This won’t affect the pot’s functionality, unless the enamel flakes off. To remove stains on the light interior, you can use a bleach solution or a baking soda paste. In our tests, the Lodge’s light-colored interior made it much easier to judge the color of the onions and meat browning, as well as the fond developing on the bottom of the pan. With the same technique and timing, onions we cooked in darker-colored ovens like the Staub burned slightly, because the dark surface made it difficult for us to judge the color as it developed. Using the infrared thermometer, we found that the pots with dark and light interiors heated about equally, so it was really visual cues that made the difference between browning or burning.
Le Creuset’s pots have a durable enamel coating—with a smooth finish for even cooking—that’s backed by a lifetime warranty. Le Creuset’s oven is expensive, and if you get it, you’ll be investing in longevity. In our tests we didn’t find that it cooked that much better than the Lodge, but in our experience its enamel has far more staying power.
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Uniquely among the models we tested, the All-Clad lets you set two temperatures for a given cooking cycle. With the other slow cookers we used, if you are cooking a meal that requires both the hot and low temperature to be used, you’ll have to manually change the settings — requiring you to be home to make the switch. Since this slow cooker was one of our favorites, we went one step further to test the browning and sautéing functionality as well. We browned cuisinart soup maker both chicken wings and onions — before slow cooking them — and while it doesn’t switch modes automatically, we found the process extremely easy. Using this feature, we ended up with crispy chicken wings falling off the bone and mouthwatering onions with that little extra flavor. Most other slow cookers we tested didn’t have this mode, so if you want to brown ingredients you would have to do so on the stovetop first before throwing them in the slow cooker.
There’s the type of cookware that will merely get you by for the short-term—and then there’s the type that will serve you well over an extended period of time. TheCuisinart Multiclad Pro stainless steel 12-piece cookware set, which we deemed thebest affordable cookwarearound, falls into the latter category, and cuisinart griddler elite right now, it’s down to an incredible price. Because all Calphalon cookware is made with hard-anodized aluminum and most of their stainless steel cookware features multi-clad construction. This extra thickness makes Calphalon stainless steel cookware heavier, more durable, and able to retain heat longer.
We did find that this slow cooker didn’t get as hot as the rest, which means you might find yourself needing to add slightly more time to your recipes. We did this, adding about 30 minutes to the cooking time for our chicken dish and 15 minutes for our bean cuisinart griddler elite dish to get similar perfectly cooked results as we got with the other cookers. Most slow cookers don’t hit boiling temperature until the seven- to eight-hour mark, which means your dish might be simmering for longer than you’d want with this slow cooker.