Five reasons to fall in love with slow cookers again and five crockpot recipes

Your mom might own one, and your grandmother probably does for sure, but you may have turned your nose up at this obscure-looking piece of kitchen equipment that looks a bit like a pot but with a dial, plug and maybe even some old-fashioned flower design on the side. But guess what? Slow cooking has made a comeback with a vengeance. So dust off that old crockpot because I've got five reasons why you should start using it today.

Five reasons to fall in love with slow cookers

1. No more slaving over a hot stove! Slow cookers do all the work for you. Just place your ingredients in the ceramic dish, turn it on and step away. Go off and spend some time with your family and friends. Eight hours later you’ll return to the smell of Beef Bourguignon.

2. Easy clean up! For some recipes, everything goes straight into one pot, and there’s no pre-cooking. Feed a crowd with our Classic Baked Beans. And you don't even need to soak the beans beforehand!

3. Be green. Slow cookers use less energy than a conventional electric oven. Instead of baking in the oven, try our Apple-Berry Brown Betty in your slow cooker. Turn it on just before dinner and this tasty treat is ready just in time for dessert.

4.They’re trendy! Gone are the days of grease-stained old-fashioned slow cookers. These days, they’re stylish and you can even use the prettier ones as serving dishes. Wow your guests with a Moroccon Vegetable Stew straight out of the slow cooker (literally)!

5. Some meats require long cooking times to tenderize. Instead of braising your Pulled Pork with Ginger-Bourbon Sauce in the oven or on stovetop, cook it slowly, tenderly in your slowcooker. Pair it with a Tangled Southern Slaw.