Kitchen Favorites: Crock-Pot 7-Quart Slow Cooker

My kitchen favorites series is all about the things I reach for every single day, and this week it is my Crock-Pot slow cooker — the 7-quart family size in that bright turquoise that I love so much I actually take it on vacation with me. I am not paid by Crock-Pot, y’all; I bought this one with my own money, the same as every slow cooker before it. When you cook for a crowd like I do, a big, dependable slow cooker earns its spot on the counter, and this one has more than earned mine.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting StephanieCooksForACrowd.com!

Watch the full video above — or keep reading below.

Featured Tools & Ingredients

Here is the honest truth about my Crock-Pot slow cooker: I love it so much I take it on vacation with me. That is not a joke — one of my family’s very favorite things at the beach is a big batch of my pulled pork sandwiches cooking low and slow while we are all out playing in the water. I get to walk back in to dinner already made, and this 7-quart family size is big enough to feed my whole crowd of seven in one pot.

I have gone through a lot of slow cookers over the years, and I come back to the Crock-Pot brand every single time — it just holds up. Mine is this bright turquoise, and there are so many things I make in it. My 2-ingredient pork chops go low and slow until they are cooked to perfection. There is my daddy’s famous crockpot chili, a big batch of carne guisada tacos when my crowd is coming, crockpot chicken nachos on a Thursday night, and 3-ingredient crockpot meatballs whenever I need a party appetizer that disappears.

And yes — I have even done 60 hot dogs in my Crock-Pot. I am not kidding. You do not even add water; you just stand them up, they fit, and a couple of hours on low steams them warm and delicious. It is exactly the trick I pull out for a ginormous birthday party. Because a slow cooker does its work slowly over hours, it is genuinely built to run all day while you are gone — the USDA points out that it is safe to cook on the low setting the entire time, even when you leave the house — which is the whole reason mine gets to make dinner while we are down at the water.

One honest note: nobody is paying me to talk about my Crock-Pot. I bought this one with my own money, the same way I have bought every slow cooker before it, and it earned its place in my kitchen favorites the only way anything does around here — by being the thing I reach for.

Why the Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Is One of My Kitchen Favorites

A good Crock-Pot slow cooker does the one thing a busy kitchen needs most: it makes dinner while you are doing something else. Mine cooks pulled pork at the beach, holds pork chops and chili and tacos for my whole crowd, and quietly turns a couple of hours into a hot meal without me standing over it. When a tool feeds seven people, travels on vacation, and never lets me down, meal after meal, that is exactly what a kitchen favorite is supposed to be.

Crock-Pot Slow Cooker Kitchen Favorites FAQ

What size Crock-Pot slow cooker do you use?

Mine is the 7-quart, which is the family size that fits a 6-pound roast and feeds my whole crowd of seven in one pot. When you are cooking for a big group, that extra room is everything — I can make a full batch of chili or a mountain of pulled pork without splitting it between two cookers. If you cook for a crowd, size up.

Can you really cook 60 hot dogs in a Crock-Pot?

You really can — I have done it. You do not add any water; you just stand the hot dogs up in the pot, put the lid on, and let them go a couple of hours on low. They come out steamed, warm, and delicious, and it is my go-to trick anytime I am feeding a ginormous birthday party.

What do you make in your Crock-Pot?

So much. My 2-ingredient pork chops, daddy’s famous chili, carne guisada tacos, crockpot chicken nachos, and 3-ingredient meatballs all live in this pot, plus the pulled pork I make on vacation. Anything that likes to cook low and slow while I go do something else is a candidate for the Crock-Pot.

Can you take a Crock-Pot on vacation?

I do it every single year, and it might be my best vacation hack. I pack it up for our beach trips, start a batch of pulled pork in the morning, and come back from the water to dinner already made. Feeding my family real meals on vacation, without eating out every night, is so much easier with my slow cooker along for the ride.

Is Stephanie paid by Crock-Pot?

No — not at all. I bought my Crock-Pot with my own money, and I have bought the brand over and over across the years because it holds up. I use Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through my link at no extra cost to you — but the recommendation is entirely mine.

More Kitchen Favorites You’ll Love

• Aroma Professional Plus Rice Cooker — the button-and-walk-away rice cooker my family gave me for Mother’s Day; another countertop favorite that makes feeding a crowd easier.
• 9×13 Disposable Aluminum Pans — the foil pans I grab for cooking for a crowd, potlucks, and dropping meals off, then toss when I’m done.
• Pyrex 9×13 Glass Baking Dish — the deep glass dish with a lid that I reach for more than anything, from casseroles to desserts to leftovers headed to a potluck.
• Topfeel Knives — the heavy cleaver I reach for when I have a mountain of chicken to chop for the week.

Want a little note from my table every Saturday? Join my weekly newsletter — recipes, family moments, and whatever’s happening at the Longstreth house. Sign up here.

Crock-Pot Slow Cooker — About Stephanie Longstreth

Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.