Best Slow Cookers

Consumer Reports bought and tested 17 of the most widely sold programmable and manual slow cookers, including three models from the venerable Crock-Pot brand. You'll also see slow cookers from All-Clad, Black+Decker, Calphalon, Chefman, Crux, Elite, Hamilton Beach, Kalorik, KitchenAid, and Pioneer Woman in our slow-cooker ratings.

All of the models are oval, a shape that accommodates roasts and other large cuts of meat better than a round slow cooker can. The tested models range from $30 to $170.

Past tests have found that any slow cooker can turn out tender, delicious garlic honey chicken. The real challenge? Beef stew with potatoes and carrots, which is why, in our latest tests, we cooked pots and pots of it on high heat for 5 hours, then cooked the same dish on low heat for 8 hours. Staffers sampled the results, weighing in on taste and tenderness.

"There's a big difference in performance among the 13 programmable slow cookers we tested," says Ginny Lui, CR's head tester for these countertop appliances. "The best cooker served up tender meat and veggies in 5 hours, but in the lowest-scoring cookers, the vegetables were firm and the meat was tough even after 8 hours."

Performance didn't vary widely among the four manual models. These cookers don't have a timer and don't switch to keep-warm mode when cooking is done. So you’ll have to plan your schedule around your pot roast. But at $30 to $40, they're far less expensive than their programmable cousins.

Read on for ratings and reviews of five of the best slow cookers, based on CR's tests, listed here in alphabetical order. For all the details and even more options, check our slow-cooker ratings and buying guide.