Luckily for all of us who are “science challenged,” it doesn’t take a degree in physics to operate a slow cooker. It’s about the easiest machine there is on the market. It’s certainly far less complicated than an espresso machine or even a waffle maker. In this chapter you’ll learn about slow cookers and how to get the best results from them.

Slow cookers are inexpensive to operate; they use about as much electricity as a 60-watt bulb. They are also as easy to operate as flipping on a light switch.

Slow cookers operate by cooking food using indirect heat at a Low temperature for an extended period of time. Here’s the difference: Direct heat is the power of a stove burner underneath a pot, while indirect heat is the overall heat that surrounds foods as they bake in the oven.

You can purchase a slow cooker for as little as $20 at a discount store, while the top-of-the-line ones sell for more than $200. They all function in the same simple way; what increases the cost is the “bells and whistles” factors. Slow cookers come in both round and oval shapes, but they operate the same regardless of shape.