11 Best Non-Toxic Slow Cookers To Cook All Your Favorite Meals
Slow cookers are an essential kitchen appliance but did you know that a lot of them contain lead? Lead is known to be toxic and cause health risks to the human body, especially young children because lead poisoning can affect brain development and other cause other harmful effects. I’ve accumulated the best non-toxic slow cookers that are easy to use.
Why use a slow cooker?
Cuts cooking time by a ton: When cooking on a stove, you need to put in ingredients at different times and watch the fire so it doesn’t burn. But for a slow cooker, you just dump everything in, turn on slow cook mode, and it cooks for you. This makes the cooking process so much shorter and you can also put less energy into cooking.
Lost nutrients stay in the pot: A slow cooker is sealed shut as it’s cooking on high heat so all the nutrients from the meat, vegetables, and other ingredients get left in the pot. Whereas on the stove, boiling vegetables lose nutrients in the water, pan-frying loses nutrients in the pan, etc.
Cleaning is so much easier: There’s just one pot to clean after cooking instead of all the bowls you used during cooking on a stove.
Do all crock pots contain lead?
A lot of crock pots that are made with ceramic have a layer of lead glaze for the purpose of sealing porous ceramic. Usually, lead won’t leak easily but there are a few cases when it will. A few common cases where lead can potentially be leaked are when the slow cooker’s surface gets scratched, cooking highly acidic foods, or cooking at really high temperatures.
Since so many crock pots do contain a lead glaze in them, it’s harder to differentiate which ones don’t have lead glaze and is safe to use. So we did the research and are here to present to you the 11 best non toxic slow cookers and non toxic crock pots.
Best Non-Toxic Slow Cookers
1. Best Overall: Hamilton Beach Lead-Free Portable 6-Quart Programmable Crock Pot
Hamilton Beach is strict about safety standards and you can always trust their non toxic crock pot to be free of lead.
This specific model is our pick for the best non-toxic slow cooker because it’s perfect for cooking meat. With the temperature probe, just stick it into the meat and wait till it gets to your desired temperature to know when it’s done cooking. The best thing is it will automatically stop cooking when it reaches the set temperature. That way, you don’t need to keep an eye on it the whole time. This holds 6 quarts which can approximately feed 5-7 people.
2. Best Pressure Cooker + Slow Cooker 2-in-1: Instant Pot NOVA 6 Pressure Cooker 6 Quart
The Instant Pot brand is very well known for its effective pressure cookers so this Instant Pot Nova 6 is great because it combines the functionality of a slow cooker as well. The inside has a stainless steel pot and is non-toxic, lead-free, and dishwasher-safe. The Nova has a micro-processor that monitors temperature and pressure and even cooks food 70% faster than most. The keep warm feature can last up to 10 hours.
What really is a game changer about this non-toxic slow cooker is the “smart lid” which automatically seals the lid and pushes the button to allow steam to release. There are also 10+ safety features so you can set it and forget it.
3. Best Sous Vide: Anova Culinary Sous Vide 1000 Watts
Sous vide is similar to a slow cooker in the way that it slowly cooks the food. This method of cooking may be more time intensive than a slow cooker but there are some benefits including sealing in nutrients and flavor better as well as yielding consistent quality every time (never over or under cook). The sous vide technique also cooks food at a lower temperature compared to slow cookers that cook at higher temperatures so you can more easily control the cooking process. You can cook pretty much anything with this Sous Vide including chicken, fish, vegetables, lamb, pork, and more.
Cooking with sous vide also allows you to not worry about lead or other chemicals getting into your food as some low-quality slow cookers do.
4. Best Rice Cooker: GreenLife 4-Cup Rice Cooker & Slow Cooker
If you eat rice often, want a nontoxic slow cooker, and want fewer kitchen appliances, a rice cooker and slow cooker combo like the one from GreenLife is perfect for you. The brand GreenLife is non-toxic, free of PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium. This rice cooker has settings to adjust the time and preset time settings for slow cooking different foods. The design is also super minimalist and nice to the eye. Even comes in 3 other bright colors.
5. Best Stainless Steel Slow Cooker: Crock-Pot 6 Quart Stainless Steel Programmable
Yet another lead free Crock-Pot on this list because they’re just so reliable and you know that they are non-toxic and free from toxic chemicals. This is one of the best non-toxic slow cookers because it has a removable stoneware insert that can be microwaved and is dishwasher-safe. This removable piece makes it so much easier to wash.
The locking lid on this non-toxic crockpot comes with a rubber gasket for an extra-tight seal. The digital countdown control lets you cook for up to 20 hours. Since it automatically stops at your desired time, you can set it and forget it. This is a great non toxic slow cooker that can feed 6-7 people and you can pretty much cook anything from soups and stews to casseroles.
6. Best Ceramic Slow Cooker: GreenLife Ceramic Nonstick Coating Non Toxic Slow Cooker
For an eco-friendly and non-toxic ceramic slow cooker, the GreenLife Ceramic Nonstick Slow Cooker is your best choice. The pot is non-toxic, free of PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium. Many ceramic slow cookers contain a layer of lead glaze which if released, can be toxic to humans. But luckily, this GreenLife ceramic pot does not have that.
The pot comes with a digital control panel with a timer so you can cook your food to perfection. The inside is removable and safe to use on the stovetop and in the oven. This comes in 3 other bright colors as well.
7. Most Versatile: Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Rice Cooker, Steamer, 8 Quart
If you’re looking for one non-toxic appliance to do virtually everything you need, this is it. It’s the Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker and it’s one of the best non-toxic slow cookers. This has many extra features including a slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, steamer, sous vide, saute pan, sterilizer, yogurt maker, food warmer, and cake baker.
It can fit 8 quarts so this has the capacity to feed large families or if you meal prep, this is a great option too. There’s a programmable timer that lets you set it and forget it. Most importantly, it’s lead-free and chemical-free.
8. Best Slow Cooker For Browning: Calphalon Non-Toxic Programmable Slow Cooker
If you like browning your meats to have them develop more flavor, most slow cookers don’t do the most amazing job at that compared to on a stovetop. However, this non-toxic slower cooker from Calphalon clearly stands out from the rest because of its unique ability to brown meat very effectively and for its ease of use. It can also sear and sauté your food.
With these extra features, it can really cut down the cook time. There’s also a programmable digital control panel with a timer which is so convenient. It holds 5.3 quarts of food which can feed around 4-6 people.
9. Best Manual Slow Cooker: Crock-Pot Manual Slow Cooker with Ceramic Insert 7 Quart
A manual slow cooker can cook the same quality of food compared to a programmable slow cooker but with just more time and effort. One benefit of getting a manual slow cooker is the price is usually much less than the programmable ones. One of the best manual slow cookers is the Crock-Pot Manual Slow Cooker. This comes with a ceramic insert that is chemical-free and can be removed to wash or put in the microwave. This contains 7 quarts so enough to feed bigger families or even meal prepping. It comes with a manual control dial with an off, low setting, high setting, and warm setting.
10. Best Large Slow Cooker: Hamilton Beach Extra Large 10 Quart Slow Cooker
Cooking for large groups can be a headache but this extra large slow cooker from Hamilton Beach will save all that headache and lots of time. The food made in this pot can easily feed 10-12 people. It comes with a manual control dial with three temperature settings – low temperature, high temperature, and off. The lid locks very tightly with a clip to prevent any spills. The stoneware pot is removable and can be washed in the dishwasher.
11. Best Small Slow Cooker: Crock-Pot Small 2 QT Manual Slow Cooker
If you’re living alone, just live with one other person, or don’t meal prep, there’s probably no need for any slow cooker bigger than 4 quarts. That’s why this 2 Quart Manual Slow Cooker from Crock-Pot is ideal. The compact size of this slow cooker makes it easy to store and easier to wash as well. There’s a manual control dial to adjust the cooking temperature at low or high settings. The stoneware pot is removable, microwavable, and dishwasher-safe.
And that’s a wrap on the best non-toxic slow cookers! It’s so important to invest in a slow cooker that you know is safe to use and won’t release toxic chemicals. Hope this guide helped you decide which non-toxic slow cooker to get for yourself and be sure to click on the links to find out more about the different features each slow cooker has.
READ MORE: The Easiest Ways You Can Be More Sustainable In Your Daily Life (Insanely Simple!)
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