help me choose

[kittycara]

kittycara wrote:
hi all i really want to get one of these but i want some recomandations it need to hold quite a bit i have a family of 6 thanks for all your help

i have brought it here as well as i have got no answers in the other forum
thanks

[dojemi]

Hi kittycara, I'm new to slow cooking as well and just purchased one of these (second one down in the link) and really like it. It's a 6 quart and I'm finding it to be the perfect size for us.

Read the reviews. Unfortunately a couple of people who had problems with it brought the rating down. I highly recommend it. It has a 'warm' setting that I find very convenient.

There are so many slow cookers on the market that it's difficult to make a decision based on someone elses views.......at least that's what I discovered. I was determined to purchased one the day I was in Target and settled on this one. Glad I did.

http://www.target.com/gp/search/184-2006518-2341468?field-keywords=slow+cookers&url=index%3Dtarget%26search-alias%3Dtgt-index&ref=sr_bx_1_1

[Red Apple Guy]

Selection depends on your needs and characteristics of a manufacturer's products.
I, too, like the Hamilton Beach product line. I've got the 3-in-1 (ceramic) slow cooker. This was perfect for me as I need different sizes and don't need a programable unit. If a large size is all you need, then a programable pot might be the ticket.
There also are units (All-Clad, Ham. Beach 3-in-1 stainless, West Bend I think) that have metal pots that can be used outside the heating unit (if price isn't a biggie).

[CheapThrills]

I like Rival's Crock Pot line. I have a mini, and a 6-qt. These are non-electronic; less to break. The mini is plug-in-plug out, and the larger just has Lo-Hi-Warm. I also have a 3.5-qt Toastmaster I got from Freecycle, which functions the same as the larger one. All have removable crocks, which I would never do without. I use all three for different things, and they get used often.

Note that MOST slow-cooker recipes are written for the 3-4-qt size, and you will probably have to make adjustments for the larger one if you get it.