1. Versatility-You can cook just about anything in a Crock-Pot, from French dip and pulled pork sandwiches, to turkey breasts, to soups and stews. The slow cooker knows no bounds, leaving you free to explore and invent new recipes as you go.
2. Melt-in-your-your mouth meat-Operating a Crock-Pot on low heat over a prolonged period of time produces tender meat that hasn't dried out in a blazing hot oven. You can cook large cuts of meal all day in slow cookers, using the higher setting only when you need to speed things up. The result: easily shreddable chicken breasts or short ribs so tender that the meat falls off the bone.
3. The lazy man's kitchen appliance-By and large, using a Crock-Pot is quite the laissez-faire endeavor. Popular with moms (and dads) the world over, it allows you to play a spectator role in the cooking process, simply requiring a stir here or a basting there. So turn it on and go about your day -- you won't be spending it in the kitchen.
4. Awesome flavor-Cooking dishes for six or eight hours melds flavors together in a way that just doesn't happen if you're rushing through the cooking process. This is especially true of dishes like chili, which often taste better on the second day.
5. Less mess-Crock-Pot cooking usually involves, well, throwing all the ingredients into a giant Crock-Pot. No need for saute pans or soup pots cluttering up the stove. And as every home cook knows, the one-pot method is a godsend when it comes to cleaning up.
Tomorrow: My recipe for a tangy Crock Pot North Carolina Pulled Pork!
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