As home cooks contend with August’s heat and long evenings, slow cookers remain a staple for hands-off meals. This month, Bon Appetit staff ran a comparative test of 13 popular models currently available in city stores and online. The Cuisinart slow cooker emerged as the only unit to consistently deliver reliable results in braising, stews, and overnight oats.
The testing, conducted in a Midtown kitchen, focused on even heat, ease of cleaning, and programmable features. While several brands, including Crock-Pot and Hamilton Beach, are widely available at big-box retailers, only the Cuisinart produced tender chicken and uniform beans without scorching. Its controls, testers noted, were clear and simple.
Summer brings specific challenges: apartment kitchens with little ventilation, and a desire to avoid turning on the oven. Slow cookers, when they work well, allow New Yorkers to prep a meal in the morning and return to something ready by dusk. According to local appliance stores, demand for reliable slow cookers ticks up in July and August, particularly among families and busy professionals.
Prices for the tested units ranged between $40 and $180. The recommended Cuisinart model was listed at $99 on Sunday. It is available at several chain retailers and independent shops across Manhattan and Brooklyn. For now, local cooks seeking a set-it-and-forget-it solution have a clear frontrunner for late-summer meals.