Slow cookers, which are also known as crockpots, are a great way for anyone who’s busy (and who isn’t?) to make a full meal with very little effort. There are a lot of advantages to using these nifty machines that over the years have gone from having one or two simple settings and an in/off switch to being digitized infusers of flavor and tenderness.

Slow cookers work on the basic principle that the food is cooked at a fast enough pace to ensure that bacteria will not set in but at a slow enough pace that allows whatever you are cooking to become ultra-tender. Whenever you use your slow cooker, you want to make sure that the top is securely in place. You do this for two reasons. First, the top keeps the heat in, allowing your meal to get done in a timely fashion. Second, that top traps the moisture, which, along with the low heat setting, helps to make your dinner savory.

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Barbecue—It Ain’t Grilling

The summer is a great time for barbecuing and grilling. Often people will use the terms barbecue and grill interchangeably. But the fact is that one has very little to do with the other. Let’s take a look at each to see how you can best utilize each type of cooking method.

Barbecue Vs. Grilling

Here’s the difference between barbecuing and grilling. When you barbecue foods you cook them over an indirect heat source and at a low temperature. Additionally, barbecuing tends to involve using smoke generated from the burning of certain types of wood, such as mesquite, to add flavor to the food. Barbecuing takes hours—often four to eight. The beauty of this method is it slowly infuses flavor and it makes meats and poultry extremely tender. Often rubs are used to flavor meats prior to putting them on the BBQ.

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