Updated: 18 Feb 2011

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Introduction

The faster the pace of your life, the better a slow cooker looks.

What’s great about these appliances is they save you money. They cook at low temperatures for a long time, which tenderises cheap (tougher but tastier) cuts of meat. And they use less electricity than your oven.

We tested 9 slow cookers with capacities of 5 to 7 litres – a good size for large groups.

Models we tested

This report contains test results and recommendations for the following slow cookers:

Checklist

Winter isn't the only time for a slow cooker. They're good in summer too, as they won't heat up your kitchen like an oven does.

Here's what to consider before you buy.

What to look for

• 1. Get the right size: a 5 to 6 litre cooker gives a useable volume of 4 litres - a good size for large groups. For one or two people, 3.5 litres (2 litres useable volume) is enough.
  
   
• 2. Get the most convenient shape: a round pot is fine if you plan to cook only stews and curries, but an oval cooker allows you to cook longer cuts of meat such as lamb shanks or roasts as well.
  
   
• 3. Make checking easy: a glass lid allows you to check progress without lifting the lid.

What the settings mean

• Low gently simmers food for a long time.
• High cooks over a shorter time, although the food may need stirring to improve the flavour and you may have to add water.
• Warm is for keeping the food at serving temperature - but you shouldn't use this setting for more than four hours.
• Auto cooks food on "high" for a while, then switches to "low".

Slow cooker safety tips

Slow cookers cooks food at a low enough temperature to be left unattended for hours. But the food must reach a core temperature of at least 60°C to kill harmful bacteria.

All the cookers will produce food that's safe to eat – provided you follow both the cooker's instructions and standard food-safety practices.

To cook food slowly and safely:

• Always completely thaw frozen meat, poultry or vegetables before putting them in the cooker.
• Vegetables cook the slowest, so place them at the bottom and sides of the pot and then add the meat.
• Don't overload the cooker – fill it to about half its capacity (two-thirds at most).
• Don't take off the lid during cooking unless the recipe calls for it. Removing the lid lets heat and moisture escape, so you will have to extend the cooking time.
• Don't leave cooked food to cool down completely in the bowl or pan. It should cool at room temperature for two hours and then go into the fridge.
• Never reheat leftovers in your slow cooker – use a microwave, cooktop, or oven.
• If there's a power cut while you're out, check the temperature of the food with a meat thermometer. If it's lower than 70°C, it's probably not safe to eat.
   

Report by Bev Frederikson.

Chilli beef recipe

Slow cooked shredded beef chilli

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 3 cups soaked dried borlotti, pinto or black beans (soak overnight, drain and rinse) or 2 cans red kidney*, pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 kg whole beef, chuck, flank or blade steak
• 4 medium-sized brown onions, thinly sliced
• 4 medium-sized garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
• 2 fresh green chillies or jalapeño chillies, de-seeded and cut lengthwise into thin strips
• 1 bunch fresh coriander roots, finely chopped (save the leaves to stir through at the end)
• 1 litre beef stock
• 1 400g can diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 bunch fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• Sour cream and rice to serve

* Slow cookers don’t reach high enough temperatures to destroy a natural toxin which dried red kidney beans contain. Before using dried red kidney beans in a slow cooker you must first soak them for at least 5 hours then pour away the water and boil them for 10 minutes in fresh water.

Method

• In a large saucepan, or in a slow cooker pan that can be placed on a stove top, heat the oil on medium-high heat, brown the steak for 5-10 minutes.
• Remove the meat, add onions and garlic, fry for 5 minutes.
• Add cayenne pepper, oregano, cumin, coriander and paprika, cook for 1 minute.
• Pour in beef stock, bring to a gentle boil.
• Add steak, onion and stock mixture to the slow cooker pan with the fresh chilli, soaked dried beans (if using canned beans add to slow cooker 1 hour before end of cooking time), tomatoes and bay leaves. Stir well to distribute ingredients.
• Cover and slow-cook until the meat is very tender, 5 hours at the high-heat setting or 8 hours at the low-heat setting.
• Remove the meat from the slow cooker and gently shred the meat using a fork.
• Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker and keep warm until ready to serve.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir in fresh coriander  leaves.
• Serve with rice and a dollop of sour cream.

Tips

• When soaking dried beans soak extra as the unused beans can be portioned into freezer bags and frozen for up to 2 months. Portion into 2 cups per bag. (1 kg dried beans makes approximately 10 cups soaked beans.) They are then ready for soups, stews or casseroles.
• Jalapeño chilli is very hot. If you want a mild chilli use the long green chillies instead or just one jalapeño chilli .
• Serve the chilli with corn chips, tacos or tortillas, guacamole and sour cream.
• Leftovers can be frozen up to 2 months.