Crockpot DuraCeramic Digital Saute Slow Cooker with Hob-Safe Pot | Digital Timer | Anti-Stick & Easy Clean | 5L (4-5 people) [CSC026]

Product Information

Slow cooking couldn’t be easier for time-pressed families – offering fuss-free, hands-off, one-pot meals. Simply chop up, drop in and turn on for beautifully cooked food ready when you are. Soups and stews, curries and casseroles, pot roasts and pasta bakes – even perfectly cooked rice can be made in a slow cooker while you get on with other things. 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.

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. Next, I used the slow cooker to make rice pudding. After greasing the bowl I added rice, sugar, butter and milk and set to cook on high heat. After three hours, the rice pudding was perfectly cooked: the rice was tender, the sauce was rich and creamy, and there were no burnt bits or dry rice grains. The creamy rice pudding was at a hot, but not scalding, serving temperature, and the whole process had been entirely fuss-free compared to making it on the hob.

Design of the Crock-Pot DuraCeramic CSC026

Ready When You Are: Ideal for busy lifestyles, this slow cooker can be set up to 12 hours in advance with expertly cooked results every time 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.

The lid is made of glass and has a small steam hole. This is a neat little touch as it prevents the lid from rattling like we’ve seen in some cheaper slow cookers. We’re starting to see a little grime build up between the handle and the lid, but the handle is removable with a couple of screws and easily cleaned. Slow cooking couldn’t be easier for busy families – offering fuss-free, hands-off, one-pot meals. Simply chop up, drop in and turn on for beautifully cooked food ready when you are. Soups and stews, curries and casseroles, pot roasts and pasta bakes – even perfectly cooked rice can be made in a slow cooker while you get on with other things. 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?When testing these slow cookers we were keen to try out each of their main cooking settings, so while a more simple manual slow cooker was used to make a stew or simple curry, we pressure cooked meat and steamed fish in the more complex slow cookers on the market. When slow cookers came with digital settings we attempted delay-start recipes and tested how easy they were to use.

The CSC026 has three settings – high, low and warm. We filled it with two litres of water then tested each of the settings in turn. 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. When we tested its slow cooking mode we found that it's almost too good at retaining moisture. Recipes that came out more saucy in some slow cookers were a little less rich because it's also designed to be an airtight pressure cooker. That can be remedied though by adding less liquid or taking into account the liquid that will come out of meat and veggies when you add them. 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.Instead, I browned the mince using a gas burner. The dish stayed steady on a cast iron support, even when stirred, which was an advantage as the handles grew hot while cooking. Does the Hard Work for You: The Schedule Meal feature sets the optimal cooking process based on desired meal time, food type and quantity Despite the pot being an odd shape – round, 25cm (10 inches) at the top, which tapers to about 20cm (8 inches) half way down – we really like the size of the CSC026. The pot will hold five litres when filled right to the brim, but more realistically will comfortably hold around three litres.

I offer a free online slow cooker lesson out of my online mini course which walks you through why you should be slow cooking, what you should be looking out for when shopping around, and how to choose the ideal model for you. If you need help selecting your own slow cooker model, I provide a video lesson free of charge to help you do so. Just go here, and select the free option. 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. In an ideal world, a slow cooker at this price point would also have a timer and automatic switch to keep warm rather than relying on manual controls. However, what you do get for your money is excellent build quality, perfectly controlled heat, and a design that makes cooking super-easy. Suitable for all hob types, including induction hobs, this impressive unit allows you to prepare casseroles, curries, chillis, soups, pot roasts, and even desserts – simply choose the low, high, or keep–warm setting to best suit your creation. After cooking, the removable pot can be taken straight to the table for serving, and if you have leftovers, it can be stored in the fridge or freezer.The Russell Hobbs Good to Go Multicooker is a true multi-tasker. Armed with a variety of capabilities, you can make sure that your meat is cooked just right before you cut it open, or fill up a water bath for succulent sous vide fish or veggies. This digital slow cooker comes with a removable control dial on its front control panel, which has pre-set modes for steaming and stewing as well as high and low manual temperature levels. There is also a keep warm mode. We love that the cooking pot is hob-safe, meaning if a recipe requires pre-cooking or searing ingredients (for example a slow cooker roast beef) – you don’t need to use a separate pan! Once your preparation step is complete you can simply lift the pot into the slow cooker. Sadly there are no rubber handles on the cooking pot, so you’ll need oven gloves to transfer the pot from the hob to the slow cooker. 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. One of the best things about the Drew and Cole Cleverchef Pro is the app, which comes with a huge range of recipes at the touch of a button. Compared to a lot of multi-cookers the Drew and Cole Cleverchef Pro has an uncomplicated display that's simple to customise. A great choice for those who want a smart multi-cooker.