Slow Cooker
Said to be making a comeback now that we’re in an economic downturn, the slow cooker never really left—at least not for long. The first model on the market was the Crock-Pot, introduced in 1971 by the Rival Company; people went crazy for the little electric pot that cooked dinner while they were off at work, and sales reached $93 million by 1975. Other manufacturers soon got into the game, and while sales of slow cookers dipped in the 1980s, they’ve been going strong since the mid-’90s—today, about four-fifths of American households own a slow cooker. We make all kinds of things in them, from soup to nut cake, but the best slow-cooked dishes are indeed the most budget-friendly: low-cost cuts of meat, braised until tender, and simple one-pot bean dishes or stews flavored with a few key herbs and spices.
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