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Kelly Cole of San Francisco spends the bulk of her day homeschooling her two kids, Rbecca, 8, and Jonathan, 6. By the time her husband, Mark, returns home from work at 6:30 p.m., Cole doesn't feel like delving into dinner prep. "That hour before dinner is hectic, no matter how prepared I am beforehand," she says. "I'd love to be able to put a great meal on the table and still be in a frame of mind to enjoy it with my family."

Slow-cooker dishes are an ideal option for Cole and other busy folks. Chop and brown a few ingredients, place them in the cooker, and set the controls. Enticing aromas fill the house throughout the day and, come dinner time, just lift the top and serve.

Slow cookers have recently experienced a surge in popularity. Time-pressed cooks use slow cookers to transform tough, inexepnsive cuts of meat into succulent meals with minimal effort. Our collection of recipes featuring international tastes proves the slow cooker delivers delicious results that suit the modern global palate.

For Best Slow-cooker Results

Brown is Better. Strictly speaking, meat doesn't need to be browned before it's added to the slow cooker, but it's a step we find worth the effort. The caramelized surface of the meat will lend rich flavor to the finished dish. And meat dredged in flour before browning will add body to the sauce. Ground meat should always be browned and drained before going into the slow cooker. Otherwise, it may clump and add grease to the dish.

Spice Judiciously. Whole spices and dried herbs like cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, caraway seeds, and peppercorns will give intense flavor to a dish that cooks for several hours, so be careful not to overdo them. Chopped fresh herbs such as parsley remain vibrant if you stir them in near the end or when the dish is finished.

Don't Break It. Darily products--particularly fat-free or reduced-fat items--will curdle if simmered for long. To keep these ingredients from breaking, add them to the dish near the end of the cooking time.

Use Less Liquid. Because the slow cooker generates steam that doesn't escape, there will be more liquid in the food when it's finished cooking than when it started. If you create or adapt a recipe for the slow cooker, decrease (by as much as half) the amount of liquid you normally use in the dish.

High or Low? Use the HIGH setting if you need to cook a more tender cut of meat relatively quickly. But for tougher cuts, it's best to use the LOW setting and cook longer to allow time for the meat to grow tender. Generally, cooker temperatures range from 170 to 280.

No Peeking. Don't be tempted to lift the lid until the dish is done. The steam generated during slow cooking is part of the cooking medium. Opening the lid will release this steam and increase cooking time. Moreover, when you lift the lid, temperatures can drop into the "danger zone" (between 40 and 140) where bacteria multiply rapidly.

Account for Variables. Our Test Kitchens professionals have found some slow cookers--particularly some newer models--cook hotter than others. In one instance, liquid imperceptibly evaporated from the cooker, leaving far less sauce than when the same dish was prepared in a different model. Because not all slow cookers are created equal, don't rely on the stated cook time for a recipe until you know how your cooker behaves.

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