Chili Cook-Off: Dutch Oven vs. Multi-Cooker vs. Slow Cooker

Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

On Super Bowl Sunday, there’s no telling which team will win—or whether the TV ads and halftime show will be any good—but you can have one reliable thing during the big game: awesome chili.

Some common ways to cook this game-day favorite include using a Dutch oven, a slow cooker, or a multi-cooker.

But which one turns tough chuck meat and dried beans into mouth-watering chili?

To find out, Consumer Reports cooked batches of chili using a Dutch oven, slow cooker, and multi-cooker in its slow-cook and pressure-cook modes.

To appeal to a variety of tastes, we opted for a classic beef chili recipe with diced tomatoes, chicken broth, chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, cocoa, and jalapeño peppers. We used chunks of chuck roast (instead of ground beef) and dried, unsoaked pinto beans (instead of canned beans) to really challenge the cookware's and the appliances' ability to cook these tough-to-tenderize ingredients. Then we conducted a blind taste test with 10 CR staffers who ranked each batch based on color, aroma, flavor, texture, and heat. 

Here’s what we found, along with a few tips for getting the best results no matter which method you choose.

Dutch Oven Chili

Time required: 2½ hours (30 minutes to sear the meat and vegetables, 2 hours in the oven)

How we cooked it: We browned the beef and lightly cooked the vegetables in the Dutch oven on the stovetop before adding everything else (diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and spices) and cooked it in an oven set to 300° F for 2 hours.

Tasting notes: This chili looked nothing like the batches we made in the multi-cooker and slow cooker. It was thick, dark brown, and scored the lowest grade for color and one of the lowest for texture. “It’s dry, lumpy, and looks unappetizing,” said one taster. 

However, what it lacked in looks, it more than made up for in flavor. Our tasters scored the chili fairly high for aroma, flavor, and heat. The chili tasted deep and layered with enough sweetness to balance out the bitterness and heat. There was distinct chili flavor in the meat, though not as much in the beans, which were still a bit hard. And tasters noted that there was more afterburn from the spice with this batch compared with the others. “That residual heat really stays with you,” said one taster. This chili could have been the clear winner had it not been so dry.

Cooking tips: Presoak the beans. We didn’t soak the beans to keep the testing fair across the board, but doing so will prevent them from being undercooked and help them absorb some of the chili flavor. To prevent excessive evaporation (and a dry chili), tightly cover the pot in aluminum foil before putting on the lid.

For this chili cook-off, we used the Le Creuset Signature, our top-rated Dutch oven.

Multi-Cooker in Pressure-Cook Mode Chili

Time required: 1½ hours (30 minutes to sear the meat and vegetables, 15 minutes to build pressure inside the cooker, 45 minutes to cook)

How we cooked it: Using the multi-cooker, we seared the chuck using the sauté function, then lightly cooked the vegetables. Searing and sautéing in the multi-cooker is convenient because you don’t need to dirty a separate pan, but we found that the tall and narrow shape of the pot didn’t properly facilitate browning. Instead, the beef steamed in its own juices. In the lab, our multi-cooker tests have shown sautéing to be a weak spot for some models, too; the electric mechanism just can't get as hot as a pan on the stove. After adding the remaining ingredients, we locked the lid in place and cooked it on high pressure for 45 minutes.

Tasting notes: The chili was a beautiful reddish-brown color with just the right amount of gravy coating all the ingredients. Our panel deemed it one of the most attractive chilis in our test, but overall, it didn’t live up to expectations. “It smells oddly metallic,” noted one taster. “All I smell is cumin,” noted another. The chili had a slightly bitter taste but was otherwise bland. Perhaps the thick layer of burnt black chili we found stuck to the bottom of the pot was the culprit. Some beans were tender and some were hard, while the meat was fall-apart tender, so the chili didn’t cook consistently. And though the gravy had just the right thickness, it was a bit gritty.

Cooking tips: In order to get a proper sear on the meat, try browning it in small batches—our recipe said to brown the meat in two batches, 10 minutes each, but four batches would have been better. That doubles the prep time, though. Alternatively, you can sauté the meat and vegetables in a pan instead.

Multi-Cooker in Slow-Cook Mode Chili

Time required: 4½ hours (30 minutes to sear the meat and vegetables, 4 hours to slow-cook on the high-heat setting)

How we cooked it: We seared the chuck and lightly cooked the vegetables using the multi-cooker's sauté function. Just like the pressure-cooked batch, the pot steamed the beef instead of browning it. After adding the remaining ingredients, we locked the lid in place and slow-cooked the chili on high heat for 4 hours.

Tasting notes: This batch was a crowd favorite. “It has the best texture, and the meat falls apart nicely,” said one taster. “But where’s the heat?” asked another. The chilies seem to have lost their flavor in the slow-cook process, so points were docked for the lack of heat and aroma. However, this chili scored high for color and texture. Using the slow-cook mode in a multi-cooker works great if you like your chili mild. Had the beef browned properly, perhaps the flavor would have deepened.

Cooking tips: See our tip in the “Multi-Cooker in Pressure-Cook Mode” section, above. Also, consider boosting the flavor and aroma by adding more spices or throwing in some chilies at the end.

For this chili cook-off, we used the 6-qt. Zavor LUX LCD, our top-rated multi-cooker.

Slow Cooker Chili

Time required: 4½ hours (30 minutes to sear the meat and vegetables, 4 hours to slow cook on the high-heat setting)

How we cooked it: We seared the chuck and lightly cooked the vegetables in a skillet on the stove. We transferred these to the slow cooker, added the remaining ingredients, and slow-cooked on high heat for 4 hours.

Tasting notes: This batch had a layer of oil on top, no matter how many times we stirred it, so points were docked for that. Similar to the slow-cooked batch made in the multi-cooker, this chili lacked aroma and heat. It averaged a C for flavor because it tasted flat, though it was still beefier than the batch slow-cooked in the multi-cooker (perhaps because we browned the beef on the stove first). One taster remarked that the meat was tender and the beans were nice and al dente.

Cooking tips: Prevent a greasy chili by draining the fat rendered from the beef after browning. 

For this chili cook-off, we used the 6-qt. Hamilton Beach Temp Tracker, our top-rated slow cooker.

Chili Cook-Off Winner

For making great game-day chili, it’s a tie between the Dutch oven and the multi-cooker in slow-cook mode. Each requires some tweaking in the cooking methods to turn out a great chili, though. The Dutch oven chili had the best aroma, heat, and flavor, but it looked less than appetizing due to its dry texture. And the longer it sat, the thicker it got. Our cooking tips should help keep your chili from drying out. 

The chili we cooked in the multi-cooker in slow-cook mode was picture-perfect, with the ideal consistency and color. But the flavor and aroma fell flat. Though again, a couple of simple changes can up the flavor in your chili.

For more on small appliances and cookware, see Consumer Reports' ratings and buying guides for kitchen appliances and cookware. 

And one last piece of advice for great Super Bowl chili: Don’t forget the toppings! 

More from Consumer Reports:
Top pick tires for 2016
Best used cars for $25,000 and less
7 best mattresses for couples

Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2020, Consumer Reports, Inc.