10 slow cooker buying tips and 3 recipes

A slow cooker can be one of the most convenient kitchen appliances for the home chef who prefers to plan and prepare home-cooked meals. This countertop appliance, often referred to as a "crock pot", cooks food over a few hours -- leaving you with the gift of time so you can focus on other things while cooking up wholesome meals.

Dana McCauley, author of Dana's Top Ten Table (Harper Collins Canada, 2007), says slow cookers are environmentally friendly too. "They use less electricity than ovens and radiate very little heat while operating so they are excellent to use during hot weather and safe to leave running for many hours if you want to ski all day in the winter," McCauley says.

Below, she offers 10 tips for picking out the perfect slow cooker for your family:

Shape
1. Shallow, oval-shaped slow cookers are better for cooking whole chickens or roasts.

2. Deep cookers are best for cooking soups and stews since the chunky ingredients are less likely to cook onto the bottom of the cooking surface.

3. Look for a slow cooker with a cooking vessel that has rounded sides, since corners are harder to clean.

4. Before buying a slow cooker, examine the top rim. It should be at least one inch wide and slanted down toward the centre of the cooker so that steam and bubbling juices flow back into the pot.

Size
5. Slow cookers work best when they are more than half full, otherwise foods can cook too fast and scorch. So consider the size of your household when choosing the size of your slow cooker.Cooking for 1 or 2 = a three or four-quart model.

When cooking for more than two, cooking extra for the freezer, or planning to cook roasts frequently, buy a six or seven-quart slow cooker.

Liner
6. Buying a slow cooker with a removable liner makes it easier to serve and store cooked food.

7. Most inserts are made of stoneware, which can be heavy, especially when full. A few models have lighter-weight aluminum inserts. Like stoneware, you can remove and clean aluminum inserts in the dishwasher. They also can be used on top of the stove to brown meats and caramelize onions prior to slow cooking. However, Health Canada recommends that food not be stored for long periods of time in aluminum and that highly acidic foods such as tomato sauce or lemon juice not be used in them since the aluminum can react with such ingredients.

More slow cooker buying tips
8. Be sure that your slow cooker has a timer so you can simply set it to cook for a certain length of time without having to keep tabs on it.

9. Opt for a model that has a glass lid. They are more durable than plastic lids and tend to fit over the cooking pot better.

10. Look for models that have an auto setting that switches to a lower "keep warm" temperature after cooking is complete. That way, a warm dinner will be ready and waiting for you even if you get caught in traffic.

Slow cookers provide a fantastic dining variety, and you can use them to cook more than just main courses. Check out four of our Homemakers Best-Tested slow cooking recipes ranging from stock and stew to chili and dessert.

Chunky Black Bean Chili

Classic Chicken Stew

Rice Pudding with Cherries and Almonds

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