GROUPON GUIDE TO LOUISVILLE

How Slow Cookers and 4 Other Appliances Let You Set It and Forget It

BY: Aimee Algas Alker |Dec 20, 2018

Slow Cooker

Best for Stews and Soups

This is your mom’s favorite low-effort dinner machine and for good reason. Load it with ingredients in the morning, and come home in the evening to the fragrance of a simmering stew or soup or chili. And you're not just limited to those items, Pinterest boards are teeming with techniques for slow-cooker roasts, desserts, breakfasts, even yogurt!

Cooking hack: A slow cooker can come in handy when you’re making brunch for a big group. Try some scrambled eggs on low, or pop in a french toast casserole to cook overnight.

Shop all slow cookers (from $21.98)

Programmable Pressure Cooker, aka Instant Pot

Best for Quick Stocks, Pot Roast, and Risotto

“Basically, anything a slow cooker can cook, the Instant Pot can cook faster,” says our editor Sarah, who wrote a review of an Instant Pot. But this programmable pressure cooker can also “take on the tasks of seven different appliances: slow cooker, electric pressure cooker (of course), rice cooker, steamer, yogurt maker, sauté or browning pan, and warming pot.” All with barely any effort from you.

Cooking hack: Word on the street is that the Instant Pot is the ideal way to make that elusive staple: hard-boiled eggs that are super easy to peel.

Shop all pressure cookers (from $35.42)

Sous Vide

Best for Tough Meats and Firm-Fleshed Fish

Sous vide, or immersion, cookers are the holy grail for high-tech chefs. This is ultra-slow cooking, but many say it’s worth it for the tender, melt-on-your-tongue meats it produces. Some are Bluetooth or wifi enabled, so you can set up your pot and engage it from work or the bowling alley or the living room in the midst of cleaning up a fingerpaint catastrophe.

Cooking hack: An immersion cooker doesn’t just concentrate the flavors of meat and fish, but it’s known to do so for certain vegetables. So if you’re looking to make the most carrot-y carrots ever, try sous-vide-ing them.

Shop all sous vide cookers (from $56.99)

Air Fryer

Best for “Healthier” Deep-Fried Foods

Frying chicken requires not just a ton of oil, but also rapt attendance at the stove as you fry pieces in batches to ensure proper crisping. With an air fryer, you eliminate both of those nuisances, so you can drop the food into the appliance and go do something else while it cooks. The result: a healthier meal that’s just as flavorful. Many have pre-programmed settings to let you know your meal is cooked just right.

Cooking hack: One word: dessert. Try cooking donuts, cookies, even fried Oreos—and you’ll never make them any other way.

Shop all air fryers (from $40.99)