Best Thermal Cookers To Cook Low & Slow
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The idea that thermal cooking is based on has been around for centuries. Heat it up once then put it somewhere insulated to keep cooking for hours! Simple.
This kind of cooking is so useful can be seen all over the world in one form or another. Whether it is those creative cooks in the Azores who use the underground heat of their nearby volcanoes or the forefathers (and mothers) of the modern thermal cooker who used hay boxes, this is definitely not something new.
However, it did have a resurgence a few decades ago, especially in Asia, where such low temperature and long cooking lends itself to such methods. However, lucky for us, thermal cookers also became popular enough to make their way into western kitchens and became available online.
And below, I will help you find the best thermal cooker on the market right now!
Top Products
Tayama TXM-70CFZ Energy-Saving Thermal Cooker (7 quart)
This thermal cooker from Tayama is a worthwhile investment. It is one of the cheapest per volumes on this list and has the capacity to make food for 4 people (or more).
It has a simple, yet induction-ready stainless steel inner pot, and a vacuum-insulated outer pot. The outer pot has a lid that clips shut, which is not 100% sealed but will help keep the pot hot and cooking for 6-8 hours.
Its simplicity is its strength and something that is important for such a slow cooker.
There are smaller versions, if you don’t need this kind of capacity.
THERMOS Shuttle Chef 2.8L
We all know Thermos for their amazing coffee and tea, well, thermoses that keep our drinks warm on those long cold days. Well, now they have taken that vacuum insulated technology and applied it to a thermal cooker.
This is a Japanese domestic market product, so excuse it’s great to see it available in the US too. It is well designed, with the inner pot nestling nicely in the outer thermos pot, with the handles big and easy to grab. Those same handles also integrate well with the lid, which then sits between them.
It also comes with a fun range of outer colors, which adds a little pizzaz to an otherwise dull appliance (and the boring gray of most of the competition).
TIGER NFH-G450 Thermal Slow Cooker (4.75 Quarts)
Tiger makes a variety of sizes of thermal cookers, that also seem to be very well designed.
The inner pot is easy to take out and back in again with raised handles. The lid raises back and out of the way, but does not need to be removed. Which is handy. It does not 100% seal (actually, none do that I have seen) but it does clip down when pushed, which helps seal the heat in for cooking.
TIGER NFH-G450 Thermal Slow Cooker comes in the good old stainless steel or red color. Nice to have a choice.
Homemat Thermal Cooker (3.5 & 5.5L)
The option from Homemate has a very impressive and modern design that I absolutely love.
The handles, like on all other pots, are easy to get at for the inner pot. So great to see here too. However, Homemate takes it a few steps further with a clip-down lid (again not unique) and also some smart carry handles on the top. This is a nice addition because often these pots are used on the go, or at the very least, need to be moved from where you prepare them, to where they sit for the next…hours.
It also looks stylish with the white trim on the top.
The only downside I can see is that there is only one size: 5.5Liters.
Sunpentown ST-60B 6-Liter Thermal Cooker
This cooker from Sunpentown (a mouthful, I know) is probably the biggest one on this list. So, if you have a family or want to cook for the whole week, then it’s a great option for sure.
Despite the large size, many reviewers on Amazon seem disappointed with both the quality and the warmth of this pot. Judge for yourself, but I would probably look at one of the other higher quality and reviewed ones above.