Slow Cooker Holiday Shopping Guide

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO CROCK... I SALUTE YOU!

With Black Friday next week and the holidays right around the corner, I thought it was a good time to give you a King's look at my favorite Slow Cookers. While there are a TON of great slow cookers on the market, I have highlighted my three favorite for the season. Remember, slow cookers are NOT all made equal.

When you are purchasing slow cookers pay attention to the following features:

• Does the slow cooker have a removable insert for easy cleaning?
• Does the slow cooker have a "keep warm" feature?
• Does the cooker have a programmable timer?

Without further ado... here are the CROCK STARS of the season.

AWESOME... but expensive.

The Breville 7 Quart Slow Cooker is in a class of its own. This stainless steel cooker, with a cast aluminum crock takes the art of slow cooking to a new level with itsversatility. The materials and design used allows the user to place the non-stick aluminum insert directly on the stove-top to sear meats or saute vegetables. The handle design allows for "straight to tabletop" serving.

PROS:

• Insert can be used on the stove-top
• Insert is aluminum, allowing for an extremely uniform heating
• This product is VERY easy to clean
• The silicon handles allot the insert to be moved from cooker to table
• roasting rack included with purchase
• It looks GOOD!

CONS:

• There are NO timing features (timer, countdown, programmable, etc)
• This cooker may be cost prohibitive ($129 from manufacturer)
• High heat is high, can cause overheating if not attended to

The King of Crock Rating:

Four out of Five CROCK STARS, you will not be disappointed!

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QUALITY... and affordable!

The moderately priced Kenmore 7 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker is as consistent as they come. With both count-down and count-up digital timer, as well as three temperature settings, this cooker is a perfect for any kitchen, for crockery chefs of all skill levels. The removable stoneware insert is super easy to clean. This popular slow cooker is a good entry point to the Crock World.

PROS:

• Removable stoneware insert for easy clean-up
• Easy to use programmable timer
• "Keep Warm" feature kicks in when time has expired... VERY COOL
• At $49.99, this is a good deal for a good cooker

CONS:

• This cooker is HEAVY
• With the stoneware insert and a glass lid, this is a fragile unit
• It is SLOW to get going. High heat takes a long to time to get there
• It's a Kenmore (Sears) product, customer service can be challenging

The King of Crock Rating:

Four out of Five CROCK STARS, a GREAT Value!!

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UNIQUE... a great gift

The brand new CREATE-A-CROCK from Rival gives you a chance to customize your slow cooker with photos and colors of your liking. Easy ordering online, this new slow cooker would make a GREAT gift for the holidays.

PROS

• You will have a ONE OF A KIND slow cooker
• removable stone insert is dishwasher safe
• has a convenient "keep warm" setting

CONS

• Perhaps a little more than you'd like to pay for a very basic slow cooker ($50 for a cooker that would normally run you $30)
• Online ordering only
• Manual, no programmable timing

The King of Crock Rating:

Three Crock Stars out of Five

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Happy Holidays and Happy Shopping from the King of Crock!

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