Slow cookers have been around for decades, and while many get stuffed in the back of a cabinet or a dark garage, this handy kitchen appliance has made a comeback in recent years.  If yours is collecting dust and feeling neglected and alone, here are six scrumptious reasons to dust it off  and rekindle an old flame:

1. It is a slow, but steady friend. In a world of live chats, text messages, and microwaves, it is amazing that a cooking device that requires several hours to complete its job is still one of the best kitchen inventions around. The slow cooker is to food what the washing machine is to clothes—it does the work for you, while you do something else.
2. It’s forgiving. Most of the time, all the ingredients are added at the beginning. But should you forget something…like vegetables, herbs, or spices, your cooker won’t mind if you pop in these ingredients later on—no questions asked.
3. It’s a low-maintenance relationship. This ingenious pot never boils, and the slow cooker wouldn’t want you standing over it anyway. It just wants you to check on it when you get home from work, an hour or so before the meal, or shortly before you’re ready to eat. A quick stir is really all it asks of you!
4. It multitasks for you and keeps everyone’s schedule in mind. No mixing one part of the main dish while cooking up another. It cooks for a predetermined amount of time, and then clicks itself to the “warm” setting, keeping food hot for hours.  It knows that the middle-school child needs supper before dance class at 5:30 pm, and that the high-school athlete will want extra food after sports practice, so it’s all ready and waiting. When they walk into the kitchen for dinner, hand them a serving spoon, and point them in the right direction. The cooker and the family will take it from there.
5. It is discreet. Your slow cooker won’t flaunt your relationship by blasting heat throughout your kitchen or sending steam up to the ceiling. It is perfectly content to sit humbly in a corner on your countertop, emanating the scrumptious fragrance of cooked food with little energy or fanfare.

If life sometimes feels like it’s on fast forward, why not unearth the old slow cooker tonight and plan an easy one-pot meal. This could be the beginning of a wonderful relationship and might just turn up the heat into your kitchen!