Slow cooker information (Cook's Illustrated)

Tis the season  and sometimes there are threads about the best slow cookers and such, so I thought somebody might be interested in this. 

Cook’s Illustrated’s Review of Slow Cookers (from the latest issue -- January/February 2017. Just got it Friday) Keep in mind that stated capacity is higher than actual food capacity for all of them.

Highly Recommended

• KitchenAid 6 quart Slow Cooker with Solid Glass Lid - $99.99
• Cuisinart 6 quart 3 in 1 Cook Central - $148.71 (Actual food capacity is 4.5 quarts)

Recommended  

• Ninja 3 in 1 Cooking System - $99.99

Recommended with Reservations

• Crockpot 6 quart Slow Cooker with Stovetop-Safe Cooking Pot - $56.80 (Actual food capacity is 4.5 quarts)

Not Recommended

• Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 6 quart Programmable Slow Cooker - $39.99 (Food temp climbed to boiling or just below at both High and Low, could not set odd-numbered cooking times, no countdown timer)
• Crockpot Smart Wifi Enabled WeMo 6 quart Slow Cooker - $127.49 (Cooks too slowly, wifi function too annoying to deal with, no countdown timer)
• Gourmia SlowSmart Express 7 quart Programmable Slow Cooker - $49.99 (Uneven cooking: breasts too done outside, not done inside, pot roast tough in spots, not done in other spots, actually got to boiling on High, handles too small and set too close to the hot casing)
• Black and Decker 7 quart Slow Cooker--Teal - $39.99 (Uneven cooking, no countdown timer, can't switch over to warming mode after cooking is done)

Interesting, seems like you get what you pay for with slow cookers. Why do they say 6 quarts if it's only 4.5? And I see with a few of the cheaper models complaints I have about the last one I bought. It would've been around $40. It gets way too hot, and the controls are annoying to use.

Interesting.  Thanks for posting.

Also about slow cookers, I wish I'd seen this before I replaced my large one earlier in the year.  

3-in-1 slow cooker:

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.ca/sto...le-slow-cooker/1046142641?Keyword=slow+cooker

You know, a lot of people are buying Instant Pots and raving about them online. I guess they're really something, but I don't know that much about them myself. 

I've been hearing so much about Instant Pots lately also! I need to read up on them a bit more. :nod:

This is the first I have heard of "instant pots." Now I have to go look that up.

I haven't heard of "instant pots" either. Must Google.