Top 6 compared
The best slow cookers
Throw it all in before work and come home to a hot dinner, ready when you are.
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The top 6 at a glance
A slow cooker is a pot in a heated base that simmers food gently for hours, turning cheap cuts, lentils and a few vegetables into something that tastes like it took all day, because it did. Most have a stoneware pot; some have a metal one that goes on the hob to brown the meat first, and multi-cookers can sear, steam and bake in the same pot.
Simple models switch between low and high, sometimes with a medium setting in between; a digital timer counts down and then drops to keep-warm, which suits long or unpredictable days. Most of the pots here are dishwasher-safe, which helps after a long, sticky cook.
What matters
- A size to match the household, with room for leftovers.
- A glass lid, to see how it’s getting on.
- Sturdy handles, for lifting a full, heavy pot.
#1Morphy Richards 3.5L Sear & Stew Slow Cooker
£44.99 RRP
- Hob-safe pot for searing
- Light at 2kg
- Dishwasher-safe pot
- Not for induction hobs
Brown the meat in the aluminium pot on the hob, then set it straight into the base to cook slowly: one pan, less washing up. Morphy Richards was founded in an oast house in Kent in 1936.
What owners say: Owners find the non-stick pot easy to clean, like browning meat on the hob in the same pot, and say it’s light and the right size for two meals plus leftovers.
A closer look: The pot goes on the hob but not on an induction one, so check yours before searing in it. Slow cookers lose little liquid, so use less stock than a hob recipe asks for, and leave the lid off for the last half hour on high to thicken the sauce.
Best for: Browning on a hob
- Capacity
- 3.5L
- Pot
- Hob-proof aluminium
- Settings
- 3
- Timer
- No
- Brown in the pot
- On the hob
- Power
- 163W
#2Morphy Richards 6.5L Slow Cooker (ceramic pot)
£49.99 RRP
- Large 6.5-litre pot
- Low, medium and high heats
- Dishwasher-safe pot
- No keep-warm setting
A big oval 6.5-litre pot that takes a joint of meat as well as casseroles, curries and chilli, and cooks up to eight main portions at once, with low, medium and high settings and a glass lid to watch it through.
What owners say: Owners say it makes fantastic soups and stews, copes with big batches of casserole and chilli, and is easy to set up and clean; some wish the pot could go on the hob.
A closer look: Medium cooks in about four to ten hours, a useful middle ground when low would run too long and high would rush a tough cut. Cool a big batch of chilli or curry quickly in shallow tubs before it goes in the freezer, rather than leaving it to sit in the pot.
Best for: A medium heat setting
- Capacity
- 6.5L
- Pot
- Ceramic
- Settings
- 3
- Timer
- No
- Brown in the pot
- No
- Power
- 290W
#3Hamilton Beach 6.5L Family Favourite Slow Cooker (HBSC070B)
£20–£30
- Large 6.5-litre pot
- Base only 21cm deep
- Keep-warm setting
On a base only about 21cm deep, the 6.5-litre oval pot fits a narrow worktop yet takes a family-sized stew or a roast. The ceramic pot lifts out and goes in the dishwasher afterwards, and the warm setting holds dinner once it’s cooked.
What owners say: Owners say it feeds a big family without taking up much storage space, find it easy to use and clean, and like how well it holds its heat for a hot meal later in the day.
A closer look: There’s no timer, so plan the cook around when someone is home: a full day on low, or an afternoon on high. Brown the meat in a frying pan first for a deeper flavour, as the pot is made for the oven and isn’t sold as hob-safe.
Best for: Big pot, narrow base
- Capacity
- 6.5L
- Pot
- Ceramic, oven-safe
- Settings
- 3 inc. keep warm
- Timer
- No
- Brown in the pot
- In the oven
- Power
- 240W
#4Crock-Pot 1.8L Small Slow Cooker
£10–£20
- Keep-warm setting
- Oven-safe bowl
- Dishwasher-safe bowl
- Two portions at most
Small enough for a studio flat or a student kitchen, but it still does proper stews, curries and chilli for one or two. The stoneware bowl lifts out to serve at the table, and low, high and keep-warm cover a day out or an evening in.
What owners say: Owners say it’s the right size for one or two, easy to use and brilliant for stews, with a ceramic bowl that’s easy to clean and lower running costs than the oven.
A closer look: At 1.8 litres it holds two generous portions, or one plus lunch the next day, so halve a family recipe rather than squeezing it in. Keep the bowl at least half full, as a thin layer of food in a small pot can dry out over a long cook on high.
Best for: Cooking for one
- Capacity
- 1.8L
- Pot
- Ceramic, oven-safe
- Settings
- 3 inc. keep warm
- Timer
- No
- Brown in the pot
- In the oven
- Power
- 100W
#5Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker 8-in-1 (8L)
£100–£150
- Also sears, steams and bakes
- Large 8-litre pot
- 12-hour timer, then keeps warm
- One-year warranty
Sears, sautés, steams, bakes and slow cooks in one 8-litre pot, which then goes in the oven and onto the table. Heating from the sides as well as the base cooks evenly, so one pot does the whole recipe from browning to serving.
What owners say: Owners like the range of options over a plain slow cooker, the results and how easy it is to clean. Size divides them, with some finding it bigger than they expected.
A closer look: Sit the steaming rack from the box in the pot for vegetables, fish or dumplings over a simmering stock. At 1200W it simmers and steams as briskly as a pan on the hob, so it can stand in for one when the cooker’s full on a big cooking day.
Best for: Eight ways to cook
- Capacity
- 8L
- Pot
- Non-stick, oven-safe
- Settings
- 8 functions
- Timer
- Up to 12 hrs, then keep warm
- Brown in the pot
- Sear setting
- Power
- 1200W
#6Crock-Pot Digital Slow Cooker (3.5L)
£30–£50
- Switches to keep-warm when done
- Lid and bowl dishwasher-safe
- Oven-safe bowl
Set it for anything from 30 minutes to 20 hours and it switches to keep-warm when time’s up, so a late train doesn’t mean overcooked stew. The 3.5-litre bowl feeds three or four, and the lid and bowl both go in the dishwasher.
What owners say: Owners rate it for quality and ease of use and find the pot easy to clean. The lid divides them: some say it doesn’t seal well, and a few report it shattering.
A closer look: Set the countdown for the cooking time the recipe needs rather than the hours you’ll be out of the house. Stir in cream, cheese or fresh herbs at the end rather than the start, as long cooking can split dairy and dull delicate flavours.
Best for: A 20-hour timer
- Capacity
- 3.5L
- Pot
- Ceramic, oven-safe
- Settings
- 3 inc. keep warm
- Timer
- Yes
- Brown in the pot
- In the oven
- Power
- 200W
Side by side
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1Morphy Richards Sear & Stew | #2Morphy Richards 6.5L | #3Hamilton Beach 6.5L HBSC070B | #4Crock-Pot 1.8L CSC080 | #5Ninja PossibleCooker MC1001UK | #6Crock-Pot Digital 3.5L CSC113 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best budget | |||||
| Picked Rating | 9.4 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.0 |
| Price | £44.99 RRP | £49.99 RRP | £20–£30 | £10–£20 | £100–£150 | £30–£50 |
| Capacity | 3.5L | 6.5L | 6.5L | 1.8L | 8L | 3.5L |
| Pot | Hob-proof aluminium | Ceramic | Ceramic, oven-safe | Ceramic, oven-safe | Non-stick, oven-safe | Ceramic, oven-safe |
| Settings | 3 | 3 | 3 inc. keep warm | 3 inc. keep warm | 8 functions | 3 inc. keep warm |
| Timer | No | No | No | No | Up to 12 hrs, then keep warm | Yes |
| Brown in the pot | On the hob | No | In the oven | In the oven | Sear setting | In the oven |
| Power | 163W | 290W | 240W | 100W | 1200W | 200W |
| Best for | Browning on a hob | A medium heat setting | Big pot, narrow base | Cooking for one | Eight ways to cook | A 20-hour timer |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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