Slow cookers are a convenient and easy way to get maximum flavour and create melt-in-your-mouth dishes like fall-off-the-bone barbecue ribs or a deliciously moist sticky date pudding. Fortunately, Kmart’s Anko range offers a few budget-friendly options to get your hands on. But with all models costing under $40, are any of them worth it? Here’s our expert review of Kmart’s slow cookers and how they compare to similar models from other brands.
Kmart slow cookers review
Kmart’s Anko slow cookers are usually designed with a stainless steel housing, a removable ceramic pot, and a glass lid. Stainless steel is ideal for people looking to buy something durable and long-lasting since the material is designed to spread heat evenly and can be used in the oven. There’s also a 3L slow cooker in Kmart’s range that alternatively contains an iron housing, but otherwise, it still shares the same features as other units.
Kmart’s slow cookers range includes:
- Kmart 5L Slow Cooker: $22 RRP*
- Kmart 3L Slow Cooker: $25 RRP*
- Kmart 6.5L Slow Cooker: $39 RRP*
Kmart 5L Slow Cooker ─ $22
This budget-friendly slow cooker is packed with the basics, including adjustable low, high and warm settings, a ceramic pot, and a stainless steel housing. It comes with manual settings and can slow cook for up to eight hours on the low heat setting or up to six hours on high heat. Its dimensions are 26cm x 41cm x 30cm, which makes it the most compact model of the range. This cheap and cheerful slow cooker might be suitable to feed up to three people, but would be too small for larger households or batch cooking.
Kmart 3L Slow Cooker ─ $25
Single or two-person households can also stick with something smaller like this 3L model, which similarly features manually adjustable low, high and warm settings, and a ceramic pot. It also has a tempered glass lid and an iron housing with a chalkboard coating for a rustic feel. This Anko slow cooker measures 25cm x 27cm x 26.5cm.
Kmart 6.5L Slow Cooker ─ $39
This 6.5L slow cooker is the largest, most family-friendly size model from Kmart. Unlike the other models from Kmart, this one boasts an LED display, an adjustable timer and an automatic warm setting. Other than that, you can expect the same functions featured in Anko’s cheaper slow cookers, including multiple heat settings, a removable ceramic pot, and a glass lid. This model measures 42cm x 30cm x 25.6cm.
Our verdict: “The Anko slow cooker range offers the basic functionally and budget price tag we expect to see from any standard Kmart appliance,” says Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Editor Megan Birot.
“Most models in the range come with multiple heat settings and an adjustable timer, although only the 6.5L model offers an automatic keep-warm setting and digital timer. This means you will need to check on the progress of your cooking occasionally and manually turn the slow cooker off, or switch to warm mode, once the food has finished cooking.
“But aside from not having oven or stove-top compatibility in certain models, or extended timer settings, there isn’t an overwhelming difference in specs between a Kmart slow cooker and a unit from another pricier brand.
“And as far as online reviews from Kmart’s website go, consumers seem fairly impressed with the quality and performance of its slow cookers, especially given their cheap price.”
Kmart slow cookers vs Crock-Pot slow cookers
Crock-Pot is one of the leading brands for slow cookers, as well as pressure cookers and multi-cookers. It produces a much wider variety of capacities and styles compared to Kmart, allowing you to whip up more than seven serves (depending on the model) and use a mix of manual and automatic functions. Some features across the range include one-touch digital controls, a programmable timer that lets you input cook times between 30 minutes and 20 hours, a locking lid and lid gasket for extra seal, cord-management, stoneware, and oversized carry handles. Many models are also designed to be used as a benchtop kitchen appliance as well as portable cookware you can bring to potlucks or other parties.
However, Crock-Pot slow cookers generally come with a one-year warranty (as opposed to Kmart’s two-year warranty period on certain products). The fact that some Crock-Pot slow cookers contain non-dishwasher-safe pots may also be inconvenient for some households.
Here’s a quick comparison of Kmart’s 3L slow cooker with a similar model from Crock-Pot (CHP200). The Crock-Pot slow cooker is said to serve between two and four people.
| Features | Kmart 3L Slow Cooker | Crock-Pot 3.5L Traditional Slow Cooker |
|---|---|---|
| Heat settings | Low, high, keep-warm | Low, high, keep-warm |
| Capacity | 3L | 3.5L |
| Timer range | Not stated | Up to 8 hours |
| Price* | $25 | $49.95 |
General guide only
Kmart slow cookers vs Big W slow cookers
Big W is another retailer doing budget-friendly appliances, such as this 5.5L Contempo model (XJ-13220C0). It’s currently the only standalone slow cooker from the home brand, although you can find an 8L Contempo multicooker with slow cook functionality for $99. Similar to Kmart, this cheap slow cooker features the basics including three heat settings, a stainless steel housing, an internal wrap-around heating element, and a glass lid.
Here are the specs compared to Kmart’s 5L slow cooker:
| Features | Kmart 5L Slow Cooker | Big W Contempo 5.5L Slow Cooker |
|---|---|---|
| Heat settings | Low, high, keep-warm | Low, high, keep-warm |
| Capacity | 5L | 5.5L |
| Timer range | Up to 8 hours | Up to 8 hours (12 hours for warm function) |
| Price* | $22 | $25 |
General guide only
Kmart slow cookers vs Russell Hobbs slow cookers
Russell Hobbs offers a few affordable slow cookers to choose from, retailing between $49.95 and $99.95 and ranging in capacities from 3.5L to 7L. Standout features in select models include sous vide and stove-top searing functionality, a built-in lid holder, dishwasher-safe parts, and the ability to produce four to eight servings (depending on the model).
Below is a quick comparison of the specs for Kmart’s 6.5L slow cooker and the Russell Hobbs 7L slow cooker.
| Features | Kmart 6.5L Slow Cooker | Russell Hobbs 7L Slow Cooker |
|---|---|---|
| Heat settings | Low, high, keep-warm | Low, high, keep-warm |
| Capacity | 6.5L | 7L |
| Timer range | Up to 12 hours | Up to 10 hours |
| Price* | $39 | $69.95 |
General guide only
How do you use Kmart slow cookers?
Kmart slow cookers can be used by simply adding ingredients into the pot and, if you have the 6.5L slow cooker, you can program a set time you would like the food to cook for (typically anywhere between 30 minutes and 8-12 hours). Otherwise, you can manually turn the knob to the low or high heat setting and monitor progress yourself. The appliance will automatically switch to the ‘keep-warm’ mode once it’s done, but will also automatically turn off after 12 hours if left unattended. If the product doesn’t have an automatic function available, you can easily turn the control dial once the dish has finished cooking.
Here are the general default time settings and adjustable timer options for each mode:
| Function | Low | High | Keep-warm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking time | Up to 8 hours | Up to 4 hours | Up to 12 hours |
| Adjustable cooking time | 0.5 hours-12 hours | 0.5 hours-12 hours | Non-adjustable |
Source: Kmart
*Prices taken from Appliances Online and Kmart, correct as of February 2022.
Original Author: Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito
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