Slow Cooker vs. Crockpot: What's the Difference? | America's Test Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Slow Cooker vs. Crockpot: What's the Difference? | America's Test Kitchen? ›

A slow cooker and a Crockpot are the same thing, essentially. A slow cooker is an appliance of which there are lots of brands. Crockpot is one brand of slow cooker.

Crock-pot is a brand who specialise in and made the original slow cookers. Slow Cookers are a product which are made and sold by Crock-pot but can also be made by other companies too.

Even though both can produce similar results, there is a main difference between a slow cooker and a pressure cooker. A slow cooker will cook food longer at a lower temperature, whereas a pressure cooker uses hot steam to cook food much quicker.

An Instant Pot is a countertop appliance that slow-cooks—and then some. It is a brand of multicooker, an appliance known for having lots of features, typically including slow cooking, pressure cooking, rice cooking, steaming, searing, fermenting, and more. In sum, multicookers do more than slow cookers.

What are the disadvantages of a slow cooker? Slow cookers only apply heat to the bottom of the crock, which cuts down on their ability to reduce liquids and brown foods, and develop flavor the same way a Dutch oven or pressure cooker can.

Can you overcook something in a slow cooker? Slow cookers are specially designed to cook food for long periods of time, but yes, you can still overcook in a slow cooker if something is left on the wrong setting for longer than it's supposed to be.

Tenderises Tough Cuts: Slow cookers excel at turning tough cuts of meat into fork-tender delicacies.

Pressure Cookers are Better for Lean Meats

The shorter cooking time means there's less of a chance lean meats become tough and dry.

Why can't you put raw meat in a slow cooker? ›

Raw meat

A crockpot's gentle heat means meat will never get a chance to brown, but it's the golden colour from frying that gives it depth of flavour. If you don't want your stew to taste bland, brown the meat first, then put it in the slow cooker.

Absolutely, which is why you should always adjust times and amounts as needed. Smaller amounts of slow cooker hamburger only need a few hours before they are done.

'The Chef And The Slow Cooker': An Old Technology That's Newly Relevant : The Salt Chef Hugh Acheson's new book contains more than 100 recipes for the workhorse kitchen tool of convenience. He says this old standby "really is a gateway to cooking from scratch again."

A slow cooker and a Crockpot are the same thing, essentially. A slow cooker is an appliance of which there are lots of brands. Crockpot is one brand of slow cooker. Crockpot popularized slow cookers when they launched their version in the 1970s.

Cost-Effective. Slow cookers are a great way to stretch your food budget. You can buy cheaper cuts of meat and let the slow cooker work its magic, resulting in tender and flavourful meals that champion the underrated bits of an animal.

When it comes to cooking, you can use either. While Crock-Pot is just a brand name, Crock-Pots, Crock-Pot-style slow cookers, and other types of slow cookers will all get the job done.

You can put the Crockpot insert (the main pot portion) into an oven up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Though the lid is not oven safe, you can use aluminum foil as a makeshift lid. If you have a brand besides Crockpot, check the owner's manual for information about heat rating and safety.

Oven-Baked Magic: Another option for slow cooking without a slow cooker is to utilise your oven. Choose an oven-safe dish with a lid or tightly cover a regular baking dish with foil. This method is excellent for roasts, casseroles, and baked dishes.

The slow cooker, a countertop appliance, cooks foods slowly at a low temperature -- generally between 170 °F (76.7 °C) and 280 °F (137.8 °C).