The best slow cookers for easy meals

This budget-friendly VonShef Slow Cooker is perfect for a small household. It has simple to use warm, low and high settings for energy efficient cooking that gives you piping hot stews and comforting casseroles.

A customer commented that they got two portions out of theirs: "Just what you need for two people who need an easy dinner."

If you are a single person household you can make meals go further by keeping a portion in the fridge or freezer to microwave for a warming and nutritious meal.

Leave a message for loved ones on this unique Salter Chalkboard EK2842 Slow Cooker which has a matte surface that you can write on in chalk.

Slow cookers are the most energy efficient small kitchen appliance and with this model you benefit from 81 per cent off your energy bills*. A user comments that it: "Saves on fuel costs and uses up leftover veggies." Additionally, this user praised the chalkboard because their "memory is not what it was."

Simple to use, just put ingredients in the pot and let them stew. The 3.5L capacity allows you to make double portions. Freeze a batch for an easy and filling weekday lunch.

*Comparing the energy (kWh) used per kg of pork using a 1.8kW electric oven

At under £35, this slow cooker is great value, especially if you want to give slow cooking a go but don't want to spend too much. The oval-shaped 3.5L ceramic pot is ideal for joints of meat as well as casseroles, curries and chillies. The easy-to-use dial allows you to select your cooking temperature; Low (6-12 hours), Medium (4-10 hours) or High (3-8 hours).

One user commented: "As someone who cooks plenty and a busy working woman. I needed a slow cooker that was easy no fuss to use, easy clean, stylish and reliable. This product ticks all the boxes."

A variety of recipes are included within the product instruction manual for you to enjoy. The toughened glass lid means you can view the cooking process without letting heat escape, and the removable ceramic pot is an ideal serving dish. When you're done, simply pop the ceramic cooking pot in the dishwasher for easy cleaning.

If you don't like the idea of lots of different gadgets and appliances cluttering your kitchen and cupboards, then this is the solution. This Instant Pot performs seven different functions in one. As well as being a slow cooker, this pot can also be used as a pressure cooker, rice cooker, sauté/browning, yoghurt maker, steamer and warmer.

A user comments: "I love my Instant Pot, it gets used every week for something and it’s a really good accompaniment to my air fryer I hardly use the oven at all."

The large, easy-to-use control panel has 14 built-in programmes, dual pressure, automatic keep-warm and three temperatures for sautéing and slow cooking.

Some of the functions cook with pressure which gets released in a whoosh of steam at the end of the cooking cycle. Alternatively, it can be left for ten minutes to naturally decompress. Our user says: "You can do a stew in 30 minutes with dumplings. I would say if you are a bit nervous about this just go for it because it is a real brilliant thing to use in the kitchen just as a family with lots of kids it reduces the time you spend cooking."

Another entry from Crockpot this new TimeSelect Digital Slow Cooker offers two ways to cook so you can tailor your meal to the amount of time you have to prepare it - ideal for busy households. Our tester comments: "The clever thing about this digital slow cooker is it chooses the correct cooking temperature for you based on the type and amount of food, as well as factoring in the time you would like to eat. I cooked an entire chicken to perfection in 4 hours and then was able to create a stock with the leftovers cooking it low and slow overnight."

Its large capacity means you can whip up a batch of your favourite chilli or slow-cooked curry, or cook an entire chicken that will make plenty of meals during the week. Its nifty schedule feature enables you to set up your meal but delays the start time of the cook for up to 12 hours so it's timed and ready for when you get back in from work or wherever you've been.

Our tester further comments: "The only thing I didn't realise was that once the cooker is finished it went into the automatic 'keep warm' function, so when I thought my stock would have long since cooled down it was kept warm. It's not really a bad thing especially when you're making food for the evening, but just something to consider."

Serve a comforting slow cooked meal at the table thanks to the detachable ceramic pot. When buying a slow cooker go for one that feeds slightly more than you need. This Crock-Pot is 4.7 litres and feeds up to six people, which is perfect for leftovers. You don't have to fill it every time if you'd rather not have leftovers, but it's great if friends or family are coming to stay and you need to feed a few more.

A user comments that they can save money cooking this way and yet still enjoy delicious meals: "The food comes out very tasty even if I put in lower quality cuts of meat. It saves money because I can use cheaper meat and put in more vegetables."

This Morphy Richards Sear and Stew digital slow cooker is different to traditional ceramic slow cookers, due to its aluminium non-stick hob-proof pot, which means you can sear and slow cook from start to finish in one cooking pot - making the slow cooking process even more efficient.

A customer comments on the benefit of a lightweight non-stick cook-pot: "No glaze to crack, the bowl is lightweight and easy to carry, cleaning involves little effort and you can heat/sear meat direct on any hob other than those using induction heating."

Get your meat started on the hob, in the hob-safe pot, then move it across to the slow cooker base. Once your pot is in the slow cooker base, simply select either the high or low cooking setting. Set the countdown timer depending on when you want your meal ready. In anything from four to 12 hours, you will have a delicious casserole, chilli, curry or a multitude of other warming favourites.

The customer concludes: "The nonstick performance is excellent, heating appears even and the electronic timer with high/low heat and a keep warm function is very easy to use. 10-hour low heat slow cooks of heavy stews resulted in no residue stuck to the bowl."

This no-prep Lakeland 3.5L Slow Cooker will allow you to cook delicious healthy meals effortlessly with time to spare. Just prepare all your ingredients, add them to the slow cooker, select one of the three cooking modes available (High, Low, Auto) and set the timer. A user comments: " It's easy to use, economical and feels sturdy."

The removable ceramic pot is easy to clean, and you can also clean the ceramic pot in the dishwasher for extra convenience. Plus, there's an encircling element for ease of even and efficient cooking.

The user sums up: "Also, it looks smart on the worktop. Very reasonable price too. I wish I had bought one years ago!"

This crowd-pleasing Ninja Foodi PossibleCooker will feed a family with its eight litre capacity. The benefit of this slow cooker is the ability to sear and sauté meat in the cooking pot before adding vegetables and switching to slow cooking. The digital display helpfully tells you when it's pre-heating and when to add ingredients, so it's full-proof.

A customer comments: "This is the best slow cooker I have ever had. The quality is great, with a great tough non stick lining."

The easy to remove and non-stick cooking pot is oven-safe so you can give a slow cooked cottage pie a crispy top by finishing it in the oven.

In addition, an oblong steaming rack is included so you can also steam vegetables to serve alongside your slow cooked mains.

With Bake mode you can cook delicious sponge cakes and puddings. A happy customer says: "I'll use it to steam my Christmas puds as it's deep enough for the basins. As far as browning it is limited but a few minutes in the air fryer solves that. Next job is proving the dough for homemade bread."

If you're out all day and want to come home to a comforting hot dinner that's not burnt to a crisp, this ProCook Digital Slow Cooker is a great option thanks to its delay start function. Simply set the time that you want cooking to start with the easy-to-use controls and the precision timer will ensure cooking begins at the selected time.

ProCook is a premium kitchen appliances brand, so expect superior build quality. A customer comments: "I was more than delighted with the quality of the slow cooker I bought I would definitely recommend this product to others."

Another positive review says: "Fantastic slow cooker. Love that it has a delay function. Highly recommend!"