I am looking for one too!! I want one that is programmable, have only found one so far, the others all only have the three settings as you were saying. And the one with the programmable setting has a ceramic bowl...do you know why they say the stainless steel ones are better?
I can't remember the name of the one that I am thinking of buying (today!!), but it costs $85 so I don't think it is a cheap and nasty brand, and it is at David Jones, I don't think they sell cheap and nasty. hee hee. I liked this one because it is programmable, 6.5litre capacity and the bowl is dishwasher safe....a must!!
Good luck in your search, hope you find one you are happy with. I am about to go and get mine, and will probably use it over trhe next few days. Will let you know if it is any good or if there is something about it I don't like (hopefully there wont be).
I'm another one looking to invest in a slow cooker. However while doing my research I found this: (explains why stainless steel is better then ceramic)
Disadvantages
Vitamins and other trace nutrients are lost, particularly from vegetables, partially by enzyme action during cooking. When vegetables are cooked at higher temperatures these enzymes are rapidly denatured and have less time in which to act during cooking. Since slow cookers work at temperatures well below boiling point and do not rapidly denature enzymes, vegetables tend to lose trace nutrients. Blanched vegetables, having been exposed to very hot water, have already had these enzyme rendered largely ineffective, so a blanching or sauteing pre-cook stage will leave more vitamins intact. Green colors are retained better when vegetables are cooked quickly as plant cells are less likely to lose acids.
Kidney beans, and some other beans, contain a toxin, phytohaemagglutinin, which is destroyed by cooking at boiling point but not at the operating temperature of a slow cooker. They become safe to eat after boiling for a minimum of ten minutes, or if they come from a can. Such precautions must be observed if kidney beans are included in slow cooker recipes, as the relatively low temperatures in a slow cooker will not destroy the toxin adequately, and serious food poisoning may occur.[4] Kidney beans can be as much as five times more toxic if cooked at 80 ?C than if eaten raw, so exposing them to a high temperature for an adequate time prior to slow cooking is vital.
Slow cookers do not typically provide sufficient heat to compensate for frequent additions and removals of food in perpetual stews (pot au feu, olla podrida); nor do they cook quickly enough to cook newly added food thoroughly before the next withdrawal becomes likely. This relatively slow recovery of temperature after an addition or withdrawal may cause safety problems. Removal of the lid lets heat and moisture escape, prolonging cooking time and giving microbes the chance to grow.
Like some other kinds of pottery, some slow cookers crocks are glazed with a formula containing lead.[5] Lead is a toxic metal, causing neurological and developmental damage in even small quantities, and it is not easily cleared from the body, so its dangers continue.
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