My D’s birthday is coming up and I am considering a slow cooker. What is the best slow cooker? What features are must-haves?
Haven’t used one myself, but I think many people would recommend the dual function Instant Pot which is a pressure cooker with a slow cooker function. They are all the rage right now.
Do you recommend the wifi connection?
I suggest asking that question on this thread where all the Instant Pot groupies hang out. 
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1848269-instant-pot-pressure-cooker-tips-recipes.html
The wifi is a nice gimmick, IMO. Get her the basic kind that also has a slow cooking function and get the glass lid.
I’m just curious - what is the wifi connection suppose to do on a crockpot?!
I agree. Get the instapot since it has slow cooking capability and so much more.
There is one at Costco that is a rice cooker, slow cooker and a whole bunch of additional functions as well and has a range of sizes and prices. I personally like Costco because they are so easy on returns if the recipient isn’t delighted for any reason. We used one of the rice cookers to make turkey rice soup the other day–it was delicious!
^^Costco did have the Instapot at one time.
You know…I must be the ONLY person on the planet who has NO interest at all in an instapot. None at all.
I have a Rival Crockpot. It’s big and it’s round. It is nothing fancy…no digital timer or anything. Has a high and low setting. Cooks to perfection every time. I think they cost about $35.
My daughter got a gift card for a crock pot last year. The folks gave her enough for,the instapot. She chose a large oval Rival Crockpot.
You know…the instapot cooks quickly…but it takes as long to prepare the ingredients to put innas it does for the crock pot. I put it in in the morning…and by dinner time, the whole house smells wonderful. same Oreo time. Just shorter cooking time.
I have the oval rival with low, high and warm. It’s a very pretty cranberry red color and I love it.
I have 2 crockpots. One big oval and the other small. I use both a lot. The small is great for 2 people and I’ve also made dips in it for parties. The larger one is great for soups and spaghetti sauce. Both rival and both I think we’re under $20, one at Walmart and the other from Amazon
I have the West Bend oblong slow cooker that I have used for over 20 years. Looking to get a new one and that is exactly what I will get again. The pan is separate from the heating element so it can also go directly on the stove. Brown your meat then move it right to the heating surface. I love it and use it all the time.
It’s ok to not want the Instapot. But the fact that many of us are still using ours a couple times a week (more than I EVER used the crockpot) speaks volumes too!
Planning of course is important with a crockpot. You need to take the time in the morning (or the night before) to load the pot. The Instapot allows me to do that - get it going in the morning as a crockpot if I want to - or - like today - I needed to leave for work extra early. I came home at 5, took 5-10 minutes to mix and load in stuffed peppers, pushed a button and in 15 minutes +cool down time I had stuffed peppers.
Don’t some crockpots have timers on them? Like a delayed start or a timer to set (beyond high/low)???
I do agree with the glass top. 
And I prefer a medium sized one for storage purposes. Some of them are ENORMOUS and just too bulky for storing.
I just upgraded to a crockpot that has a locking lid. If you take food to other places this is an AWESOME feature! I also recommend one that is programmable as far as timing. I actually have crockpots in three different sizes now - the large one I use for bulk cooking/freezing or bringing dishes to potlucks, the medium is good for making things like pulled pork or chicken for fajitas or cooking for one or two people, and the small one is perfect for hot dips.
I haven’t tried the Instapot yet, but I have gotten on the bandwagon of preparing crockpot ingredients ahead of time and freezing until needed. I take one day on a weekend to prep multiple meals, then just need to pull everything out in the morning, put in the crockpot, set the timer programming and I’m good to go!
I actually have a Crockpot that is big enough to hold a small chicken. Really…makes great chicken!
I am not happy with my Crock-Pot. I got one a year or so ago , can’t remember the brand, but it’s too hot! I’ve ruined several things, even on low. Now I resort to cooking everything on the “warm” setting, and I still can’t leave it in very long. Or else I don’t have the crock pot “knack”. Not useful.
The newer crockpots cook food at a higher temperature than they did years ago. It is thought that the temperature was too low before and could cause food poisoning.
I know you aren’t supposed to but I put my beef in frozen now to counteract the higher temperatures. If I have chicken I only use the crockpot if I’m home to put it in at noon. It just can’t cook all day anymore
Have a Hamilton Beach crock pot with time set on it so it goes to warm automatically after the cook time. Love it.
What @deb922 said. Crockpots of yesteryear were great because you could start it in the morning before leaving for work, and it would be ready at dinner time. Now, with anything other than beef recipes, you end up with overlooked, dried out food.
We still use the crockpot for certain meals, specifically beef stew and pork roast. But we only use it because the crockpot makes it better than cooking it stovetop or oven.
I miss the convenience of those old crockpots. Because we are retired, I don’t see us getting caught up in the latest Instant Pot craze. We have enough “stuff”.