Slow Cooker Recipes and Tips

A slow-cooker is a busy cook’s best friend. Get great recipes, time-saving tips, and inventive new uses for your crock pot.

Dinner Made Easy

25 Easy Slow-Cooker Recipes
Fill it up, plug it in, and come home to one of these cozy, comforting slow-cooker meals.

6 No-Fuss Slow-Cooker Meals

From lasagna to lemon poppyseed cake, a savory selection of weeknight staples that need no tending.

Photo: Anson Smart

Your Slow Cooking Questions, Answered

Learn the basics about your kitchen’s secret weapon.

Photo: Beatriz da Costa

10 Best Slow Cookers

When it comes to setting it and forgetting it, these slow cookers are your best bet.

Photo: target.com

Did we have you at one-pot? Simple recipe, minimal gear, and cleanup is easy. To wash up a seasoned cast-iron skillet, don’t use soap or scouring powder, which will harm its coating. Sprinkle with kosher salt, scrub with a paper towel, then rinse with hot water. Dry with paper towels, and apply a coat of vegetable oil.

Photo: Marcus Nilsson

Roast Beef With Slow-Cooked Tomatoes and Garlic

Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Programmable Stovetop Slow Cooker

One-Pot Recipes

Plate of pulled pork with tortillas and limes

3 Hearty, One-Pot Meals
These recipes allow you to toss everything into one skillet or stockpot, then turn your attention elsewhere while it cooks.

Easy Skillet Dinners
These six delicious one-pot meals make cleanup a snap.

Beyond-Basic Spice Checklist

Are you an avid cook or baker? For a well-stocked pantry, supplement the items on Real Simple’s Basic Spice List with the following.

Allspice. Though it tastes like a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, this aromatic seasoning is really just a single spice. It complements both sweet dishes (think apple and pumpkin pies) and savory dishes (such as Caribbean jerk chicken).
Ancho chilies, ground. Often described as having a spicy raisin flavor, ancho chilies are sweeter than most other varieties. Commonly used in Mexican cuisine.
Anise seeds. These greenish brown seeds have a licorice flavor. Delicious in both sweet and savory recipes, they’re particularly prevalent in Italian and Southeast Asian cooking.

View The Entire Checklist