Slow cooking is a favorite cooking technique of mine. As a kid, I have fond memories of coming home from school to my mother’s slow-cooked stews with wine, veg, potatoes, and fresh herbs, all the while counting the minutes until dinner time. And the leftovers, they’re even better.
My mother was a single mom who worked full-time and raised three kids. She needed an easy way to get dinner on the table after a long day’s work.
So, in the morning, she would pull together simple ingredients, place them in a slow cooker and let the dish cook for the day — by the time we got home from school, dinner was done. Oh, and the smell of wine and a delicious homemade stock wafting through the house is to die for.
By the way, I’ve been testing and reviewing GreenPan’s cookware for years. They’re featured in one of our most read community guides, the best non-toxic cookware brands. I’ve even tested and written about our favorite GreenPan sets reviewed. And, they’re featured as a top pick in our guide to the best ceramic cookware.
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Slow Cooking as a Cooking Technique
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Fast forward to today and slow cooking, especially during the winter months, is one of my favorite cooking techniques. It’s comfort food at its best. Seriously! Nothing beats slow-cooked soup, stew with veg, potatoes, beans, and meat in a delicious sauce that gently falls apart as your fork pierces it.
Why Consider a Slow Cooker?
Image courtesy of GreenPan
If you’re like most people today, you probably have a busy life juggling work, family, friends, and more, and you don’t have a ton of time to cook up flavor-rich, slow-cooked meals the traditional way.
Today’s modern programmable electric slow cookers are ideal for time-strapped people like us. With minimal prep work, you can toss your ingredients into the slow cooker, set it, and forget until dinner, and turn out a delicious meal of whole foods. Really! With the right slow cooker, you’ll also reduce the number of pots and pans you use to cook a meal down to one, so cleanup is a breeze.
And if you’re a weekend batch cooker like I am, a slow cooker is going to fit right into your cooking routine. You can make a big batch of your favorite soup, stew, roast, veg, braise, steel-cut oatmeal, mac and cheese, beans, dreamy creamy mashed potatoes, spinach, and more, and have enough leftovers for two to three meals for the week.
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Image courtesy of GreenPan
And during the holiday season, its multi-use capabilities can really be put to work. It’s great for parties and serving special holiday drinks like cider and mulled wine and dishes that need to be kept warm.
Here’s what I cooked in GreenPan’s slow cooker
I seared everything from beef for short ribs to chicken thighs for cassoulet and Coq Au Vin and veg. The sautee function worked surprisingly well (I’m a skeptic). Everything I wanted to brown, browned quite nicely, adding that extra layer of texture and flavor and, most importantly, gave me the delicious browned bits to add flavor to my dishes and sauces.
GreenPan’s Elite 6-Qt Slow Cooker Tested & Reviewed
I’m always a bit skeptical when a kitchen tool tries to do too many things and be a one-hit-wonder. Being a jack of all trades is not necessarily a good thing when it comes to executing specific cooking techniques. They usually fall short.
This is not that. The GreenPan Slow Cooker delivers on its promises. It gets hot enough to sear, saute, steam, and even simmer.
Image courtesy of GreenPan
GreenPan’s Elite Slow Cooker is definitely a cut above your average or traditional slow cookers (think the classic Crock Pot) that comes with a single dial for ‘off, ‘low,’‘medium,’ and ‘high.’
It’s programmable with an LCD Panel Display that has a timer, and you can control and set the temperature (which not many slow cookers allow). It has the peace of mind feature which, when it’s done cooking your food, automatically switches to warm mode, a mode that’s warm enough to keep your food warm without overcooking it, for up to eight hours.
If you’re ever stuck at work, an appointment, or in traffic, you know your food won’t be ruined by the time you get home.
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Image courtesy of GreenPan
Other features on the LCD panel include:
- Slow cook
- Brown/saute
- Steam
- Start/stop a cooking function
- Time
- Temperature
- — – Reduces the time / temperature
- + – Increases the time / temperature
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Overall the LCD panel is pretty straightforward and intuitive to use. The only criticism I have is that sometimes when the light hits the display just right, the text can be tough to read on the panel because of the reflection.
The pot insert is easy to handle and maneuver. The silicone side handles make it easy to pop out the ceramic pot and move it to a counter or stove top or wherever it’s needed. The pot insert can also be used on the stovetop or in the oven if needed, which is pretty cool.
I always recommend using hot pads when handling any pots and lids with hot food just to be safe. The tempered glass lid allows you to monitor the progress of your slow-cooked dishes too. With one peek, you can tell if your stew needs more stock, water, or wine.
The GreenPan Slow Cooker also comes with a book of recipes developed specifically for this nonstick slow cooker. They’re all super easy to put together. So if you’re tired of your same three to five recipes that you rotate through your weekly dinners, you’ll have some fresh ideas that are easy to execute.
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So Where Does the GreenPan Slow Cooker Stack Up Against Other Brands?
Browning, Sauteing, and Steaming
Image courtesy of Laura Klein
When I tested the brown/saute feature, I was pleasantly surprised. It worked! The ceramic-coated bowl heats up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, which is hot enough to brown meat and veg before slow cooking them. This is an important feature because browning food creates caramelized textures and deeper flavors on the food you cook, adding to that comfort food cozy vibe.
What’s also nice about the brown/saute feature, you can use fewer pots and pans while executing slow-cooked meals with the GreenPan Elite Slow Cooker. That translates into less cleanup and more time hanging with friends and family you’re cooking for, which we all love.
Image courtesy of Laura Klein
The one recommendation I have is, if you like browning on high heat like I do, your oil will splatter, so I recommend having a mesh splatter screen nearby to cover your bowl insert while searing. When I browned the meat for my Coq Au Vin, Cassoulet and short ribs, there was a lot of splattering, but that was nothing that a fine mesh screen couldn’t handle.
Another note, when sauteing or browning, you may want it next to your stove, with a vent or a window so you can vent out any smoke and oil.
This slow cooker comes with a steamer rack which is a nice feature, making it simple to steam veggies, buns, and more. Again it reduces the number of pots and pans you have to use while cooking up a meal.
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Is it Easy to Clean?
Yes. I was shocked at how easy it is to clean the ceramic pot insert. I do a lot of hand washing of pots and pans to preserve and lengthen their life. And this pan is really easy to clean. GreenPan does say the pot is dishwasher safe, so you can run it through, but I choose not to so it will last as long as possible.
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It Can Be an Energy Saver
What’s also nice about the size of this electric cooker is that you don’t have to heat up a whole oven and keep it running for hours. The GreenPan Elite Slow Cooker is programmable and has a timer, so it won’t be running any longer than needed. It’s also much smaller than an oven, and more compact. I also think it’s a great tool for cooking for one, two, or three people and larger gatherings of up to six to seven people. You can even serve from it.
Other Things I Love
Image courtesy of GreenPan
Forgiving Non-Stick Surface:
Like any non-stick cookware, you have to be careful with the cooking utensils you use, as they can scratch the nonstick coating and start to render it useless. GreenPan’s diamond-infused ceramic non-stick is metal utensil resistant, so if you, or someone in your household forgets about not using metal utensils on your non-stick cookware, it’s less likely to scratch.
Light and Compact:
It’s light and compact enough to find a spot in a cupboard and pull out easily. Its size also lends itself to road trips and camping (if you have access to electricity of course), which I also love.
True Multifunctionality Perfect for Travel:
Because of the 6-QT Elite Slow Cooker’s size and its ability to execute different cooking techniques with one pot, you can easily pack it up in your car, SUV, or really any vehicle and take it on the road with your favorite ingredients.
All you need is access to electricity and perhaps a few other simple cooking tools like a chef’s knife and cutting board. Once at your destination, you can throw your ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning before you leave for your day’s adventure and have a warm dinner ready by the time you return (this, by far, is my favorite feature).
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Audio Signaling:
I love that when you preheat the pot for sauteing or any other function, it beeps to let you know it’s reached full temperature. There’s no guessing.
Color Choices for Every Aesthetic:
Image courtesy of GreenPan
The GreenPan Elite Slow Cooker comes in a ridiculous amount of colors to suit your kitchen aesthetics. Choose from stainless steel, black, graphite, oxford blue, cloud cream, blue haze or fantasy fig, or the gold trim Reserve.
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Constructive Criticisms
There’s a lot to love about the GreenPan Elite Slow Cooker, but there are a few things I would improve. The cord is a bit on the short side. A little more wiggle room with a longer cord would be helpful with countertop placement. If necessary, you could always grab an extension cord though.
The slow cooker needs a longer and louder timer to let you know when your food is done. If you’re not in the room when the beeper goes off, it’s easily missed. My workaround is to set the timer on my phone so I never miss it.
Price Point
GreenPan didn’t cut corners when it came to the development of their slow cooker, they leveled it up with a tougher nonstick interior, easy to use LCD panel and display, that lets you set and control the temperature, cooking time for each dish. This is also why it’s priced above some others out there (we won’t point fingers).
Starting at $359.99, it’s a splurge, but with the extra bells and whistles, we feel it’s worth it. Plus, it comes with a 3-year warranty. But with our exclusive code, ORGANIC30 you save 30%, which is a lot!
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What’s the Elite Slow Cooker Made Of?
Image by GreenPan
So we know that the Elite Slow Cooker is highly aesthetic and multifunctional, but what’s it made of? Well, we wouldn’t be able to give it the Organic Authority Approved Seal unless it passed our rigorous inspection — and it does. This is GreenPan we’re talking about here. You know, the OG of clean cookware. They set standards for themselves before the industry (and our legislators) started following suit.
Since their inception in 2007, when they created ThermolonTM, a healthy ceramic nonstick and non-toxic alternative to conventional nonstick coatings, they’ve upped the clean cookware game.
Instead of plastic, ThermolonTM is derived from Silicon Dioxide, SiO2, which comes from sand. Thermolon™ is the first alternative to traditional nonstick coatings, the first plastic-free nonstick, and the first nonstick coating made without PFAS, PFOA, lead, or cadmium. That’s kind of impressive.
And PS, some brands talk big about the chemicals they don’t use, but many times it’s a smoke and mirrors game. If they use PTFE, it’s made with PFAS. This report by the EcologyCenter shows that 80% of cookware tested contained PFAS. That’s shocking.
So what’s the big deal about PFAS? Why are they so bad? PFAS are a class of thousands of chemicals linked to increased risk of cancer, harm to fetal development, and reduced vaccine effectiveness. They are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down in the environment and build up in our blood and organs.1 That’s crazy.
Now you know what it’s made without (PFAS, PFOA, lead, or cadmium), but what’s it made with? GreenPan’s Elite Slow Cooker is made with their ThermolonTM Volt, a ceramic coating, which is made especially for electric use.
Most nonstick coatings used on electrics aren’t made with countertop cooking in mind. Instead, they use the same coatings that they put on their frypans, meaning the surface breaks down sooner. GreenPan’s diamond-infused ceramic coating takes this and more into consideration and has made a tougher, more durable interior to withstand countertop cooking. As a bonus, it cleans up easily.
The Elite Slow Cooker is also made with hard anodized aluminum, which also makes it more durable than an inexpensive aluminum pot. Conventional toughening of aluminum cooking surfaces includes flame and plasma sprays, but these leave uneven layers of rough particles, making pans prone to scratches.
Then they also reinforce it with Armored Body, a unique pre-treatment to the hard anodization process. It gives maximum strength to the exterior of your cookware while reinforcing the interior nonstick layer. The result? Extremely durable non-stick pots and pans.
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GreenPan’s Sustainability Initiatives
On top of being clean, GreenPan is also green. Here are some of the components of their sustainability initiatives that we can get behind.
- Wastewater treatment: GreenPan’s wastewater facility returns treated water back to the production process creating a sustainable cycle.
- Recycling program: They use recycled aluminum in their pans, keeping more aluminum out of landfills. They’ll also recycle your old cookware.
- Cleaner coating: Since their launch, GreenPan’s cookware is and always will be free of forever chemicals, lead, and cadmium.
- Solar Panels: In 2017, solar panels accounted for 30% of GreenPan’s total electricity requirements.
- Zero carbon footprint by 2030: They’ve taken plastic out of your cookware, and they’ve vowed to take the carbon out of their process by 2030.
- Better production practices: They’ve reengineered their manufacturing process to minimize waste while applying their coating.
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