Since the lid stays on the slow cooker for the duration of the cooking time, not much liquid escapes (unlike when you cook on the stove), so your food will end up nice and saucy. To be honest, all of the recipes below could easily be made in a saucepan or in the oven, if you don't have a slow cooker. A slow cooker doesn't do anything that couldn't be done in another way. Basically, anything that benefits from a long cooking time is great to cook in the slow cooker. Caramelised onions, for example, just get better and better the longer you cook them, so they're the ideal thing to cook in a slow cooker.

I wouldn't add something like broccoli to a slow cooker (unless you're planning to blend it into soup!), as it just turns to mush if it's cooked for too long. Vegetarian slow cooker recipes Your dinner can be prepared earlier in the day when you may have more time on your hands, and may be in less of a rush, and then it'll be ready to eat later on.