The Case for Slow Cookers: Perfect Meals, No Fuss

Surprising Things You Can Vacuum Seal [America’s Test Kitchen]( [The Well-Equipped Cook. A weekly newsletter from your favorite unbiased tasters and testers.]( [The Well-Equipped Cook. A weekly newsletter from your favorite unbiased tasters and testers.]( [recipes]( [product reviews]( [Equipment guides]( [gear heads]( We Spotted a Sale! [Hamilton Beach Temp Tracker 6 Quart Slow Cooker]( Our top pick for best traditional slow cooker, the Hamilton Beach Temp Tracker 6 Quart Slow Cooker, is now $12 off for a limited time! [Buy Now and Save $12 →]( [Di Oro Living Seamless Silicone Spatula—Large]( Our winning best all-purpose spatula, the Di Oro Living Seamless Silicone Spatula—Large, is now 22% off for a limited time! [Buy Now and Save 22% →]( This Week’s Equipment Guide [The Case for a Slow Cooker]( The Case for a Slow Cooker [SEE EQUIPMENT GUIDE]( [Hannah Crowley's Headshot]( [Hannah Crowley]( Executive Editor, ATK Reviews Slow cookers have been shoved aside by flashier appliances in recent years: [multicookers]( that promise a million features. [Air fryers]( that cook deliciously crispy food, fast. Are regular-degular slow cookers, popularized in the 1940s, still worth it today? Multicookers promise to slow-cook as one of their bajillion features, but the slow cooking function on almost every multicooker we’ve tested is not powerful enough to cook dense foods, such as hunks of meat, effectively. I once waited 14 hours for a set of multicookers to cook [beef stew](. I packed up some tough meat that night. If you are a set-it-and-forget-it type who wants to prep in the morning and come home to a finished meal, a [slow cooker]( might just be your best friend. I will never forget a trip where my friend quickly dumped all sorts of things into a slow cooker in the morning before we went skiing. Hours later, cold and hungry, we opened the door and were hit by the most delicious smell and a gentle burbling. We were feet up and on the couch with steaming bowls of [chili]( and cold beers minutes later. That night made the case for me. [Slow Cookers]( Must-Have of the week A Great Slow Cooker Our favorite slow cooker made food that was deeply flavorful and perfectly cooked every time. Its temperature climbed very slowly and gradually, cooking foods more gently than other models in our testing. Its simple controls made it very easy to set temperature and time and to monitor progress. It also has great extra features: a temperature probe, latches, a gasket on the lid for safe transport (tailgating, anyone?), and more. [Read more →]( [Hamilton Beach Temp Tracker 6 Quart Slow Cooker]( Our Winner Hamilton Beach Temp Tracker 6 Quart Slow Cooker Cleanup: ★★★   Cooking: ★★★   Ease of Use: ★★½   [BUY NOW]( Related Recipes [Slow-Cooker Citrus-Braised Chicken Tacos]( Slow-Cooker Citrus-Braised Chicken Tacos [Get the recipe →]( [Slow-Cooker White Bean and Tomato Soup]( Slow-Cooker White Bean and Tomato Soup [Get the recipe →]( [Try Digital Membership. 14,000+ Reliable Recipes, Cooking Discoveries & Hacks, 5-Star Members' App, 8,000+ Product Reviews, Free Shipping in our Shop. Unlock the secret to deliciously flaky pie crust and more test kitchen expertise! Get Instant Access. Free for 14 Days. Dutch Apple Pie.]( Explore More Featured Products [Slotted Spoons]( Cuisinart Stainless Steel Slotted Spoon The lightest stainless-steel model we tested, this nearly perfect spoon had a long, hollow handle that felt like it was molded to fit our palms. [Buy It Now →]( [Slow Cookers]( Cuisinart 6-Quart 3-in-1 Cook Central This slow cooker also earned top marks, namely for a smart brown/sauté function that helped us build richer flavor without the need for browning foods in a separate skillet. [Buy It Now →]( [Mini Slow Cookers]( [Ladles]( [Kitchen Tongs]( [Wooden Spoons]( [SEE ALL THE EQUIPMENT]( The Latest from the ATK Reviews Team [Meatballs in a slow cooker]( What’s the Difference Between a Slow Cooker and a Crockpot? [Great for slow, gentle cooks, we lay out the facts about these handy appliances. Keep reading →]( [Vacuum sealer]( Surprising Things You Can Vacuum Seal [This contraption is useful for so much more than sous vide cooking. Keep reading →]( [Kitchen Gear: The Ultimate Owner's Manual]( Kitchen Gear: The Ultimate Owner’s Manual Lisa McManus and Hannah Crowley–equipment nerds extraordinaire and executive editors of ATK Reviews–share everything they’ve learned during their decades of hands-on equipment testing. [Get more out of your kitchen tools →]( More Equipment Guides [Step Up Your Pasta Game]( [Step Up Your Pasta Game]( [The Best Gear for Meal Prep]( [The Best Gear for Meal Prep]( [Recommended Badge] Reviews you can trust The mission of [America’s Test Kitchen Reviews]( is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them. [View the web version]( of this email. This offer expires October 25, 2024. All prior sales excluded. No substitutions. [Forward this email]( to a friend. [Unsubscribe]( or manage your [email preferences.]( We sent you this email because our records indicate that you requested to receive email from America's Test Kitchen. 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