ALL-EVENING WINTER WARMERS

Back in the day, people kept hot punches on the sideboard at most holiday parties. But who has a sideboard with a warming tray anymore? Don’t worry: You can still go retro and offer a hot punch at your next winter party, thanks to the slow cooker. It’ll keep the punch perfect all evening, a great new use for an already useful kitchen tool. And don’t forget: If you’ve got a multi-cooker that you’re using for pressure-cooker recipes, it’s got a slow-cooker setting and can certainly be used to prepare these tasty punches, so long as you don’t engage the pressure valve.

Test Kitchen Notes

• If your slow cooker has a nonstick coating on its insert, use a plastic ladle, rather than a metal one, to keep from scratching the coating.

• Some slow cookers will only stay on a keep-warm setting for 4 hours. If so, unplug it and cover the cooker. Plug in again, set it on the low setting for 30 minutes, then let it again flip to its keep-warm setting.

• Have a couple of clean towels near the cooker if yours is a help-yourself affair.