Gina Rae Mitchell

Slow Cooker Sunday Series | Getting Started is the kick-off to this series. Most people already have a slow cooker in their arsenal, but maybe your needs have changed and you are looking for a newer model. This guide will walk you through and let you up your game with slow cooker meals.

How To Choose The Right Slow Cooker

Are you ready to give cooking in a slow cooker a try? It’s a wonderful way to prepare your family’s meals without having to spend hours in the kitchen stirring pots. Make a pot of beef stew that tastes like you’ve slaved for hours over the stove when all it really took was dumping a few ingredients in your slow cooker and turning it on. And since you’re only using one pot, clean-up is a breeze as well.

Start with any slow cooker you currently have and make it work. See if you like the dishes it creates and if slow cooking works well for you and your family. If it does and you’re ready to shop for a new model, use the tips below to guide you in your purchasing decision.

Slow Cooker Sizes

How many people are you feeding and are you planning on making mostly main meals, soups, and stews for a family of four to six people? If this sounds like you, a six-quart model will be your best bet. If you’re doing a lot of cooking for crowds (church potluck anyone?), you may want to go with a bigger model. And if you’re cooking for two, or only plan to make side dishes and desserts in the slow cooker, a four-quart one will suffice. If you’re not sure what to get, stick with the standard six-quart version.

This is the one I use the most. It’s a 6-quart from Crock-pot and works very well.

Slow Cooker Sunday Series | Getting Started

Popular Brands

There are quite a few different brands out there that make quality slow cookers. Favorites include Crock-Pot (of course…), Hamilton Beach, Cuisinart, and Kitchen-Aid. Sticking with a popular brand not only guarantees you’ll get a quality product, but it also makes it easier to find parts down the road, should for example the lid fall and break.

Used or New?

One question we haven’t addressed yet is if you need to buy a new slow cooker at all. As mentioned earlier, start with what you got. After that, it’s perfectly fine to look for a used model. You can find them very inexpensively at your local thrift store. Heck, you may even have a friend or family member who will give you theirs. So many people have a slow cooker sitting in the back of their kitchen cabinets and never use it. Ask around, you may get lucky. And if you do, don’t be surprised if they ask for it back once they see, smell, and taste some of the amazing meals you’re making in it.

What Bells And Whistles Do You Really Need?

There are some fancy slow cooker models on the market today. And there are some very affordable basic models that function with no more than a high or low cooking feature and they may do everything you need your slow cooker to do.

Think about what functions you really need. Retractable cords are nice, but it’s also not that hard to tuck the cord under the slow cooker when you store it. Having a “keep warm” feature is helpful. Do you need a programmable timer so the chili can start cooking itself even if you’re out running errands or just getting back to the office after a quick lunch? Take a look at what’s on the market and decide what you can and can’t live without. If this is your first slow cooker, start with a very basic model. You can always add another one with more features down the road.

Slow Cooker Sunday Series | Getting Started

More than one?

Having more than one slow cooker is definitely not out of the question if you enjoy this way of cooking. You can fix pulled pork on one, and still have room for Mac and cheese or a squash casserole to cook away in the second one as a side dish. And smaller models come in handy for hot dips, appetizers, and desserts. Multiple slow cookers really come in handy around the holidays when you’re fixing a variety of different casseroles and the likes. If you can prepare a few of them in your slow cookers, you don’t have to worry about using up precious oven time. And it’s one more thing you can set and forget.

I have several in different sizes. This set is super useful!

Head on over to Amazon or take a walk through the small appliance section of your local superstore and see what your options and price ranges are. Take a look at the reviews on Amazon and see what folks like and what they don’t like. Then make an informed decision and get your first slow cooker. When you get it to the house is when the real fun starts… cooking with it.

Slow Cooker Sunday Series | Getting Started

Recipe

Hodge-Podge with Biscuits

This is a favorite recipe of mine. If you are familiar with the way I cook, you know I am the queen of throw & go. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. I don’t believe in stressing over measurements, etc. Trust your instincts, just don’t over-season! You can always add more seasoning after serving but you don’t want to overpower the dish. Let the natural flavors shine through.

I go thru the fridge (or the garden) and grab a bit of everything I need to use up.

I use a slow cooker liner in mine. Ain’t nobody got time for scrubbing burnt on stuff from the side of the crock! Use a liner so you can prepare early, keep it in the fridge, pop it in the crock when time to cook, then toss the used liner in the trash when done.

Next decide on your base: Chicken, Beef, or Vegetable. Add chopped meat if you are making a meat version. Chicken is my favorite. Next, you add the broth of your choice. Make sure you cover your vegetables with about 3 inches of broth. Cook on low for at least 5 hours.

You can serve this as a soup, but I like to thicken it a bit by mixing 2-3 tbs of cornstarch with a half cup of cold water. Then stir into the hot crockpot mixture. You can bake your biscuits on top of the stew in the crockpot, but plan at least an extra hour for that. I usually just pop a few frozen Pillsbury Grands in the oven. Then serve the Hodge-Podge Stew over the biscuits.

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Some of my favorite pantry items used in this recipe:

               

Look for more in this series coming soon. In the meantime, here is my Slow-cooker Bourbon Bacon Pulled Pork recipe.

Please keep in mind, I am not a dietician, chef, or formally trained in any type of cooking. I was taught by my grannies and have 50+ years of experience in cooking for my family. But, I am not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you try from this website.

Slow Cooker Sunday Series | Getting Started