• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

VegKitchen logo

  • Vegan Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Baking and Sweets
    • Breakfast
    • Main Dishes
    • Pasta and Noodles
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches and Wraps
    • Sauces, Dressings, and Condiments
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups, Stews, and Chilis
    • Snacks and Dips
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • Canning and Preserving
    • Cheese-y Delights
    • Global Recipes
    • Raw Vegan
    • Slow-Cooker
  • Vegan Living
    • Vegan Substitutions Guide
    • Green Kitchen
    • Healthy Eating Tips
    • Food and Produce Guides
    • Vegan Food Hacks
    • Kid Friendly
    • Vegan Product Reviews
    • More Vegan Living
  • About
  • Shop Cookbooks
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Vegan Recipes
  • Vegan Living
  • Cookbooks
  • About Us
  • Freebie!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Vegan Recipes
    • Vegan Living
    • Cookbooks
    • About Us
    • Freebie!
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Vegan Product Guide

    How to choose a slow cooker

    Published: Jan 8, 2012 · Updated: Mar 4, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Hamilton Beach slow cooker
    Hamilton Beach slow cooker

    Contributed by Kathy Hester, author of The Vegan Slow Cooker* and Vegan Slow Cooking for Two (or Just for You*)One of the things I'm frequently asked is how to choose a slow cooker. I have favorites that I’m happy to recommend, but there are a few questions you need to ask yourself to determine what’s best for you .

    How many people are you cooking for?

    • 4 quart will feed 2 and have leftovers for lunch the next day or feed 4
    • 3 ½ quart is pretty close to a 4 quart but works better for a 2 to 3 person household
    • 5 quart is good for a family of 4 to 6
    • Unless you have a huge family or cook meals ahead and freeze them you would not want anything over a 6 quart

    Round or Oval?

    Want to cook breads in a loaf pan? An Oval one is the way for you to go to fit pans inside the slow cooker and getting them back out easily. Round ones can be cheaper but tended to have more hot spots in my experience, so I don’t like them for baking but they are perfect for soups or stews.

    Manual or Programmable?

    Manual ones are less expensive, so that’s one reason to pick it. Programmable refers to the ability to automatically switch to warm after the time you specify. It does not allow you to program the time it starts. (Lots of people would get food poisoning if they did – especially meat eaters!)

    If you come home late or have an unpredictable schedule spend the extra money on a programmable slow cooker. It will pay for itself by not ruining your dinner.

    Why am I obsessed with 1 ½ to 2 quart slow cookers?

    Ok, this is an easy one. These run around 10 to 20 dollars and you can make breakfast, dips, fondues, and cook just a cup of beans at a time. I really use mine every day for oatmeal and then again during the day to cook just enough beans to use for making dinner.

    New Slow Cooker FAQS

    • It will run hotter than the one you are replacing that’s 10 years old. Add more liquid or cook for a shorter amount of time.
    • Fill it up ½ to ¾ of the way full. If your instructions say ¾ believe them or you may come home to burnt stew. (Another reason to not buy one that’s too big.)
    • The new low is almost as high as the old high. This was changed for safety issues.
    • Make sure you are at home the first time you use a new (or used) slow cooker. Just like any appliance you need to make sure it’s working properly.
    • The outside may also get hotter so clear the area around the slow cooker.

    My latest favorites: These change for me. Realize I own over 10 slow cookers of various sizes and brands. These are the ones that are on my counter this week.

    cuisinart slow cookerMy new favorite is a 3 ½ quart Cuisinart. it’s a little pricey but has a simmer setting which lower than low and is worth the money. They also have a 4 and 6 quart version of this. I got the 3 ½ because it was on sale and fits my needs of a 2 person household.

    My next fave is any of the Hamilton-Beach 3 in 1* (I got mine on overstock on sale) — see photo at the top of this article. It has a 2, 4, and 6 quart interchangeable bowls with one base. It’s perfect if you don’t have much storage space. I like it because it lets you easily pick the size you need at the moment and they nest together for storage.

    You should be able to make the oatmeal in the 2 quart of the 3 in 1, but you may have to add extra liquid since it’s evaporating surface is larger than a smaller 1 ½ quart. I haven’t tested it yet, but I will update this when I do.

    Also both Hamilton Beach and Cuisinart state that they do not have lead in their crock glaze. That doesn’t necessarily mean that all the others have lead, but it makes me feel better to have it stated.

    I hope this helps you become more comfortable in choosing a new slow cooker. Definitely shop around for prices, they vary site to site.

    Kathy Hester is the author of The Vegan Slow Cooker.* Visit her on the web at Healthy Slow Cooking and Busy Vegan.

    • Read more reviews of products for healthy living in VegKitchen’s Product Guide.

    *This post contains affiliate links. If the product is purchased by linking through this review, VegKitchen receives a modest commission, which helps maintain our site and helps it to continue growing!

    More Vegan Product Guide

    • Laptop Lunches school bento box
      Bento Box School Lunches: Fun and Earth-Friendly
    • Eggplant bacon sandwiches
      Pingala Café Lets You Bring Home the Eggplant Bacon
    • Sesame kingdom spreads
      Ready-to-Eat Vegan Spreads You've Got to Try
    • Are Oreos Vegan
      Are Oreos Vegan? Let's Take a Look

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Alanna Kellogg says

      April 24, 2012 at 11:27 am

      I had high hopes for the Hamilton Beach Three in One -- but it runs SOOOOOOOOO hot, it's unuseable. In contrast, my next purchase (the fourth in perhaps a year) run SOOOOOO cold, nothing cooks.

    2. Nava says

      April 29, 2012 at 6:05 pm

      Alanna, it's nice to hear from you, and thanks so much for your input!

    3. Linda says

      October 02, 2012 at 12:32 pm

      This is great, as I was planning on getting a new slow cooker soon. Thank you also for explaining about the LOW temps being so hot, I just thought mine was defective. It seems like the lowest temp on mine, is hotter than the HIGH temp.

    4. Karen says

      December 11, 2012 at 2:14 pm

      I bought a crock pot with clamps that lock the lid down when transporting cooked food to an event. It has saved a lot of bean spills in our car. It isn't necessary for home use, but very nice for taking food to potlucks.

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    nicole malik from vegkithen.com

    Hi, I'm Nicole! I'm the creator behind VegKitchen, and the author of the popular cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. Learn more about me here.

    More about me →

    vegan substitution chart

    Featured Recipes

    • recipes for a vegan Christmas dinner menu
      Best Vegan Christmas Recipes
    • vegan christmas cookies
      Vegan Christmas Cookies
    • vegan irish stew
      Old-Fashioned Vegan Stew
    • vegan breakfast casseroles
      10 Make-Ahead Vegan Breakfast Casseroles
    • Sticky Sesame Cauliflower
    • vegan jalapeno poppers
      Vegan Jalapeno Poppers

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    • Shop Cookbooks
    • Free Vegan Cheat Sheet
    • About Us
    • Work with Me
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use

    Still hungry? Check out our delicious family of blogs.


    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Hook & Porter Media