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There are likely nights when the last thing you may have the time (or energy) for is slaving over a hot stove to cook dinner. Luckily for you, we know just how to make your evenings less stressful and more delicious—by using a slow cooker, of course! Whether you’re entirely new to the low-and-slow scene or you’re wondering when you should replace your slow cooker, we have all the info you need to master this mealtime ritual.
For dinner inspiration, check out our favorite slow-cooker recipes, and don't miss our top picks for the best air fryers.
Our top picks
How we picked these products
If you’re dying to know what’s the best slow cooker on the market, we’re ready to drop some knowledge. We turned to our friends at the Good Housekeeping Institute to determine the top-rated slow cookers. Their team of on-staff experts—which includes all types: engineers! data analysts! registered dietitians!—rigorously put everyday products to the test (and then more and more tests) in their New York City-based labs to determine which ones you can trust. They tested a wide variety of slow cookers and multi-cookers over the course of 432 hours (!!!) to determine which ones were worth the investment. After analyzing their data on each model’s performance, temperature control, consistency, ease of use, safety features, and other capabilities, we’ve narrowed down the cream of the crocks.
Kaitlin Mahar is a California-based freelance writer covering the shopping and lifestyle beats. When she's not sharing her passion for the Oxford comma with anyone who will listen, she is a proud cat parent, avid yogi, tea enthusiast, and co-host and co-producer of the podcast "Crime Culture".
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