Buying your first slow cooker or looking to make a change? I can help! Here is the top list of things to consider before purchasing a slow cooker:

I totally get it and it happens to us sometimes as well. That's why I'm always trying to find easier ways to make dinner so that it's all ready to go as soon as we get home. This is why I end up using my slow cooker the majority of the time and I try to encourage others to do the same. On the other hand, if you are just throwing food together to get dinner on the table, that's no good either. Everyone deserves delicious food! That's why I spent years coming up with delicious recipes that were still slow cooker friendly but different from what you might expect! This way it's still so easy to get dinner on the table but you are able to use wholesome ingredients combined in delicious ways!

If you're like me and see the value in family dinner time and want to find ways to encourage your kids, significant other, friends, etc. to sit down to dinner together here are some ideas:

1. How many people will you typically be feeding? For one or two people you will want a 2-3 quart slow cooker, for 3-4 people you will want a 4-5 quart slow cooker, and for 5 or more you will need a 6-8 quart slow cooker.
2. Will you be home while your food is cooking or will you be starting your dinner before you leave for the day? If you typically won't be home while slow cooking then you'll want a slow cooker that is programmable that will switch to warm at the end of your set cooking time. This will save you so much frustration over burnt meals, not to mention stress if you are running late.
3. What are your must have features? From basic slow cooking to the ability to brown and slow cook in the same pan to something that steams or cooks rice or bakes, what is most important to you? Do you want a device that can do it all or do you like to have dedicated devices for each of these functions?

There are so many slow cookers available out there that it can be overwhelming! Allow me to break it down by type to help you decide exactly what you are looking for.

Multi-cookers

These are becoming very popular and for good reason! For a lot of people I think a multi-cooker can become a primary cooking device. They are typically more expensive than a regular programmable slow cooker, but depending on the features you want they can start around $100 and go all the way to $350 or more. The most basic ones will brown, sear, steam and slow cook which will often save you extra steps and extra pans. Then you start getting into options for baking, roasting, all the way up to having a stir tower that will allow you to create risottos and specialty items. The great thing is that you can heat it up, brown your roast or chicken, switch to slow cook before you head out the door and not have any extra clean-up. They are programmable which means you can set the cooking time and it will switch to warm when it gets done. They also use a non-stick lining which makes for easy clean up.

Programmable Slow Cookers

A programmable slow cooker is one in which you can choose the temperature and cooking time when you start the food. Then, once it's done cooking it will switch to the warm feature which essentially allows the food to say at a safe temperature without continuing to cook until you can get home. I consider this a must have for anyone who is gone from home all day. Most recipes have a maximum 8 hour cook time and often when you factor in a work day plus commute time and any other errands you may need to take care of you could easily be gone 10 hours or more. There's nothing better than getting home from a long day and having dinner already done and having a programmable slow cooker can keep your food from getting overcooked or burnt. If you need to brown or cook something before adding it, you will have to use a separate pan, but these are typically less expensive than a multi-cooker and have a more traditional crock insert rather than non-stick.

Casserole Slow Cooker

These come in both programmable and non-programmable options. Either way, they are fairly affordable although they are more of a specialty item than a basic everyday slow cooker. That being said, you can make a wide variety of food in them, and they are especially great for things like lasagna and obviously, casseroles. If you were only going to have one slow cooker, I wouldn't recommend this, but as an additional option these are amazing.

Manual Slow Cooker

This is the most basic of slow cookers and will get the job done! They typically have a knob that you manually switch to the desired temperature and many also include a warm feature although you will have to be there to switch it over. These are typically very inexpensive (you can get one for less than $20 many times!) and will handle the job of slow cooking quite well! They also come in more sizes, so if you are cooking for one or two people you can usually find a 2-3 quart manual slow cooker that will be the perfect size for those smaller recipes.

Of course, there are other options such as dip warmers and buffet style slow cooker, etc. but for the basic every day meal preparation these are the main slow cooker categories to consider.

To add later:

For more specific slow cooker recommendations, check out my post here about which slow cookers I personally use.