Feed the family with a slow cooker for every budget
Mid-winter has brought us our share of icy mornings, shorter days, and an overall feeling of falling productivity. If you're anything like us, getting home from work in the dark can make cooking dinner feel like a harder slog than usual.
Enter: the slow cooker.
These contraptions allow you to throw dinner together in the morning, and cook throughout the day while you're out and about. The top models have timers and a function for keeping your food warm until everyone is home and ready to eat.
We've pulled together some of the best options from Amazon at a price range that considers all budgets.
Get a slow cooker now and improve your winter cooking!
NOTE: Prices are accurate at the time of publishing.
Russell Hobbs 3.5L Slow Cooker
With a 3.5 litre capacity, this very affordable slow cooker from Russell Hobbs will definitely do the job. It has a ceramic bowl, which is perfect for conducting heat. The bowl is also removable – an important feature for cleaning the slow cooker – and dishwasher-safe. It has a tempered glass lid, making progress easy to monitor, and three heat settings so you can choose your cooking intensity.
Making up to four servings at a time, this is the perfect slow cooker for a family trying one out for the very first time.
Instant Pot Duo Nova 7-in-1 Electric Cooker
Currently discounted to $193.62, this Duo Nova model can adjust temperature, time, and heat as it cooks your food, promising delicious and consistent results each time. While it functions as a slow cooker, it can also be used as a saute pan, steamer, pressure cooker, rice cooker, and yoghurt maker. Beyond that, it has settings for cooking soup, porridge, stew, chicken and many other dishes. It's also an eight-litre model, making it the perfect option to whip out before a dinner party.
Crock-Pot Digital Slow Cooker
A slightly more advanced cooker coming in at 4.7 litres, this one from Crock-Pot features a timer, so you can set your cooking time at anywhere between 30 minutes to 20 hours. It also has a keep-warm setting, so if you're late getting home, you can rest assured the food won't go cold. This one also features a hinged glass lid, which reduces mess and condensation landing on your kitchen bench. It's currently discounted on Amazon, costing just $79.
Philips All in One Multi Cooker
With an eight-litre capacity, this is perfect for larger families or those who love to entertain. Offering effortless and faster cooking, 20 pre-set cooking programs and adjustable temperature in pressure, Philips provides everything you need to kick off slow cooking. Currently, you can get this one for $269.95, a 23 per cent discount.
Breville The Smart Temp Slow Cooker
If you're after a fancier slow cooker, this one from Breville offers a six-litre capacity for cooking, meaning you might even have leftovers to spare for the next day. With an LED screen, time settings, and wrap-around heating, this slow cooker will be your new best friend when it comes to preparing meals. Best of all, it has an IQ Temperature Sensor, which prevents over-cooked meals, instead keeping them warm until you're ready to eat. This one is currently 33 per cent off on Amazon.
Russell Hobbs 8-in-1 Multi-Cooker
Many slow cookers have a lot more to offer than simple all-day cooking, and this 'eight-in-one' model will allow you to get inventive in the kitchen. Its eight cooking functions include searing, roasting, sous vide, slow cooking, steaming, rice cooking, boiling and a keep-warm function means you can even cook the various ingredients that make up your slow-cooked meal inside the cooker before you put it all together. It also features a removable control panel, so you can serve dinner right from the six-litre, dishwasher-safe pot.
Sunbeam Aviva Multi Cooker
Holding up to six litres, this slow cooker from Sunbeam has seven cooking pre-sets on its LCD control panel, so you can choose how best to prepare your meal, and both 'time' and 'delay' buttons to either set your cooking time with a delayed start, or keep it warm for when you arrive home. You can get yours now for $129.
Morphy Richards 3.5L Electric Slow Cooker
Another 3.5-litre option, this sleek model from Morphy Richards also makes for a great first slow cooker. It also has three heat settings, which you can alter as your meal cooks, ensuring it's ready when you are. The stainless steel cooking pot is also removable from the central cooker, making cleaning a cinch. Ideal for a small family, or even just a couple living together, this low-tech option is an excellent starting point.
Tiger Multi-Cooker
Top of the line (and the budget), this slow cooker has the ability to prepare two dishes at once – cooking rice and the remainder of the meal simultaneously. It has 10 computerised cooking menus for various meals, making it one of the most functional cookers available. It also has an LCD control panel that shows its exclusive programming and varied cooking functions. Also, most of its major parts are detachable from the frame, making them easy to clean.
TEFAL Turbo Cuisine Maxi and Fry XXL
Ideal for cooking for large groups of people, you can feed the whole family easily with its range of features. With the ability to air-fry, pressure cook, grill, and steam, it eliminates the need for a number of hefty kitchen products that take up space. It has 15 automatic programs and a high-speed pressure-cooking system for maximum efficiency.
READ MORE: Top rated and reviewed air fryers on Amazon under $150