Russell Hobbs 24180 Chalkboard Slow Cooker, 3.5 L, Black

Product Information

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

Overall satisfaction: measures consumer satisfaction with a slow cooker brand as an individual score NOT a combined total of all criteria. Delayed start:This feature lets you set your slow cooker to start at a later time. This is a handy setting if you’re going out all day but your recipe doesn’t require much time to cook. Safety-wise, with a sealed lid and sturdy base, we found this machine felt safe to use no matter which program we tested. Russell Hobbs is excited to offer a stylish, easy-to-use range of air fryers to suit every level of cook. Little or no oil Slow cookers range in size from a compact 1.5 litres to a 6.5-litre bowl, so be sure to choose the right size for the way you intend to cook. As a rough guide, 1.5-3 litres will feed one or two people, 3-5 litres, three or four people and anything over five litres should suit a large family, with six litres or more ideal for batch cooks who like to fill the freezer. Alternatively, a larger cooker is great for those who like to eat what’s leftover for lunch the next day.Certain Sunbeam slow cookers, including the SecretChef Electronic Sear & Slow Cooker (HP8555) additionally include a frypan function to brown and cook meats before switching to slow cooking. This searing model has an electronic timer and temperature control, along with multiple heat settings to ensure you get the most out of your meal. Megan is Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Editor, leading the team that focuses on consumer products and services, ranging from supermarkets and groceries to home and personal appliances and retail stores. She interprets Canstar Blue’s bespoke research on the thousands of brands that we compare, rate and review, to help shoppers make better purchasing decisions.

Basic slow cookers won’t get hot enough to sauté meat or vegetables, so you’ll need to do this in a pan before transferring the contents to the bowl. However, more expensive models offer a different one-pot solution. This can either be bowls that you use on your hob or in your oven in place of a pan (some will even be induction compatible). They will need to be moved to the slow cooker base. Machines with a sauté function for high-heat browning can simply be switched to slow cooking. Dreaming of a crispy stir-fry, fluffy potatoes, or a perfectly cooked risotto? Just choose your settings and let the Multi Cooker do the work. With features like adjustable cooking times, preset functions, including a keep warm function, and a range of cooking temperatures, you're in complete control of your kitchen.

What are the downsides to a slow cooker?

One of the issues this recipe highlighted was the loose lid of the cooker. While this resulted in a tempting aroma of soup as it cooked, it also allowed steam and condensation to leak out. When cooled, this left a puddle of water on the worktop. The exterior was very hot on the high setting. Switching it to the keep-warm setting preserved the soup at a hot – but not boiling – temperature. Breville’s introductory model, the ‘Flavour Maker’, is available in 5L and 7L capacities, which might be handy for larger families. The Flavour Maker additionally comes with searing capabilities, allowing users to change up dinner plans to suit different textures and preferences when it comes to what you serve up on the plate. With a stainless-steel finish and a dishwasher-safe lid, the Flavour Maker can also be used on a cooktop for easy use.

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. Finally, I made a dessert recipe of baked stuffed apple, which didn’t require any pre-cooking. Having stuffed apples with sugar and sultanas, I placed them onto a foil ‘saucer’ in the pot and poured hot water around it. Using low for six hours (of a recommended 4-6), the apples overcooked and disintegrated. Touch interface: Buttons and dials are the enemy of any messy cooker – the fewer crevices, the better. Touch interfaces are easy to clean, however, are generally only found on more expensive models.

Design: the design of the slow cooker was functional (i.e. not oversized, a see through lid, heat proof handles ect.) and aesthetically pleasing with a sleek design. Easy to use and easy to clean. Our air fryers come with removable crisping plates and baskets so you can simply remove them and pop them in the dishwasher. And with little or no oil to dispose of, they’ll be no fighting over whose turn it is to do the dishes! Yes – slow cookers are worth buying, especially if you prefer to ‘play the long game’ and start preparing meals several hours in advance. This makes the appliance particularly useful for larger households and families that are big on entertaining. You can even serve food straight from the pot, adding extra convenience. Here are some other benefits of getting a slow cooker: Breville received a solid result across the board, with four stars for performance, features & functionality, design, value for money, ease of use, ease of cleaning and overall satisfaction. Editor’s notes