Anna Perling is a former staff writer covering kitchen gear at Wirecutter. During her time at Wirecutter, she reported on various topics including sports bras, board games, and light bulbs. Previously she wrote food and lifestyle pieces for Saveur and Kinfolk magazines. Anna is a mentor at Girls Write Now and a member of the Online News Association. Anna Perling, writer of the most recent update, covered kitchen equipment for Wirecutter for several years and cooks for herself most nights of the week. This guide also builds on research and testing by Wirecutter senior staff writer Lesley Stockton and deputy editor Christine Cyr Clisset, as well as writer Camille Chatterjee.
We’ve read some complaints that slow cook settings on pressure cookers like Instant Pots can get dicey, but we didn’t notice any red flags in our tests. A slow cooker is still more affordable and easier to use, but if you have room for only one appliance, an electric pressure cooker is the way to go. We eliminated six models based on their poor cooking performance and lack of features. For the final three models, we cooked a classic pot roast with a 3-pound chuck roast and vegetables on the high setting for five hours. Again, we checked the meat’s internal temperature every hour. We sliced and tasted the roasts to see how tender they were (we had to, for science).
If you need to cook it, we’ll give you the versatility to make it! The West Bend Versatility Cooker is your “go-to” tool for easy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. With one appliance you get a slow cooker, oven-ready roaster, stovetop pot, and electric griddle. Plus, the lid and cooking pot are dishwasher-safe so cleanup is a breeze. With Tender Crisp Technology, you can achieve all the quick cooking and tenderizing wonders that you love about pressure cookers.
No matter what your cooking needs are, there’s a Hamilton Beach® Programmable Slow Cooker that’s ready for any cooking need or party invitation that comes your way. Hamilton Beach® 6 Quart Slow Cookers make dinnertime almost effortless. You can cook hot, mouth-watering meals as you go about your day, with no stirring needed.
To bust through stubborn messes, soak the pot in a sink full of hot, soapy water before cleaning; the bloggers at Crock-Pot Ladies also suggest applying baking soda before you scrub. In our tests, the Temp Tracker’s probe came within 1 degree of our favorite probe thermometer in our bean tests, and readings fluctuated between hamilton beach mixer 1 and 9 degrees in our roast test. Because the temperature isn’t exactly consistent throughout a large piece of meat, some variation is expected. During cooking, the probe reading clearly displays on the Temp Tracker’s interface so you can check on your meal. When cooking, we took note of each model’s design and interface.
Its revolutionary Crisping Lid allows you to air fry, bake, roast, and broil. That means you can pressure cook to lock in juices, then finish with a crisp. Only the Ninja Foodi gives you the best of pressure cooking and air frying, all in one pot.
Later on, you’ll come home to a perfectly cooked meal that’s ready to serve. Note that all of the cookers we tested emitted a rubbery, burning-like smell when we first used them. The odor is typical of appliances with heating elements and comes from a coating applied to protect the elements from corrosion while the machine is shipped and stored. The handles on the Set & Forget’s crock are small, and they aren’t as easy to grab as the Temp Tracker’s (our also-great pick) because of their position at the long end of the oval crock.
The premium white scallop pattern exterior looks great on any countertop. Plus, the included “Dipper” sauce warmer is perfect for keeping sauce or gravy piping hot at the table or serving a warm dip to please a crowd. We also measured temperatures with a separate probe thermometer, and the Set & Forget’s thermometer was within 9 degrees of our separate probe. Since temperatures aren’t totally consistent throughout a large piece of meat, the difference is understandable.