Slow cookers can make creating healthy meals a far easier task. Just add the ingredients to the pot, and you can get on with all the other things you have to do while the appliance performs its magic. They‘re ideal for vegetarian meals and those containing meat, and a slow cooker allows the use of less expensive cuts, tenderising them over the low heat. Pick the slow cooker to fit your lifestyle from our selection.
Morphy Richards Sear and Stew Slow Cooker
Hob-proof pot
For maximum flavour, you can sear ingredients in the pot on your hob before slow cooking with this versatile appliance. It offers a choice of three heat settings to make timing meals simple. The pot’s light enough to carry to the table for serving straight to each plate when the food’s ready, and both pot and lid can be cleaned in the dishwasher to spare you the chore.
Breville VTP169 Compact Slow Cooker
Wrap-around heating element
Make meal preparation for one or two easy in this 1.5-litre capacity model. Modest proportions and a rounded shape allow it to fit a small kitchen without hogging too much of the worktop, and the stainless-steel finish gives it a smart look. The heat element’s design ensures even cooking.
Crock-Pot Lift and Serve Digital Slow Cooker
Tidy hinged lid
Serve the family from this 4.7-litre capacity design. The digital timer allows you to set cooking times from 30 minutes to 20 hours to fit in with your schedule. The lid is hinged, so you don’t have to find space to set it down when you’re stirring or serving up, but both it and the bowl go into the dishwasher.
Tefal RK302E15 8-in-1 Multicooker
Delayed start function
Save space in the kitchen with this design which combines a host of other cooking options along with slow cooking. It can be used for preparing rice, grains, porridge, and it can steam, or even make dessert. You can set the cooking time up to 15 hours in advance, and there’s a keep-warm function, too.
Russell Hobbs 24180 Chalkboard Slow Cooker
Check on progress
Tell home-comers what’s for dinner by chalking a message on this quirky slow cooker. With a 3.5 litre capacity, it’s sized for a household of three or four, and it’s compact enough to avoid crowding the worksurface. A glass lid lets you see how food is doing without releasing the heat.
Swan 3.5L Retro Slow Cooker
Choice of colours
Complement a cosy kitchen with this retro design, which comes in a selection of pretty finishes. It has a medium capacity of 3.5 litres and offers three temperature settings, including auto. This option starts food off on high then switches to low for tender results. If anyone’s delayed getting home, the keep-warm feature can save the day.
Bottom line
To create tasty and healthy meals when you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, a slow cooker is hard to beat. The Morphy Richards Sear and Stew Slow Cooker have a pot that goes on the hob for fuss-free preparation of all your favourite recipes and, since both jar and lid are dishwashable, cleaning up is easy, too.
You can leave a note or reminder on the side of the Russell Hobbs 24180 Chalkboard Slow Cooker, which is a fun addition to a family kitchen. Neat dimensions make it easy to fit even if your room has modest proportions.
