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Who makes a good crock pot?

Less expensive ones are not bad, but they will not likely last long (newer ones are not built well).

Multi feature is a good option - look at the Cuisinart MSC-600 Or Ninja MC900 6-Quart Multi-Cookers. We went with the Ninja and its been fantastic.
 
The one from the 1700s works best.:thumbup
 

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I want one that is about 6 qts and has a delayed start feature. Who makes a good one?

Ours is from Crock Pot. No delayed start (Don't know why you would want your food out at room temperature for hours)

We have 3 or 4 slow cookers at the house right meow. Different brands and sizes, they all work at their job.

I frequently put frozen meat in along with other ingredients and plug the cooker into a timer, so it will start in a couple hours. The meat doesn't thaw that quickly since it's in the cooker so it doesn't really sit at room temperature.
Not sure if I'm fooling myself or not, but I've been doing it this way for literally almost twenty years and never had an issue with it.
 
Mine is a crockpot brand.
Select hi or low, then time. Auto warmer when the timer is done.
 
Mine is also a CrockPot brand. Never had any problems in 20 years.

But ever since getting an Instant Pot a couple years back, I have used the CrockPot exactly zero times.
 
ive got a cheap CrockPot with warm/low/high. low is too hot for long braising and warm is too cold. theres no diff in final temp btw low & high, only how long it takes them to get there. so ive given up trying to cook things well in it. now it just gets used for stews and pulled pork.
 
Wife just bought a new one a few months ago I think. Delayed start, timer, pretty much what you'd want if you're buyer my a brand new one. Cuisinart is the brand.
 
Ya gotta clean everything. Soak overnight, scrub it in the morning. Easy Peasy

Reynolds Wrap makes plastic liners. No cleanup and the leftovers are pre-bagged. Playing Mr. Mom for so long has made me a kitchen Jedi.
 
To OP: I asked the same question, went to fancy kitchen stores, etc etc. Came to the conclusion that there are only a few brands and they all perform similarly.

I'm actually more intrigued by the electric pressure cookers in vogue that have a crock pot option. I saw 'em at Costco the other day, in fact. We spent a bundle on a Fagor (traditional) that sits up on the top of the cabinet because I found that heating them up without burning whatever is in there to get the boil is really difficult. The electric seems better.

The biggest problem with large crock pots is if you don't fill them almost all the way, they tend to dry out whatever is above the water line. And if you are at work, you can't turn over the pot roast whatever to stop that from happening. You end up wishing you had a smaller one, especially empty nesters like us.
 
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My wife just bought an Instant Pot. She likes it a lot. It's a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker etc, all in one. You can even saute with it.

https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-...F8&qid=1487092627&sr=1-2&keywords=instant+pot

Right. They have em at Costco now (or one that looks exactly like it). I have a friend that has one that we say over the holidays. They come in several sizes. I went on some online reviews about them, most like them, but some still like the Fagor more for material thickness, I guess.
 
My wife just bought an Instant Pot. She likes it a lot. It's a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker etc, all in one. You can even saute with it.

https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Pot-...F8&qid=1487092627&sr=1-2&keywords=instant+pot

The have a Bluetooth one that allows you to create "recipes" with specific heat settings. So you could have it start high for caramelization and drop down to 141 to stay safe during the day and then spike it up to 180 20 minutes before you serve.

I like the idea of having more control over temps
 
I go to american test kitchen for all my food product shopping. So far all the reviews I have read are on point. I picked up a crock pot brand with 3 different size crocks, 7qt, 4qt and dual 2.5qt. It's worked out quite well so far.
 
The biggest problem with large crock pots is if you don't fill them almost all the way, they tend to dry out whatever is above the water line. And if you are at work, you can't turn over the pot roast whatever to stop that from happening. You end up wishing you had a smaller one, especially empty nesters like us.

We had the same issue.
The pretty thing's mom gave her a new CrockPot for Christmas, it has 3 different inserts for it. A regular full size (6 qt I think), one that's about half that, and one that's split into two separate 'bowls'.

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Cook's Illustrated just did a comparo last issue. Not sure I can scan and post the pages here without copywrong trouble, but as usual, the most expensive one wasn't the best for the job. Removable ceramic vessel and name that rhymes with "rock" won the shootout.

A pressure cooker won me over last few years. Low and slow is ok for a few things, whereas the PC is good for many things. Perfectly tender ribs finished on the BBQ took 45 from unwrapping to loaded dishwasher. Slow cookers are the shiz for chili though...
 
Honestly this is what they made craigslist for, people use it once and say to hell with it, people move, or the crock is an unwanted gift. I have one and also a clay pot and dutch oven. I still get better results using a dutchie then put foil over the top, seal tight and slow cook in oven.
 
Still using the one we got for a wedding present in 1978

Just like this one.
$_57.JPG
 
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