I inherited my first slow cooker from my mother. When I was a very poor grad student, it became the center of my kitchen. I could eat for half the price by cooking everything from scratch. Plus, it cooked while I was in class. I managed to stay within my food budget and feed all my friends most nights, too.
A versatile appliance, the slow cooker goes way beyond preconceived limitations. It can even stand in for a rice cooker or an oven in a pinch. It’s a great way to extend your kitchen during the holidays, and it can double as a buffet server, too.
Because I work all day, it allows me to either come home to a ready-to-eat meal or prepare one as soon as I get home. I like to make some of the 2-hour dishes after work, then go for a walk or do a few chores around the house while it’s cooking. The best part is that neither way requires me to be in the kitchen the whole cooking time.
In the winter I cook breakfast in it, and I usually come home to a hearty stew. But people often forget that it puts off very little heat and is a perfect addition to your kitchen in the summer as well. Impress your friends with focaccia or pizza from the slow cooker and a simple salad on a summer’s evening.
Another unexpected place to use your slow cooker is camping. It’s not so good for backpackers, but it’s perfect for car or RV camping. You can even buy slow cookers that run on 12 volts and cook right in your car! I love coming back from a hike or swim to a big pot of jambalaya to eat by the fire.
The slow cooker is a perfect tool for a vegan kitchen. Instead of buying cans of beans, you can cook yours without all the salt while you’re at work or asleep. Soups and stews really meld well together after cooking all day, and you can even make pasta and rice dishes in it. You may just find yourself as enamored with your slow cooker as I am with mine. But try not to accumulate as many slow cookers as I have. People will start to talk!