Crock-pots (or slow cookers - whichever name you like)

Before going to college, my mom bought me a 1.5 quart CrockPot. Being 17, my thought was "what am I supposed to do with this??" and it sat in my closet for a couple years. I had grown up on slow cooker meals, but I associated them with cooking pinto beans, starting from dry beans, or with pot roast and potatoes - not college food.

When I moved off-campus, I started using it and realized how nice they can be! Mine is actually not meant for cooking full meals, though I think it works fine, and only has the "low" setting. I would recommend one that does have the "high" option. It works especially well for things like chili where you want the flavors to really mingle. If you don't have one, consider it and look at the recipes here. If you do have one, those recipes still look super yummy.

For our crock pot recipes, we will put the prep time and the cook time, but the tags will be based on the prep time because that's really all the attention you'll have to give it. You can find safety tips, including how to tell if your cooker heats properly, here if you want to be sure you are using your cooker properly to avoid undercooking and the possibility of food poisoning.