Picking a food processor no matter what your budget is not an easy task. Product price is closely related to the features that you can get. With that said, we decided to create a guide for everyone who is looking for the best slow cookers under $100. After our research, we put together a list with a few products that are top-rated the available for your money.
Table of Contents
Top Rated Slow Cookers at a Glance
Best Slow Cookers Under $100
Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice/Grain Cooker, Steamer, Saute, Sous Vide, Yogurt Maker, Sterilizer, and Warmer, 6 Quart
Highlighted Features:
- It can pressure cook, slow cook, sous vide, sauté pan, sterilizer, yogurt maker, food warmer, cake baker, and steamer. It also has 10 different functions.
- CUSTOMIZABLE COOKING PROGRAMS: The included 28 settings are great for a variety of important meals.
- There are five pre-programmed settings for your favorite recipes.
- FAST OR SLOW: Pressure cook to save time and keep more of the food’s flavor, or slow cook to make traditional recipes.
- Safety features like overheat protection, a safe lid, a new gentle steam release switch that doesn’t make noise and doesn’t splash on the counter, and more.
- A good thing for growing families: Cook for up to 6 people, which is great for growing families or people who want to make a lot of food at once.
- Gentle steam release: The diffusing cover helps to keep the noise down and avoid countertop splashes.
- An extra sealing ring and a stainless-steel steamer rack with handles come with the package. Compatible with the QuickCool Tray (sold separately), which allows steam to be released 50% faster.
- CHECK OUT THE BEST RECIPES: Take a look at our free Instant Pot app (iOS and Android) so you can find new things to like and make tasty food.
Crock-Pot SCCPVL610-S-A 6-Quart Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker with Digital Timer, Stainless Steel
Highlighted Features:
- 6-quart Cook and Carry 7 and more people can eat from the slow cooker at the same time
- A digital countdown control lets you set cook times from 30 minutes to 20 hours. When the cook time is done, the digital countdown control switches to the Warm setting.
- For less mess on the go, this lid has a lid gasket that makes it easier to close, and it’s easy to use.
- If you don’t want to use a lid on your Crock Pot Slow Cooker insert, you can use it in the microwave and the oven up to 400 degrees F without risk. If you have a different kind of slow cooker, check your owner’s manual for information about how much crockery cooking medium you can use.
- In this case, it can run on 240 Watts at 120V AC and 60Hz.
Hamilton Beach 33866 Portable 6-Quart Set & Forget Digital Programmable Slow Cooker with Lid Lock, Temp Tracking Temperature Probe, Black Stainless
Highlighted Features:
- It comes with a temperature probe that lets you check your food’s temperature, reducing the risk of overcooking and making sure your food is safe to eat.
- The Slow Cooker can cook on low, medium, or high, with or without a temperature probe. When the food is done, the Slow Cooker moves to keep warm or keeps it at the chosen temperature.
- You can make yogurt, poach, simmer, braise, and make fondue with the Hold Temperature function. You can also use it to make sous vide, make yogurt, and more.
- Digital Display: The Countdown Timer shows how long it will be until the food is done cooking and switches between the food’s chosen temperature and the temperature inside the body when the probe is used.
- It has a 6 Quart Capacity: It’s the right size for a 6 Lb. Chicken or a 4 Lb. Roast.
Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, Sauté, Yogurt Maker, Warmer & Sterilizer, 6 Quart, Stainless Steel/Black
Highlighted Features:
- It can pressure cook, slow cook, rice cook, yogurt make, steam, sauté, and keep food warm.
- Pressure cooking ribs, soups, beans, rice, poultry, yogurt, desserts, and more can be done quickly with just one touch. There are 13 Smart Programs that can be changed to make the cooking process even faster.
- Pressure cook delicious one-pot meals up to 70% faster than traditional cooking methods. Slow cook your favorite traditional recipes, just like grandma used to do, just like she did.
- Dishwasher-safe lid, inner pot, and other parts make clean up quick and easy.
- Overheat protection and a safe-locking lid are just two of the proven safety features.
- A good thing for growing families: Cook for up to 6 people, which is great for growing families or people who want to make a lot of food at once.
- A food-grade stainless-steel inner cooking pot with a tri-ply bottom for even cooking and great for sautéing is what we use.
- CHECK OUT THE BEST RECIPES: Take a look at our free Instant Pot app (iOS and Android) so you can find new things to like and make tasty food.
Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Portable 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker With FlexCook Dual Digital Timer for 2 Heat Settings, Lid Lock (33861)
Highlighted Features:
- The 6-QUART CAPACITY There is a 6-quart oval crock that can hold a 6lb chicken or a 4lb roast that feeds 7 or more people at once.
- This Slow Cooker Is Programmable, So You Can Make Your Meals How You Want Them To Be. Afterward, you don’t have to be there to change it. First, you choose the first heat setting and cooking time. Then you choose the second heat setting and cooking time.
- A simple way to program Select a single temperature and time setting for the 6-Quart Slow Cooker. When the time is up, it moves to warm.
- Like to Keep It Simple. Without setting a timer, you can set the Slow Cooker to go from high to low or warm to low on its own.
- Travel that doesn’t have to clean up after itself With its Stay or Go Clip-Tight Sealed Lid, this 6-Quart Slow Cooker keeps its contents safe. Full Grip Handles make it easy to carry.
Things To Think About When Buying A Slow Cooker
In my kitchen, slow cookers have been a huge help. It sounds like many of our readers agree with me. When we use a slow cooker, delicious food almost makes itself while we do other things.
It’s time for you to join the slow-cooker movement and buy your first one, or your old one needs to be replaced. Here are some things to think about when you’re shopping for a new slow cooker.
Depending on what you plan to use your slow cooker for, you’ll be able to find the best one for your needs. So you can use this for years to come, you can find the perfect one for your kitchen.
The way to heat things
Most slow cookers have a base that fits around a removable insert. There are sometimes only heating elements that are on the bottom, but if you’re lucky, you can also find them on the sides.
The crock in some slow cookers just sits on top of the heating unit. Heat isn’t spread out evenly this way, so you might have to stir the food more often to avoid it getting burned. This sounds like the opposite of why we love slow cookers.
Construction of a crock
People usually buy ceramic and porcelain crocks. There are also metal crocks out there. You can choose what works best for you. The crock, on the other hand, is important because it’s easy to clean. Just having the crock and heating unit together isn’t fun or easy to clean.
Materials of the lid
When you use a slow cooker, you don’t want to open the lid, because that lets out heat and makes it take longer to cook. Slow cookers with glass lids, so you can see what’s going on inside without having to open the lid, are better than plastic or opaque ones.
Shape
They come in round or oval shapes. Choose the best. There’s no real answer. Think about what you want to cook in the slow cooker, and let that shape your choice of shape. For example, whole chickens, ribs, and briskets will fit better in an oval shape. If you usually make beans or stews, the shape doesn’t matter as much and you can buy the one that fits best in your cabinet or on your countertop, too.
The Function of the Sear
There are now some slow cookers that have a sear function, which makes browning meats and sautéing onions and vegetables easier. This function usually comes with a higher price tag.
It can be made in two ways: The first lets you sear food right in the insert before you switch to slow cooking. For people who don’t have a stove, this could be a feature worth having. It can also happen if the insert can be used on a stove. Place it on the stove and sear the meat right in the insert. Then, put the insert back into the slow cooker to finish cooking it all the way through.
There are two ways to cut down on the number of pans you have to wash. The surface area on the bottom of an insert may not be as big as a frying pan, so you may have to sear in batches. if you don’t want to spend a lot of money, you can just leave this function off.
Size
Tiny slow cookers are only good for keeping dips warm. You can get a big one that can hold a lot of food. You can use three- to four-quart slow cookers if your family is small and you don’t want to make too much food.
In general, most slow-cooker recipes work best in a slow cooker that holds about six quarts. This is the one we recommend as a good size for your first slow cooker. The more you double recipes, the better. If you like to cook for a lot of people, go even bigger! In general, slow cookers need to be at least half full in order for them to work well.
What About The Warning Function?
Slow cookers can be used to cook food at both high and low temperatures. Some also have a warming function, which keeps food at a lower temperature while it is cooking. They can also be connected to built-in timers so that when the timer goes off, the slow cooker automatically moves to the warm setting and stays there until the food is ready.
When you’re having a party, you can use the warming function to keep food at a warm but not hot temperature. If you’re out of the house longer than the food needs to cook, you can come home to still-warm food that hasn’t gotten too hot.
Timer
As long as the timer on the slow cooker is digital or you can choose from pre-set cooking times, I love it when it has one. Make sure your slow cooker has a built-in timer if you don’t always plan to be home to turn it off at the right time. This will help keep your food from overcooking and becoming mushy.