The first thing you need to consider with any slow cooker is its capacity – each will list its bowl size in litres. Bear in mind that this won’t translate to the same amount of food, as you shouldn’t fill slow cookers to the brim. This gap allows your food to bubble and simmer properly. The usable cooking space will be around three-quarters of its bowl size, for example, a five-litre cooker can accommodate around four litres of food. Removing the need to sauté in a pan before transferring to the pot, the Sage Fast Slow Go is as useful for slow cooking converts as it is to experienced cooks. Functioning as both a slow cooker and a pressure cooker, it includes sensors at the top and bottom to monitor temperature. This makes inconsistently cooked stews a thing of the past.

Not quite what you’re looking for? Discover more ways to make tasty hearty meals using our vast range of air fryers to microwaves, you can find everything you need at Robert Dyas. Find more ways to save on energy around the home with our super handy blog post. Related: The best food processor for blending, chopping and dicing Cooking in the Tower 3.5L Cavaletto Slow Cooker: how easy is it to use? A slow cooker allows you to cook a variety of hearty meals without hassle, from a creamy korma to a homemade vegetable stew With a 3.5 litre cooking bowl, you have ample space to serve up to 4-5 people, making it perfect for serving the family a delicious meal or even storing some away for another day.

Our verdict

A keen home cook, she loves nothing more than whipping up new creations and experimenting in the kitchen, which often includes testing out and researching the latest time-saving kitchen must-haves including slow cookers, multi-cookers and recipe boxes. An increasingly popular way of cooking, sous-vide is a French term that simply means ‘under vacuum’. You place your food inside a sealed pouch and then pop it into a temperature-controlled water bath to cook. This function starts your cooking off on a high setting before automatically reducing the temperature to the low setting for the remainder of the cooking time. Does your slow cooker have good heat distribution? Some can suffer from hot spots that cause drying out in corners or at the base. Uneven heat is something that’s more likely to occur in larger bowls.

Cook a range of delicious family dishes such as casseroles and soups, with the large 3.5 litre capacity providing enough space to serve up to four portions The controls tend to be similar on most slow cookers with a ‘low’ setting for longer, slower cooking throughout the day and a ‘high’ setting for faster cooking with similar slow-cooked results. Helps to retain natural moisture and minerals whilst serving as a large viewing window to keep an eye on your cooking

Tower 3.5L Cavaletto Slow Cooker: what are the results like?

You can place the cooking pot in the dishwasher or wash by hand fairly easily. The Ninja Foodi Multi-Cooker also has a basket insert and can be used to air fry other treats when not in use as a slow cooker. Is this the future of slow cooking? We think so. The Ninja Foodi Multi-Cooker is certainly mighty, but if you like your gadgets it could be a great investment. You can of course just use this multi-cooker as a slow cooker, for which it has a generous 6 litre capacity, but you can also take advantage of the sear setting to brown meat and veggies before slow cooking for a more rich flavour. Choose from low and high heat settings, along with a keep warm function so your meal is ready when you get home from work This will come in handy if you’re out for the day. Once the timer you set has been reached, the cooker will either switch off or automatically shift to the ‘keep warm’ setting, depending on the model, so you come home to dinner that's ready to serve.