 hours will use about 1300 watts, where by comparison an oven uses between 2000-5000 watts (depending on its energy rating) for 60 minutes use at 180 degrees celsius.
You can also utilise cheaper cuts of meat - indeed, fatty cheap cuts are ideal for slow-cooking, as they render and tenderise beautifully over time - and vegetables that are near the end of their shelf life, so they’re great for creating less expensive, but still wholesome family meals.
Interested in kitting out your kitchen further?
Prep the food for your slow-cooker with one of these excellent food processors, and keep cooking in a healthy, energy efficient way with an air fryer.
We have detailed guides to the best non-stick woks, best rice cookers, or consider a multi-cooker for a great hands-off kitchen tool. And the best kettles are rounded-up here.
Clean up with an energy efficient dishwasher- our favourites are detailed here.
Love cooking? Check out our guide to the best charcoal BBQs UK 2022, or brilliant ice cream makers for conjuring perfect gelato.
If hot drinks are your poison, the Hotel Chocolat velvetiser is revolutionary.
Here is our list of the 8 best slow cookers available right now.
Capacity: 5L
Pros: 20-hour digital timer, non-stick multi-use bowl, two heat settings, keep warm function
Cons: Large
The Duraceramic slow cooker really takes convenience to the next level. It has a removable hob- and oven-safe bowl, for starters, which you can sauté in prior to slow cooking (less washing up = a win in our book).
There are two heat settings, plus adjustable cooking times and a 20-hour digital timer, so you can pop your recipe on to cook whilst carrying on with your day, and it’ll automatically turn off when the timer dings.
It has a generous capacity of 5L – perfect for prepping meals for the whole family or batch-cooking dinners for the week but, consequently, it is quite large and requires significant counter space.
On the bright side, both the removable bowl and lid are dishwasher-safe, so cleaning up post-cook is a breeze.
Capacity: 6L
Pros: Nine cooking functions, can cook from frozen, non-stick dishwasher-safe parts
Cons: Large
A word of caution: Ninja’s 9-in-1 Multi-Cooker may cause you to neglect any and all other appliances – and for good reason.
It has, hence the name, 9 functions – it slow cooks, yes, but it can also pressure cook, air fry, grill, roast, sauce, steam and dehydrate. You can even use it to make yoghurt!
And, if it weren’t nifty enough already, you can also use the reversible rack to stack produce and cook multiple items at once.
The keep-warm mode maintains temperature for up to 12 hours after cooking, ideal if you like to prep ahead of mealtime, whilst dishwater-safe parts make it mega-easy to clean.
It’s pretty large in size, and we can’t ignore that it comes at a fairly significant financial investment. But, for all its uses, it’s well worth it.
Capacity: 6.5L
Pros: Temperature probe, lockable lid, handles
Cons: Bulky, need to buy sous vide bags separately, no sauté option
Adventurous cooks will love the Russell Hobbs Sous Vide Slow Cooker. All the convenience of slow cooking, plus the option to sous vide (a method of cooking whereby food is vacuum-sealed and immersed in warm water), too. It’s ideal for cooking meat – since it has a generous capacity and multiple cooking options, plus, there’s a temperature probe too, so you can cook produce to perfection.
It’s an easy-to-use appliance, though the control panel may take some getting used to since the settings aren’t spelled out, and it’s no fuss to clean, as well.
It’s a bit on the bulky side, to be honest, but we rate that it has both a lockable lid and handles for serve-yourself meals or taking to a relative’s on Boxing Day full of slow-cooked turkey curry. Yum.
