Tips and tricks for savory slow-cooked meals

FALLBROOK – Kitchen gadgets come and go, but one mainstay continues to deliver tasty meals with ease.

The Crock-Pot®, dubbed the original slow cooker, was invented in 1940 by Irving Nachumsohn. This slow cooker was created to cook a traditional stew eaten on the Jewish sabbath. Because faithful Jews are forbidden from cooking on the Sabbath, Nachumsohn found the stew could easily be prepared prior and allowed to cook unattended, then carried to dinner, meeting the Sabbath requirements.

It was another 30 years before the slow cooker garnered widespread acclaim. That newfound popularity develope...