With individual controls for each pot, whatever is on the menu, you're sure to have it all on the go in no time at all.

3 to 4.9 litres Slow cookers | Argos 3 to 4.9 litres Slow cookers | Argos

Finally, any good slow cooker should be easy to clean, so we made sure to see which slow cookers could have their removable pots placed through the dishwasher, and where they didn't we tested to see if cleaning by hand was a faff. Slow cookers with digital controls may also have a delay start, which is ideal if you’re out of the house for more than eight hours.

The manual is thorough and packed with tips and tricks for slow cooking, not to mention recipes and cooking charts. We wanted to see brands pointing us in the direction of spare parts and transparency around how to recycle the product after use and where the product was made. Lakeland solves this issue with its newest slow cooker, which has searing and sautéing functionality built into it with five heat levels. Use the guide below to estimate slow cooker beef roast cooking times, but see the section below for details on how to know when your roast is cooked. The controls are a little cluttered, but the illustrations make the Sage The Fast Slow Go easy to use and very clear.

Slow Cookers | Multi Cookers | Kitchen Electricals | Studio Slow Cookers | Multi Cookers | Kitchen Electricals | Studio

We looked for three key qualities in our final stews: tender and succulent meat, well cooked vegetables that retained some bite, and a flavoursome, slightly thickened sauce.For a fattier cut of meat or one with a lot of connective tissue, cooking slowly on the LOW setting will give you the most tender melt in the mouth roast. The tempered glass lids help to retain natural moisture and minerals whilst serving as a large viewing window to keep an eye on your cooking, with 3 serving spoons that fit perfectly into the spoon rests of each bowl for mess-free serving.