Choosing a slow cooker

Size

A 6-quart cooker fits most recipes and a 3 to 4 pound roast. Go down to 3 or 4 quarts if you cook for one or two, because the pot has to be at least half full to cook evenly.

Programmable timer

A digital model that switches itself to warm when the time runs out is worth paying a little more for if you are out of the house all day.

Oval beats round

An oval crock takes a roast or a whole chicken; a round one is fine for chili and stews.

Removable stoneware insert

It should lift out for washing and serving. A glass lid lets you check on the food without lifting it.

Test it before the first meal

Fill it half to two-thirds with water, run it on low for 8 hours with the lid on, then check the water with your thermometer. It should read about 185°F. Much cooler means the cooker is not safe to rely on; much hotter means recipes will finish early.

A potluck buffet line of black and stainless electric slow cookers with their lids off as guests fill plates — Slow cookers lined up at a potluck

Raw stew ingredients on a wooden board: cubed beef, carrots, onions, celery and mushrooms

Your first pot of chili

Test, prep, load, lid on, wait

Tested slow cooker recipes

What you can cook in your first month

Pork chili

The Iowa State recipe, and half the shredded pork goes into the freezer for another night.

Salsa chicken

Thawed chicken thighs under a jar of salsa on low, shredded into tacos or rice bowls.

Ground beef chili

Brown the meat in a skillet first, then let the cooker simmer it with beans and spices all afternoon.

Pot roast

A chuck roast on a bed of carrots, potatoes and onion, the classic test of how tender low heat can make a tough cut.

Food safety (USDA guidance)

Thaw meat and poultry completely in the refrigerator first.

Frozen meat keeps the pot in the bacterial danger zone (40 to 140°F) too long.

Fill the cooker one-half to two-thirds full.

Less than half and it can overcook or scorch; much more and the middle heats too slowly.

Keep the lid on.

Each lift lets out heat and steam and can add up to 30 minutes to the cook.

Do not cook on the warm setting.

It only holds food that is already hot (140°F or above). Start on high for the first hour if you can, then switch to low.

Soak dried red kidney beans, then boil them hard in fresh water for at least 10 minutes before they go in.

A slow cooker never gets hot enough to destroy the natural toxin in raw kidney beans, and half-cooked ones can make you sicker than raw. Canned beans are already cooked.

Cool leftovers fast

Move them out of the crock into shallow containers and into the fridge within 2 hours. Do not leave them sitting in the cooker, and do not reheat leftovers in it; heat them on the stove or in the microwave instead.

If the power goes out while you are away, throw the food out even if it looks done.

Leftovers in a shallow glass container on a wooden table with a fork and spoon beside it — Leftovers in a shallow glass container

Slow cooker safety, from the source

Overhead view of a bowl of beef stew with potatoes, carrots, onion and peas on a dark table

What trips beginners up

Liquid, timing, seasoning, your cooker

Watery results

The lid traps every drop, so use about half the liquid a stovetop recipe calls for.

Mushy vegetables and dry lean meat

Potatoes and carrots handle the full cook, but zucchini, peas and spinach go in for the last 30 minutes. Chicken breast and pork tenderloin dry out on long cooks; thighs, chuck and pork shoulder are the forgiving cuts.

Bland flavor

Long cooking dulls herbs and spices. Season again at the end, and stir in fresh herbs and dairy just before serving.

Every cooker runs a little differently

Newer models run hotter than older ones, so check early the first few times.

What the kit covers

The cooker is the only real spend, and a basic 6-quart model does everything a beginner needs. The thermometer is how you know the meat is done and that the cooker itself heats properly. The salsa, pinto beans and diced tomatoes are the shelf-stable half of the Iowa State pork chili, so the kit doubles as your first grocery list; the pork, pepper and onion come from the store. Shallow containers handle the food-safety step most people skip: getting leftovers cold fast. Liners are optional and only save scrubbing.

Hands holding a bowl of white chicken chili topped with jalapeño slices and sour cream beside an open black slow cooker — A bowl of chili served straight from the slow cooker

Fill the crock

Every line below is something you buy online, and the pantry lines are the shelf-stable half of the Iowa State pork chili. Compare the options and set your tiers in the kit. Clicking a card selects it there, and clicking the selected card again takes that line out of the kit.

Programmable slow cooker (6 quart)

Essential · Core equipment

The cooker is the hobby. A programmable one switches to warm when the timer ends, so dinner does not overcook while you are at work.

budget

bella 6.0 Qt Programmable Slow Cooker, Ceramic Nonstick Coating, Adjustable Temperature & Cooking Times, Dishwasher Safe Stoneware Pot & Tempered Glass Lid, Tangle Free Cord Wrap, Oatmilk

4.4(2.1K)

$39.99

Slow Cooking

Choosing a slow cooker

Your first pot of chili

Food safety (USDA guidance)

What trips beginners up

What the kit covers

Fill the crock

Programmable slow cooker (6 quart)

Instant-read food thermometer

Jarred salsa

Canned pinto beans

Canned diced tomatoes

Shallow food storage containers

Slow cooker liners