I don't have a slow cooker and have no desire for one. When I slow cook something I use my dutch oven either on top of the stove or in a very low oven. We do eat a lot of rice, but rice is one of the easiest things to cook so I have no desire for a rice cooker either.

Sorry, guess I'm not much help to you. If I were buying a new pot it would be a Fagor Pressure cooker.

Ann

I love my slow cooker AND I love my rice cooker.

I use the rice cooker to steam (hard boiled) eggs. Makes them so much easier to peel. And I steam veggies in it.

lovestocook, I love my slow cooker for some things. I can start a pot of beans in the morning and they'll be done when I get home from work at night. It's great for making pulled pork, that pork cooks all day while I'm working and it's ready when I get home and just falls apart. Ditto barbequed beef sandwiches. I also use it to simmer soup on weekdays and sometimes to make apple butter so I don't have to watch it and stir.

I'm not comfortable leaving my gas oven on for 8 or 9 hours while I'm at work, so although I'll use a dutch oven on weekends or in the evening, I won't leave it all day while I'm at work. Elery (who was an electrician at one point before he became "management") says that slow cookers are meant to be left and are far less likely to cause problems than leaving a gas oven on. Since a local person had their house explode last year from their gas oven being left on while they were working, I'm just uncomfortable anyway.

I've never used a rice cooker. I don't eat a lot of rice, but it only takes 20 minutes or so to cook so I don't see the need for one of those.

Annie

When I was at UT Austin, I had a roommate from Hong Kong who had a rice cooker, and he used it constantly, but then rice was the only thing he cooked, and I did all the rest of the cooking. I use a regular pan for cooking rice and so I have no need for a rice cooker. In fact, I'm cooking rice tonight, and I'm adding a bit of orzo to it to make s sort of pilaf. I also do not have a slow cooker, but like Ann, I would like having a pressure cooker.

Lars

Thanks guys. We don't eat a lot of beans and anytime I need them for a recipe I open a can (gasp). We're not big meat eaters and never eat pork. At least once a year I'll make something in the slow cooker but I'm with ann and far prefer an oven braise.

I don't really need the rice cooker and although I am lucky enough to be able to buy one if I want I still need convincing it's something I would use a lot - so far that's not happening. Was hoping you guys could convince me :)

I used to cook rice in the microwave as I used to burn it on the old gas cooktop but my new induction cooktop has timers on the hobs so I just set the time I need and it turns itself off when done.

Ann-t, I have a 8 qt WMF Pressure cooker I bought when a local high end kitchen store closed down. I paid $29.99 for it. I am convinced it was a pricing error but when I queried it, was told the price was discounted and as marked - lucky me. I LOVE I don't use it as much as I thought I would because most of the chicken dishes I make in it come out looking really unappetizing. IT's been great for soups and stews though. Any suggestions for other things to try? Ooops, highjacking my own thread LOL

I prefer to slow cook in the oven. I love my Rice cooker but instead of hair I have rice shafts growing out of my skull:-) I love rice and use my rice cooker at least five times a week. I also use the rice cooker for oatmeal!

Ann T,
Don't waste your money on the Fagor pressure cooker. Save up and get the Demeyere. I started out with the Fagor and I burned everything I made in it. When I took it back to the store, they had ten other returns and the customers had complained about the same thing. I swallowed hard and purchased a small Demeyere and I can't believe the difference.

I don't love beans but I like Black eyed peas, Eye of the Goat and Adzuki beans. You sometimes find Adzuki beans canned and they are usually mush. I make the beans in the pressure cooker in under 20minutes and then I add the beans to other items like Rice and peas. After making my own beans, I freeze whatever is left and use them next time. I also use my pressure cooker to make Spaghetti sauce. It is always perfect that way. I have also tried the fried chicken in olive oil and it was good. It requires some skill and watching the pot but it worked really well. I also make Chicken Stock in the pressure cooker. I guess I use it quite a bit.

Good luck!

Instead of Demeyere, I meant Kuhn Rikon!!! Sorry about the typo.

I don't use the slow cooker often, but am glad that I have it. I use it for cooking the beans for red beans and rice, and occasional bbq meats. But mainly I like the abiltiy to keep things warm. Sometimes it's handy to have an extra way to keep things ready for serving when cooking for a crowd. (Mashed potatoes at holiday time can be done a couple of hours ahead of time etc). Also like having a big thing of soup or chili staying warm and not having to worry if something happened and we weren't there to turn things off.

We also camp in an RV and love the crockpot for warming things up or defrosting previously cooked foods when we're out on the trails all day.

Though we eat rice at least once a week, I've never used a rice cooker. I cook white rice on the stovetop and found a recipe for cooking brown rice in the oven which solved my problem of sometimes having it either stick to the bottom of the pot or be underdone.

As far as other possibilities of kitchen appliances, I couldn't be without my bread machine and am using the new Griddler about 2x/week. I also love my Le Creuset dutch oven. What I'm currently lusting over is one of the Thermapen thermometers and the Lee Wolf cutting boards that Ann T has!!

Grace

Homepro, thanks for the advice. (and the correction). I'm familiar with Kuhn Rikon, but not Demeyere.

I love the whole process of making risotto so I know that I would never use a pressure cooker for that purpose. But I would definitely use it to cook beans and I like the idea of being able to cook a stew or lamb shanks or even a pot roast after I get home from work.

Ann

I don't use my slow cooker that often but when I do it's perfect for the job. I would never use a rice cooker because it's so easy to do rice in the microwave.

I use my slow cooker a couple of times a month and like so many others who have already posted, I would never use a rice cooker because it is so easy to make rice on the stove or in the micro.

Alexa

I only use my slow cooker 3 or 4 times a year but would never part with them (one here, one at the cottage). They are perfect for extending my cooking "space" when I have a large gang. One dish always gets made, stored or served in the crock pot.

As for my rice cooker.......I gave it away. One use wonder and a waste of storage space! I prefer rice boiled the way pasta is made , lots of water, full boil and then strained. Easy and quick, no need for a special tool.

As many have already stated rice is so easy to cook on the stove I wouldn't use a rice cooker. I use my slow cooker much more. I like the ease of use, put in your ingredients in the morning and come dinner time it is done. I also use it as a warming dish when we entertain. Soups, pasta dishes, veggies dishes all get cooked in the slow cooker, it is very versatile appliance. NancyLouise

I have both and hardly ever use the rice cooker; cooking rice is so easy in a regular pot that I don't see any need for a specialized appliance. My rice cooker is gathering dust. Now if you cooked rice 5 times a week, I could maybe see having one just for the convenience...

And just a contrary thought about pressure cookers, to defend Fagor. I have a Kuhn Rikon and a Fagor set. The KR is slightly better at 'fit & finish' but (in my hands, at least) I see little difference in the performance. The Fagor Splendid Multi set (8 qt pot, 4 qt saute-pan shaped pot, one pressure lid that fits both) is a great bargain at $100, while my KR 6qt stockpot is a tad pricey at $200. It's Honda Accord vs. Lexus; both perform more than adequately, and it's up to you whether the slightly better item is worth the not-so-slight premium.

I have neither...frankly I have never eaten something that has been cooked in a slow cooker that I thought was good.
And as has been said, rice in the micro is easier by far than pie....or pi! LOL!
I feel fine about browning stew meat and onions in a Le Cruset Dutch oven then adding a generous dose or wine and a few carrots and putting it in the oven at 200 for 6 hours while I am away. I figure it has about the same chance of blowing up as my furnace.
If I want a seldom uset "thing" to take up space....I would want a maslan kettle!!...and as long as we are dreaming...a copper one!

Linda C

I have both and love both of them. LOL
If I had to choose I would take the rice cooker...you can use it for so many things....cooking rice of course LOL but also steaming veggies, making hard boiled eggs (they peel really nice)etc..

Linda

At a fund raising auction for our kids' school I was the winning bidder on a Zojurishi rice cooker. After a couple years it went from below cabinet storage to basement storage. It was a good machine, but bulky.

I ended up donating it to the "Second Chance" shop, which seems to be the fate of kitchen gadgets/appliances that don't warrant a place on or near the countertop. That was about 10 years ago. I haven't missed it and never thought about purchasing another.

DD uses her slow cooker 3-4 nights of the work week. I rarely cook in mine and only seem to use it when I entertain a crowd or bring a dish to someone's home - just to keep it warm.

When I cook slow, I use my Dutch oven. When I want something prepared quickly, and for certain recipes, I love my electric pressure cooker.

We don't eat a lot of rice so I don't have a rice cooker. DH and I would eat more but DS just doesn't like rice and I am not going to make 2 separate dishes. I use my slow cooker all the time for all kinds of meat and non- meat dishes. When my 30 YO one died, I went out and got another the very same day. I wouldn't be without it.
Clare

From a slightly different angle, I'm currently without a kitchen, and have a slow cooker and rice cooker and microwave to help me get through the next couple of months. I just discovered that cooking pasta in the rice cooker is perfect! It keeps the water simmering, without boiling over. It takes a little longer than the recommended time, because I put the pasta in when I start seeing little bubbles in the water. I also use it to make rice, of course. It's easier to clean than the slow cooker, too, which matters a lot to me right now :) Doing dishes in the tub!

LindaC, it's all in what you're comfortable with. Remember, I'm the person who has had a couple of house fires and so I don't ever light a fire in the fireplace and I refuse to burn candles. It's my own particular phobia...

I do have an old Presto pressure cooker which I don't use a lot but I really like it for certain thins. Elery uses it to make beans, I'd prefer to just dump mine in the crockpot in the morning. I do use it to make chop suey for Ashley, even slightly tough round comes out fork tender.

I don't like taditional chili in the crockpot, the ground beef "overcooks". I am a huge consumer of vegetables, though, and sometimes make a vegetarian chili that's delicious. Plus, like Chase, it gets used as a "warming" device for office potlucks, to keep soup warm and even to make oatmeal because I'm not a morning person and would never make oatmeal before I go to work, and I detest the instant stuff.

Annie

I use my slow cooker less since I got an induction cooktop--with a heavy cast iron pot and the super low setting I can slow cook anything on the stove (or in oven). But I do like it every once in a while. My cooktop is very old so it doesn't have timers or anything. But it cleans up nice when I boil the rice over. :)

I make rice more than I use the slow cooker, but I don't run out of space on the cooktop so I make it there. Actually, I park my Crockpot on the cooktop when I use it, too.

I guess I'd prefer the slow-cooker, even if I rarely used it. It travels. Plus it's got that cool 80s pattern!

I never thought I would use a rice cooker, but my assistant, whose parents are from Japan, insisted that I try it. I bought a $20 rice cooker at Costco almost two years ago, and have used it at least three to four times a week since then! It has become a favorite appliance. While rice on the stove is easy, it still takes more thought and tending than the rice cooker.

I just dump rice, water (or broth) in the cooker, turn it on, and in less than half an hour perfect rice. It will stay warm on the warm setting for a long time. It is so much easier than trying to time the rice when everything else will be done. I often steam vegetables in teh steamer basket that came with my rice cooker.

Best $20 I ever spent on an appliance!

I do have a slow cooker, but only use it once a month or so, if that. (Beans, soup, pulled pork, etc.)

I have both and frankly, never use the rice cooker. It's just easier to cook it on the stove.

The slowcooker was great when I worked out of the house. I could throw everything into it in the morning and come home to a cooked meal. But now that I work from home, I prefer to slow roast things in my Le Creuset cookware, since I'm here to keep an eye on it.

A slowcooker is also nice for keeping things warm for a holiday meal. When I run out of stovetop and oven space, I can warm stuffing, gravy, or soup in the slow cooker instead.

I too have a rice cooker and love it. I love the fact that I don't have to worry about timing the rice with dinner, but also the fact that it will keep my rice warm for hours. It is wonderful for entertaining. It's great for cooking whole meals in (chicken adobo) etc, and steams vegetables, makes pilafs, rice and beans, everything comes out great and doesn't stick. I am a bit of a gadget lover however. I think alot of times it boils down to space. I have lots so it's not a problem to store bulky items, even if they aren't used that often. I have the Krups, which does rice cooking, steam cooking and slow cooking, so it is a bit of multi tasker.

Shelley S.

Rice cooker, hands down. My Zoji rice cooker was worth every dime.

I don't like single-use items either, as a rule, but I use it for a lot more than rice. Also, I keep it on the counter so I actually use it. (Yes, it's bulky, but that, the toaster oven, and a crock of utensils are the only things on my counter, so I have plenty of room still.) You can make all kinds of things in a rice cooker -- pilaf, lentils, oatmeal, puddings, etc.

The slow cooker, I gave away after using it twice in as many years. The darn things cook hotter than they used to, so I wasn't comfortable leaving it while I wasn't home -- which was the whole purpose in buying it.

I don't like rice, so I gave away my rice cooker. I still have the slow cooker, but don't use it often enough.