Normally I look at Consumer Reports before buying items, but I can't seem to find their reviews on slow cookers. Can anyone provide the most recent CR recommendations? I'm also interested in your recommendations. Here's some info that may be helpful: I'm single, so I don't need to cook massive dishes. I typically leave the house for work and do not return until 12 hours later. I'm looking for one that I can start before I depart, have it cook the food and then shift to warming mode until I return. If that will overcook things, are there cookers that can be set to start/stop with a timer?
Welcome to Discuss Cooking. When buying an appliance, it's good to identify your needs & how you want to use same - as you have done here. You might be better off going with a pressure cooker.
I have a Rival programmable. It will cook on low or high, & kick over to warm/hold. The newer cooker, in my experience, gets very hot very fast, & food is done/cooked in 4-6 hours. I would not buy an older cooker & cook for 12 hours. My concern w/ old cookers would be food safety, i.e. leaving food out to cook (steam) for a long period of time. The heating element is probably too low.
I worked long hours, but still was able to get a decent meal together in 45 min to an hour. Take a look through the recipes here, & something might grab your attention.
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