Russell Hobbs 24180 Chalkboard Slow Cooker, 3.5 L, Black

Product Information

This will come in handy if you’re out for the day. Once the timer you set has been reached, the cooker will either switch off or automatically shift to the ‘keep warm’ setting, depending on the model, so you come home to dinner that's ready to serve. Overall satisfaction: measures consumer satisfaction with a slow cooker brand as an individual score NOT a combined total of all criteria. Value for money: the price of the slow cooker was reasonable given the quality of the material it was made of, the size and how well it performs. The first thing you need to consider with any slow cooker is its capacity – each will list its bowl size in litres. Bear in mind that this won’t translate to the same amount of food, as you shouldn’t fill slow cookers to the brim. This gap allows your food to bubble and simmer properly. The usable cooking space will be around three-quarters of its bowl size, for example, a five-litre cooker can accommodate around four litres of food.

The Ninja Foodi Multi-Cooker is certainly mighty, but if you like your gadgets it could be a great investment. You can of course just use this multi-cooker as a slow cooker, for which it has a generous 6 litre capacity, but you can also take advantage of the sear setting to brown meat and veggies before slow cooking for a more rich flavour.

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Low fat:Slow cookers only produce a small amount of evaporation, so there’s no need to add oil to your cooking. Using a fattier cut of meat or adding a bit of water (or other liquids like bone broth) should be enough to prevent the food from drying out. Our experienced support team ensures that the assessment, replacement or remedy process under your Product Care TM is a convenient experience. Whether you are experiencing a product fault or needing toll free technical assistance, our team is here to provide support every step of the way. Advantage

Features & functionality: the slow cooker had additional settings and features that improved its performance and functionality (i.e. a timer, temperature gauge, keep warm setting ect.). Some things can deter us all from cooking. Having to transfer food from a pan to a pot, cleaning up or that annoying puddle of water you get from putting the lid down on the worktop when it comes to the best slow cookers. If that's you, you need this model, which can act as a cooker and a serving pot that you can plonk down straight on the dining table. The advantage of this is not leaving all that lovely seared flavour behind in a pan, and it reduces washing-up. Finally, look for a slow cooker with a transparent lid, so you can keep an eye on your food’s progress. Lifting the lid of a slow cooker while it’s in use lets out heat and steam, prolonging cooking time. It’s always best to be able to see what’s going on without doing so. Are slow cookers easy to clean? However, if meat, fish and stews are your bag, this is a great modern classic machine, and that’s why we’ve scored it so high. Not for the range of programs, but for how pleasing it is to use and the fact it feels like something that will last for years. Ultimately, which slow cooker you add to your kitchen will come down to your preferences, as well as how many meals you plan on cooking with it. With 19% of survey respondents admitting that they don’t use their slow cooker as much as they thought they would, it’s important to do your research before you head in-store, because you may find a better deal elsewhere, or even decide that a multi-cooker may actually be a better option for your household.

Slow cookers tend to be large and bulky, which can be troublesome if cabinet space is at a premium in your kitchen. If storage space is a concern, keep in mind that oval-shaped cookers tend to take up more space than rectangular models. Does your slow cooker have good heat distribution? Some can suffer from hot spots that cause drying out in corners or at the base. Uneven heat is something that’s more likely to occur in larger bowls. Why deal with the hassle of using multiple appliances when one Multi Cooker can effortlessly take on the tasks of an oven, Food Steamer, Rice Cooker, and more? The controls are a little cluttered, but the illustrations make the Sage The Fast Slow Go easy to use and very clear. The lid his hinged, which we don't love, but it does mean the Sage The Fast Slow Go will transition easily between slow cooking and pressure cooking for a range of the cooking modes. As the name implies, a slow cooker is an appliance that slowly cooks food at low temperatures, helping to bring out flavours and textures you can’t generally get from cooking at higher temperatures. Usually used for stews, soups, curries and meats, slow cookers are an ideal option for those looking to cater to plenty of hungry mouths, with many slow cookers featuring a ‘keep-warm’ function for when dinner is ready, but your guests aren’t. How do slow cookers work?

This function starts your cooking off on a high setting before automatically reducing the temperature to the low setting for the remainder of the cooking time.

What are the downsides to a slow cooker?

You can place the cooking pot in the dishwasher or wash by hand fairly easily. The Ninja Foodi Multi-Cooker also has a basket insert and can be used to air fry other treats when not in use as a slow cooker. Is this the future of slow cooking? We think so. Removing the need to sauté in a pan before transferring to the pot, the Sage Fast Slow Go is as useful for slow cooking converts as it is to experienced cooks. Functioning as both a slow cooker and a pressure cooker, it includes sensors at the top and bottom to monitor temperature. This makes inconsistently cooked stews a thing of the past. Some slow cookers will automatically shift to this mode after a programme has ended, while others require switching manually.

Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice. Easy to clean:The ceramic bowl inside a slow cooker is usually removable for easy cleaning. Any leftover residue is usually easy to wipe off after a good soak. Russell Hobbs steamed ahead with five stars in every research category. This win included top marks in performance, features & functionality, design, value for money, ease of use and ease of cleaning. Editor’s notes This function can be found on the majority of slow cookers, helping to retain the temperature of your food without cooking it further – handy when you’re struggling to round up the family!Slow cookers are also brilliant for less-than-confident cooks, easily creating all those meals that seem a bit scary on the hob. That’s because slow cooking develops the flavours of food for richer, tastier results. It’s not just dinners that slow cookers excel at making either. They make great porridge, granola, stewed apples, bread and butter pudding, fudge and dips. You can use your slow cooker to melt chocolate, as a Bain-marie. How much should I spend on a slow cooker? The most glaringly obvious downside to a slow cooker is of course that it’s slow at cooking. This means its cooking application is rather restricted. While some of the best slow cookers out there will provide a myriad of features that let them cook a wide range of foods, most cheap models will be limited to three settings – low, high and warm. Imagine coming home to the comforting aroma of a savoury stew that's ready to eat the moment you walk in. With Russell Hobbs Slow Cookers, that's not just a daydream; it's your new reality. Most slow cookers will have similar standard controls – high heat for meals cooked in less than a few hours, low heat for all-day cooking. A 'keep warm' mode should hold food at a serveable temperature without actually cooking it. Some cookers will switch to 'keep warm' automatically after an elapsed cooking time, while more basic models need this altered manually.