When a chilly morning makes the thought of dinner later feel like one task too many, the slow cooker can take over early.

For some home cooks, the slow cooker is the fairy godmother of kitchen appliances. Toss a few ingredients into the crock (maybe sear the meat or sauté some veg, if you like), set the timer, go about ...

For easy clean-up, place a cooking bag in your slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and sear in a pan over medium heat to brown all over, then transfer chicken to a large slow cooker. Add ...

When turning on the oven sounds like more effort than dinner deserves, the slow cooker can take over most of the cooking ...

Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD, is a food editor, recipe developer, farmer and dietitian who has worked in all facets of the food world. She has more than 20 years of experience cooking professionally ...