Slow cookers vary considerably, so follow your manufacturer's manual for guidelines on temperatures and cooking times. But for versatility and quality of the results, this Russell Hobbs model is a great option in our eyes. add 1/2 a bottle of red wine (you could probably use white but I always use red) then add boiling water to cover the chicken. Slow cookers are also less energy intensive than conventional electric ovens, and therefore more economical.

The light tone of the ivory cooking dish is a little impractical when it comes to baked-on marks from caramelised ingredients, but a hot, soapy soak softened these during testing before the dishwasher finished the job. litre capacity; perfect for keeping out on the countertop if you don’t have much cupboard space for storage.If you've kept a slow cooker dish in the fridge, you must wait for it to warm up before turning it on. p>

Simple to use, the slow cooker can cook meals over time, just add your ingredients and let the slow cooker do the rest.

It’s a modest option owing to the three simple settings: low, high and keep warm, but it gets the basics right. Design: Are you looking for a simple, budget-friendly option that just slow-cooks (but does it extremely well) or something more versatile that sous-vides, pressure cooks, bakes and roasts too? I understand that the yield from this beast is usually 8 servings, but the few recipes that came in the instruction booklet (food I’m not keen on anyway) were 5 or 6 servings. With some models in this list offering 6-litre capacities, you might not want to be moving your slow cooker from a cupboard to the countertop and back. We found that the glass lid doesn't sit super-snugly, but is secure when added and effective at controlling the release of too much steam.This slow cooker is a fabulous option for the home cook who loves experimental techniques and gadgetry. The sauce was a little on the thin side at the end of the cooking time, but reduced nicely after half an hour on the simmer/buffet setting. The Time Select is a lot more high-tech than the Sizzle and Stew above, but still produced fantastic results. Simple, manual slow cookers are great for the job at hand, but often the only thing missing to elevate them (without overcomplicating things) is a timer.