When you’re first learning how to cook with a crock pot, you may find the size you receive or first purchase to be overwhelming because it’s usually the biggest, or one of the biggest, on the market. But crock pots come in a variety of sizes to meet your needs, whether they be cooking for yourself, you and your spouse, your small family or everyone in your extended family. Let’s go over the different sizes of crock pots available on the market and the best way to use each size. The first thing you should know about crock pot sizes is that they are traditionally measured in quarts. This can be confusing for someone who isn’t quite ready to start understanding the conversion of measurements. But never fear. The packaging will typically tell you the basic number of people you can cook for and it will be accompanied by a photograph that should give you a pretty good idea what you’re about to purchase. But if you need a little extra help determining the size of crock pot you need for every occasion and every change you’ll go through in life, take a look at this list and choose the crock pot or crock pots that fit your needs, and remember, it’s okay to need or want more than one.
Crock pots range in size from as little 16 oz. to as big as 10 quarts and even bigger, although you will probably never need anything much bigger than 8.5 quarts, unless you have an extremely large family. Some brands, like Rival, switch to electric roasters once you get higher than 10 quarts and those can get up to 18 quarts or higher. That’s big enough to cook a whole chicken! But let’s not get carried away.
16 oz. slow cookers- The 16oz. crock pot is cute and little, and when we say little, we mean…tiny. 16 oz is the equivalent of 2 cups. If you don’t know what it means to have 2 cups of something, well, let’s just say it’s the equivalent of 4 sticks of margarine or 2 rectangles of cream cheese (regular size, not individual). This is especially great for people who are having a small get together and don’t have a fondue pot or if you want to throw together a quick dip that needs to stay warm. You can just take your slow cooker recipes for cheese dip, put it on high until everything melts together, then set it to warm to keep it from getting cold and coagulated. In case you find the need to know the size of this crock pot in quarts, it is the equivalent of ½ of a quart. The 16 oz. slow cooker is capable of cooking dips as mentioned before as well as fondue and other small, light and yummy crock pot desserts.
2-3 quart slow cookers- 2 quart slow cookers are ideal for 1 to 2 people, whereas 2.5 and 3 quart slow cookers are better for 2 to 3 people. Again, if you’re unfamiliar with measurements, we’ll go over the size of these three slow cookers in terms of cups. If you’re looking at using a 2 quart crock pot, then you’ll want to know that it is 4 times the size of the 16 oz. crock pot. This means that the 2 quart crock pot is the equivalent of 8 cups instead of two, 16 sticks of margarine and 8 rectangles of cream cheese. The 2.5 quart slow cooker is 2 quarts and 16 oz, the equivalent of 8 cups. The 3 quart crock pot is the equivalent of 12 cups.
4 quart slow cookers- When you’re looking to feed a small family of 3 to 4 people, you’re ready for a 4 quart slow cooker and if you want just a little bit extra left over, shoot for a 4.5 quart slow cooker. A 4 quart slow cooker is the equivalent 16 cups and a 4.5 quart slow cooker is the equivalent of 18 cups.
5 quart slow cookers- Slow cookers generally go up on an even basis from size to size so it’s no surprise that the 5 quart slow cooker is ideal for 4 to 5 people and is the equivalent of 20 cups. And if you’re looking for just a little more at 22 cups, choose a 5.5 quart.
6 quart slow cookers- 6 quart slow cookers push the envelope for a nice, intimate dinner and are ideal for serving anywhere from 5 to 6 people and is the equivalent of 24 cups. If you have a couple of big eaters, never fear, because the 6 quart slow cooker also goes up to the half-size at 6.5 quarts and has 26 cups per dinner. A 6 quart slow cooker is capable of cooking a good sized crock pot pot roast with the trimmings.
7 quart slow cookers- When you reach the 7 quart range, you’re past intimate dinners and into the range of the big family meal. A 7 quart slow cooker can cook for 6 to 7 people and is the equivalent of 28 cups. And if you really want to hit 30 cups of food mark tonight, you can choose the 7.5 quart slow cooker.
8 quart slow cookers- Last but not least, we’ll review the 8 quart slow cooker. Coming in at 32 cups cooking capacity, the 8 quart slow cooker can serve 7 to 8 people comfortably or you can tell your guests to wear their fat pants and choose the 8.5 quart slow cooker, capable of cooking up to 34 cups of food. Both the 7 quart and the 8 quart are perfect for those easy crock pot chicken recipes that require a larger amount of food.
Remember, it’s always easier to purchase a second, larger crock pot than it is to figure out how to use one that’s just too large for the meals you are cooking.
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