Sometimes smaller is better, especially in the kitchen when space is at a premium. If you are a single adult, a couple, or have a small family, a mini or small crock pot is one of the best appliances that you can add to the kitchen. But, choosing the right small slow cooker isn’t always simple, since the selection is so large.
Many brands of crock pots are on the shelves, along with an array of models of each. Some people prefer fancy high tech WIFI connected models while others want something plain and simple.
Before you decide which small slow cooker to purchase, it is imperative the time is taken to first know your or your family’s needs. It is also essential that you do as much research prior to your purchase as possible.
Reviews are helpful for most people, which can be found free of charge online. Be sure to ask around, too. Reach out to friends, the neighbor, and even family members can be a great source of insight when you need the best small slow cooker on the market today.
Don’t forget to ask them for some of this fav best slow cooker cook book too! It never hurts to ask their opinion of the best small model. Also, remember to use your own best judgment when searching for your appliance. If you get a bad vibe from the start, there is probably a reason and you will want that search for the best appliance to continue.
When searching for a crock pot, the following information is important to consider in the purchase decision. We’ve also included some of our favorites for you to check out!
Quick Navigation
- Best Rated Small Size Slow Cooker Brands
- How Much Do Small Slow Cookers Cost?
- Other Facts to Consider…
- Best Mini Digital Programmable Slow Cooker
- Convenient and Functional
- Where to Find Small Slow Cookers For Sale
- Benefits: Small space and healthy Eating
- Why a Locking Lid Matters
- Small Slow Cooker with Timer
- The Solution
- The Bottom Line
Best Rated Small Size Slow Cooker Brands
Brand name products are generally considered better than their counterparts. After all, they’ve been doing something right in order to be considered a household name. But this isn’t to say that many of the lesser-known brands are going to disappoint you. It is for this reason that it is important to make comparisons.
When you begin the searching, you’re soon to discover just how many brands and models are out there. You need to spend a bit of time learning more about each of them in order to get the one that meets your needs.
To give you a head start, here’s a look at a few of the best brands on the market today.
- Hamilton Beach, is a name that is known for being high-quality, safe, feature-filled and regularly gets high marks when it’s reviewed. The company offers several models to choose from, and while more expensive than some of the other brands out there, still affordable enough to add to your kitchen appliance collection.
- Crock Pot started the madness through many generations ago, and today remain one of the top brands available. A warranty backs all slow cookers, and they, too, have a variety of slow cookers that are sure to win your heart over. Some other brands worth mentioning are CuisinArt, Breville, KitchenAid and Bella.
- Ninja is another very popular name in the world of crock pots. Their model is a three-in-one system that prepares delicious meals safely and easily, with awesome versatility. The cost of the Ninja is something that people love, and of course all of those cool extras thrown in the mix, too. These are just a handful of the top brands on the market.
Make sure that you take the time to research your options and get what you need. Read our comprehensive Ninja slow cooker review. However, this unit doesn’t quite fall into the small category.
How Much Do Small Slow Cookers Cost?
Of course, price is always going to be one of the biggest concerns that you have when purchasing your model, but you will be glad to know that there are best small crock pot options out there to fit all budgets, small and large.
Do keep in mind that an array of factors influence the amount of money you will spend to own a crock pot. This includes the brand name, the location of purchase, the feature of the machine, its size, etc. This is the area where your biggest comparison should begin, because without it, spending a small fortune for a slow cooker that could’ve been purchased much cheaper may very well occur. Or perhaps you would have rather spent a little more money and received a product better than the current that you are unhappily the owner of.
- Compare brands, models, and places of purchase to ensure that you are getting the best deal. And make sure that you are an informed consumer and are aware of the prices that a slow cooker should be. Amazon is a great place to shop online for discounted products.
- There are many ways in which comparisons can take place, so make sure to take advantage of as many of them as you possibly can so you know that you are getting the best model out there. Use internet reviews, product recommendations, testimonials, etc. when searching the cost.
- Be sure that you also look for special offers, coupons and rebates, and other deals that can help you get the best end of the deal. Often times company offer these awesome deals and you don’t want to miss out on any of them.
Other Facts to Consider…
Buying a crock pot without first examining the features is not the best of ideas, so do not make such a mistake. Some slow cookers are equipped with only minimal features, while others have an abundance of them. Know your needs in the appliance (as we’ve mentioned) to make the process of choosing a cooker easier.
It is easy to check out the features that a slow cooker offers when you’ve taken the time to do the proper research. Click site for help on how to select a crock pot that would suit you. Some of the most important of features that you need to consider when purchasing a crock pot include:
- Size – If you want a small crock pot, obviously extra time must be taken to find the right one, since there are models in all sizes. Cookers come in sizes as small as 1 quart and are as large as 8.5 quarts or more. But we consider anything under 4 qts small.
- Settings – Some people prefer slow cookers that have minimal features while others want the best model that is versatile and feature filled. Before you buy, check out the features that it should offer.
- Safety Features – The last thing that you want to experience is a hazardous appliance. So, if you haven’t any other reason to compare, let this very important one b your guide. Your appliance should conform to all current safety standards in place. As mentioned, you can learn a lot about a company or a crock pot with just a bit of research.
Best Mini Digital Programmable Slow Cooker
Programmable slow cookers tend to be big things meant to be used by large families. That’s why they are more expensive. If you live alone or if you have a small family buying a large let’s say 8 quart crock pot is not an option especially if you intend to use it as your primary means of cooking.
If you want the best results you should fill your appliance one half to three quarters full, so really an 8 qt would only be used to make 4 qts of food.
If you go below that or above that your food wont cook evenly, that means that if you have a large model and there are not enough people to eat you will waste the meal.
If you have a small family my recommendation is go for the best programmable crock pot, this year the title goes to the Cuisinart 3.5-Quart Programmable slow cooker, why?
Convenient and Functional
Feature checklist for this awesome model:
- Touchpad control panel with LED timer display
- Multiple settings: low, high, simmer and keep warm
- Shifts automatically to warm when cook time ends
- 24-hour cooking timer
- Removable 3.5 quart cooking pot
Some customers have found issue with the plastic lid handle, but apart from that everything else is okay.
The crock pot is not that big meaning that it will leave you more space in your kitchen. It can keep food warm for up to eight hours, this means that if you buy one your days of eating cold food are over.
This is perfect for people who hate to do the dishes, it is very easy to clean and some parts of it are dishwasher safe. So, stop wondering who makes the top programmable slow cooker. If you are looking for a gift for a couple or a single person for Christmas or a birthday this is the answer, so buy one today.
Features
Price
Ease of Use
Design
Where to Find Small Slow Cookers For Sale
We all know that we have to eat, the issue with eating today is most of us are too busy to find time to cook. That’s why we resort to junk food and that’s the reason why the number of people living with obesity has gone up significantly in the last 2 decades. What most people don’t realize is that there is a way to solve space and food problems in your home today. The answer is slow cookers.
So where do you buy a slow cooker like a best 2 quart crock pot reviews from? Well our personal favorite place to shop is online. We find it extremely convenient. Big box store websites are good but like most people we enjoy saving a buck or two, which is why we love to shop on Amazon. The free shipping doesn’t hurt either!
One of the biggest advantages to shopping online is that it’s a lot easier to find the best prices. Alternatively, you can buy one at places like Walmart, Kmart, etc. We understand a lot of people might be nervous about shopping online but security is much better today.
Benefits: Small space and healthy Eating
If you look around you will find lots of models on sale, my recommendation is go for something like the Aroma 3-in-1 3 quart super pot, why? This slow cooker can serve as a stove, grill and oven and as an added plus it will lower your energy bills. You can navigate to this website to know more about the benefits of slow cooking.
Simply put, this is a portable kitchen in itself, if you get one you can use it to grill, slow cook, steam, and bake your food. Healthy eating seems to be the focus of many people today. A slow cooker can be used to whip up all kinds of tasty healthy meals.
If you don’t know any you can always check the Internet or buy a cookbook. You can also adapt recipes for slow cooking but this can be a bit of a science and be prepared to do a little math.
This is one of the best slow cookers. It’s relatively compact meaning that it won’t take up too much room in your home and it is not that expensive, if you check small slow cooker for sale you will find that the aroma 3-in1 3 quart super pot costs less and is great value.
In case you are in doubt, check this best 3 quart slow cooker reviews. If I were you I’d buy one or something similar to it today, it will save you time, space and money.
Why a Locking Lid Matters
The importance of finding things that lock, when it comes to crock pots, if the lid on it doesn’t lock properly there will be problems with your food such as undercooking, spills and leaks.
Therefore it is recommended that if you live alone or if you have a small family you should find a model with locking lid, the same applies with larger slow cookers, why?
The reason for that is very simple, safety and portability, when you buy a Crockpot that includes cook and carry slow cooker locking lid you will be able to easily take it anywhere without spilling. On the safety side of things if you have young kids the locking lid will make it difficult to open it, potentially avoiding a burn from the hot contents.
Small Slow Cooker with Timer
I know you are wondering what this has to do with small cookers with timers or best digital crock pot.
You see the thing is when it comes to the kitchen, cooking time charts are sort of like “exam cheating tattoos”. However, if you don’t have a timer you will fail.
You use cooking time charts for reference and you use the timer to keep an eye on time, if you don’t have a timer that turns off automatically when food is ready you will have to rely on your good old wall clock or watch.
The problem with that is sometimes you forget to look at the time, if you are in the kitchen and forget the time it becomes very easy to overcook/burn or undercook your food. If you overcook it you might have to redo you recipe!
The Solution
Well using a timer isn’t exactly cheating, it certainly eliminates guessing. If you are faced with such a dilemma I suggest that you buy a small crock pot with timer, why? For one a slow cooker with timer will keep you from undercooking or over cooking food.
Two it will give you peace of mind because you know that once the food is ready the slow cooker will stop cooking automatically.
A good example of a small programmable crock pot with timer is the Cuisinart PSC-350 3-1/2. The cooker has the following features:
- 24 hour cooking timer(displayed on LED panel)Stay cool handles for safety
- Four heat settings: high, low, simmer and keep warmDish washer safe lid and pot
- Removable 3.5-quart capacity oval ceramic cooking potFour cooking modes
- Non slip rubber feet for stability
The biggest benefit that comes with buying this or any other like it is the keep warm function, when the timer stops this will automatically switch to keep warm temperature setting. This will keep food warm for up to eight hours meaning that your days of having cold/microwave dinners are over. Read this post to learn more about this crock pot model.
The Bottom Line
Despite the amazing number of small crock pots on the market, it is possible for you to find the best without building a migraine in the process. Use the above information to assist you in the product purchase. The more research that you perform, the better, so make sure that you take the time to use all resources available to you to make sure that you’ve chosen the best. The short amount of time spent researching is beneficial to you in many ways.
- First, it ensures that you get the best and that it meets your needs. If you have a small family, then you need to discover more of small crock pots. The last thing that you want to do is make the purchase only to discover it is too small or doesn’t have the features that you want. Dealing with the return process is extra time wasted and more headache that you can avoid.
- Second, it ensures that you get the model that fits within your price range.
- Third, you gain confidence in the money that you are spending. Why spend money on a product that you are not 100% confident in when it is so easy to do your homework and gain the confidence needed. The best crock pot to purchase will also mean the best model suiting your needs. Those benefits are just a handful of the many that come your way when you take the time to know what you are getting before you buy.
Even when purchasing one of the ‘cheap’, as some like to call them, you want it to be the best small cookers. Greatness is achieved when you spend some of your free time browsing the selection and using the other resources available. Most people tend start thinking about getting out their slow cookers in September when things start to cool down but the reality is you can use it year around. It’s crazy to think that some people just buy these as piece of kitchen décor.
Honestly, what is better than a delicious slow cooked prepared meal like braised beef, 12 spice chicken or a tomato bisque soup? Nothing in this world. Now is the perfect time to begin the search for the best slow cookers.
