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Slow-cooked macaroni and cheeseThe slow-cooker is used as a cooking device to slowly cook meals over the course of several hours. The slow-cooker also can keep food warm throughout the day until food is ready to be served. Slow-cooker recipes are popular with frugal families who like to have dinner ready when they get home from work and school, and the recipes also save both time and money. Slow-cooker recipes create delicious home-cooked meals that are hearty and nutritious. - Slow cooking started to become popular in the early 1970s, when many women were beginning to go back to work instead of staying at home being homemakers. They wanted to provide the same healthy home-cooked meal choices to their families in less time than it took to cook a full meal. Many times the recipe was prepped in the morning before leaving for work and then slow-cooked all day in an electric slow-cooker. By the time suppertime rolled around, the slow-cooker had finished cooking the meal. Some of the recipes that were originally cooked in slow-cookers--such as roasts, chili and chicken--have been revolutionized with a modern twist, such as barbecue pork and pizza supreme.
- Slow-cookers vary in size from 7-, 6-, 5- and 3-quart slow-cookers. The larger sized slow-cookers can be used for main meal recipes, such as pot roasts and lasagna to feed a large family of four or five or also serve as a good food warmer for large parties or get-togethers. Medium-sized and small slow-cookers are great for creating side dish recipes such as baked beans and small vegetable casseroles. There are slow-cookers called "little dippers" that hold dip recipes such as a hot cheesy crab dip and a hot spinach dip. You can create full-course recipes from any size of slow-cooker.
- The types of recipes that can be created in a slow-cooker include breakfast recipes such as egg dishes, hash browns and cheese casseroles. Lunch recipes include chili mac and sloppy joes. There are several recipes that can be created in the slow-cooker for dinners or get-together meals, such as meatloaf, chicken enchiladas and even seafood gumbo.
- Slow-cooker recipes are no fuss and come without a lot of added ingredients, which makes them a favorite for busy households or for huge get-togethers where a lot of food must be prepared for a large group of people. The benefits of using slow-cooker recipes for a meal are great because they not only save time on meal prep, they also save on clean-up. Only one pot gets dirty! Slow-cooker recipes are a great way to share family-favorite food dishes with children and loved ones that have been passed down from generation to generation.
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The time frame for preparing a slow-cooker recipe is generally minimal. Basic ingredients such as meats and vegetables are placed in the slow-cooker early and then allowed to cook throughout the day with minimal assistance.
Most slow-cooker meals take several hours to cook, especially if the food is raw, such as the meat and vegetables. If the slow-cooker recipe just needs to be heated up, you can keep the food warm for hours at a time. Appetizers typically can't be overcooked, so a low-temperature heat setting for up to 30 minutes before serving is recommended. Time frames vary by the slow-cooker and the recipe, but slow-cooking the food will allow for exquisite flavor and blending of tastes and ingredients.
