I don't own a crockpot, but I do a LOT of stewing.
You guys don't see it in the stuff I post, but when I'm not cooking for others, I make large batches of stews to feed myself.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Good stews generally start with browning off your meat. I don't think you can do this in your average slow cooker. When I have used them, I brown off in a pan first, then dump the ingredients into the slow cooker.
- Is this for 1 person, 2 people or a family?
I have discovered that as I am cooking more often, that doing menus for larger groups of friends (6+), is that stew on mashed potatoes is just as simple regardless of number of people.
- What is your evening schedule like?
I am usually home in the evening, I find it just fine to stew at night, fridge it before bed and nuke it when I'm home from work.
If that's the case, consider a Dutch Oven.
It's an enamel coated cast iron pot.
I use mine for stew, soups and deep frying.
And it will brown your meat (solves my question #1).
Also, if you make a stew, you can just put the meat to a plate, then reduce the sauce right in the same vessel.
So it really depends on your usage.