Put a bunch of stuff in a pot. Put on the lid. Turn it on. Leave. Come back 7 or 8 hours later, remove the lid, enjoy a delicious meal.

Slow cookers are great for busy people who want home-cooked meals. Trouble is, they just aren’t sexy. You’ll never see one used on a cooking show. Never ever.

But that doesn’t mean they’re not useful. Last year we had a bus strike in Ottawa. The traffic was terrible; we’d spend an hour or more on the road, both ways. It was really nice to come home and not have to cook dinner; it was already waiting for us in our slow cooker.

Chili is perfect for a slow cooker.¹

The requirement to let chili sit for a few hours while all the ingredients mingle together is the only thing a slow cooker can do.

Serving it inside bread really punches up the presentation. I’d only bother doing that for guests, which I did for the Super Bowl last weekend.

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1. Unfortunately, I discovered my slow cooker was broken when I took it out to make this. The control knob plate was ripped off its screws, so it just hangs there by wires. Now I can get a new one with a timer! Always a silver lining. [↩]

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Posted 12 February 10 in Recipes
Tagged: beans, beef, bread, chili, classics, cocoa, slow-cooker.