GAPeach Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Hi There, there are so many choices that I see online. I wanted to know which one would you suggest for someone who's never used one, would prefer one with a timer so cooking while at work is an option, and one that does not take up a lot of counter space. I saw one mention in another thread, Cuisinart 3-In-1 Cook Central Multi-Cooker however I checked it out on amazon and not sure if I want to pay $145 for that although the fact that it can be used for more than just a slow cooker is appealing. I have a tendency to buy kitchen gadgets that end up collecting dust after a while so I want to spend my money wisely. thanks in advance Yogi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted April 17, 2013 Moderators Share Posted April 17, 2013 I use the Cuisinart Cook Central Multi-Cooker, 7-Quart that Amazon.com sells for $200. I like it because it has a metal insert that won't crack like ceramic inserts sometimes crack. I never use it as anything but a slow cooker, so the extra features have not made a difference to me. However, I would buy another one because I like its big size and overall ease of use and cleaning. I have had it for more than a year and use it at least once per week and sometimes more often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Yogi, I agree with Tom. I bought the 6 QT and I love that I can brown things and then slow cook them in the same pot. It really develops the flavors and no extra pan to wash. Tom has had his longer than I have. The only reason I bought the 6QT is the reviews are a little better but I think that was a fluke. I do wish I had bought the 7QT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLC1968 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 I have the same one as Tom, but I just had to call Williams-Sonoma for a replacement today. I've had it since late Feb and used it maybe 8 time since then and the non-stick coating on the inside of the crock is bubbling off in three spots. It happened after making bone broth in it...on low. W/S was great and is sending me a replacement...so hopefully it was a fluke. None of the reviews I've seen even mentioned a crock coating issue, so hopefully it won't happen again. I do LOVE that it is nice and light (unlike the ceramic ones) and that cleanup was a breeze. And since I was known for breaking the ceramic crocks, I love that this one is metal too. I used brown once and it worked great and I used sautee once and it also worked great. Of course, slow-cooking works nicely too - in fact, I found that my recipes need less liquid than in my old crock because the lid on this one fits better. I'm just not sure I'll do bone broth in it again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAPeach Posted April 18, 2013 Author Share Posted April 18, 2013 i think i'm going to try out the Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget 6-Quart Slow Cooker It's a good price to spend just in case I don't use it as often as I plan to.....thanks for your suggestions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angekfire Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 I have this one, though it didn't come with the mini one. I have had it for almost 2 years and haven't had any issues. Since I set it in the morning and don't get home until after everything is long since cooked, the timer & auto-switch to keep warm is a great feature for me. I got mine on Black Friday for $35-$40 I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 I have a $35 6-Quart crock pot from target. It is not fancy and works great. I didn't even know there were $200 crock pots! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beets Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I've been researching my replacement slow cooker for years, waiting for mine to die so I can justify spending $ on a new one. Cook's Illustrated used to have the All Clad one with metal insert the top rating but more recently CI crowned the Rival with Touchscreen ($80) as best. Old (pre-90s) slow cookers apparently were the best because "low" was really low. They were designed to be left on all day. The newer ones often run too hot even at the low setting, but I guess this Rival one does not. Plus it's about $150 cheaper than the All Clad. People seem to like the Hamilton Beach. There is one with a tight-fitting travel lid, which would be a nice feature. I have read mixed reviews of the brown-in inserts. Some people say they were all excited to brown in one vessel but were disappointed to see they got better results browning in a skillet, scraping up the fond and transferring. Though the convenience certainly sounds appealing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beets Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I have the same one as Tom, but I just had to call Williams-Sonoma for a replacement today. I've had it since late Feb and used it maybe 8 time since then and the non-stick coating on the inside of the crock is bubbling off in three spots. It happened after making bone broth in it...on low. W/S was great and is sending me a replacement...so hopefully it was a fluke. None of the reviews I've seen even mentioned a crock coating issue, so hopefully it won't happen again. I've read this in a few reviews on Amazon. Fortunately WS will keep replacing it. Or they might offer you a similar item...They are really great for that even if you can never use their 20% discounts on any of the big ticket items you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I love being able to brown and slow cook in one vessel. I think it does an awesome job and I am picky about the amount of fond. The reviews I read spoke more about them breaking. I have only had mine for a short time so the jury is still out on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 My other crockpot is the Crockpot brand with touchscreen. That is the one CI reccommended in 2012. The first one I bought was the one whose lid stays up when you tilt it. That is the one that the lid doesn't fit tightly so I sent it back and got the one without that feature. I love it. Next kitchen toy..pressure cooker. I will probably get the one in Tom's store. Beef broth in 50 minutes. :0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beets Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Interesting details on the slow cookers. I really wish mine would die. But like my cheapo coffee maker it keeps on keepin' on. I don't have the cabinet space for two. Pressure cookers are amazing. (I actually almost just wrote "Pressure cookers are the bomb." Ugh. It will be weird to talk about pressure cookers for a long time. Just watched a vid where some bomb experts blew up a pressure cooker bomb in super slow motion. Terrifying.) Will your stew taste the exact same as if you cook it in a dutch oven on low for six hours? Not exactly. But it's pretty close. And it's done in 25 minutes. Genius. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angekfire Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I'm kind of curious about getting a pressure cooker too. My understanding is it works similarly to a slow cooker, but exponentially faster. Is that a fair assessment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan W Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I'm kind of curious about getting a pressure cooker too. My understanding is it works similarly to a slow cooker, but exponentially faster. Is that a fair assessment? Well, it's the opposite of a slow cooker. :0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLC1968 Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 I've read this in a few reviews on Amazon. Fortunately WS will keep replacing it. Or they might offer you a similar item...They are really great for that even if you can never use their 20% discounts on any of the big ticket items you want. Thanks for this info. I hadn't checked reviews on Amazon (no idea why!), so I'll go check them out now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Strathdee Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 2 of my Crockpots are the Crockpot brand, 6 or 7 QT, $40 options. The other is a 4QT, $5, football themed beauty. They all work great for my purposes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelliebuStacey Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Crockpot envy over here. Gonna have to jump that train after we move!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLC1968 Posted April 23, 2013 Share Posted April 23, 2013 Over the weekend, I rendered pork fat in my old mixed-breed crock pot (Hamilton Beach crock, Crockpot brand base) and it worked great. I bought the fancy one because I kept breaking the ceramic crocks (cast iron sinks and ceramic crocks do not play well together!) and I wanted a metal crock. Now that I won't break my crock anymore, I'm worried I'm going to poison us with non-stick coating. Ugh. What to do, what to do. And I'm afraid to eat the bone broth I was making when I first noticed the coating problem for fear that it'll kill me...not make me healthier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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