National Slow Cooking Month - January 2025

Food & Beverage Cooking Food

Chances are there is a slow cooker in your house. Many might wonder, “what is so great about a slow cooker?” Besides easier clean up and more free time on your hands, the slow cooker played a major part in changing the family dynamic in the late twentieth century by letting women go back to work, and still have a home-made meal ready. Let us dig into why January is known as National Slow Cooking month.

National Slow Cooking Month timeline

1979: The “Crock Pot” survives the energy crisis
Due to decreased oil output during the Iranian Revolution, American households relied heavily on the “Crock Pot” because it used the same amount of energy as an incandescent light bulb, compared to running an oven.
1972: “The Beanery” gets a rebrand
Naxon’s product, called “The Beanery,” is rebranded to be called the, “Crock Pot.”
1940: Slow cooker revolution begins
Irving Naxon receives his U.S. patent for a slow bean cooker which was inspired by his grandmothers cooking in Lithuania

Slow Cookers Affected Holy Days
Slow cookers were first created with religious days in mind, so that families, could still eat a warm meal during those days.
Slow Cooking Goes High Tech
Some Slow Cookers offer extra functions that allow people to saute meat, steam vegetables, and make yogurt.
America's Favorite Cooking Method
Over eighty percent of American households own a slow cooker.
Throw-back to Vintage Commercials
One of the most memorable slow cooker slogans in the twentieth century was, “Cooks all day while the cook’s away.”
Slow Cooking Goes Global
There are more than six hundred thousand Google searches involving the words, “slow cooker,” every month.

National Slow Cooking Month Activities

Find a new recipe
Watch cooking shows, and be inspired! Slow cookers are perfect for all types of entrees and desserts.
Host a slow-cooker potluck party
Invite everyone you know and give them this simple rule — everyone must slow cook their potluck meal. The best part about this party idea is no matter who doesn’t show up on time there will be enough warm food to go around.
Teach children how to cook
Bond with the little ones in your family by teaching them how to cook. Slow cookers are a safe solution when cooking around children. Whether they're your own children or younger relatives, give kids a chance to prove how responsible they are.

Why We Love National Slow Cooking Month

It's made for convenience
Whether you are a college student or part of a family of six, slow cookers make the hassle of dinner disappear. No matter what food you cook, as long as you follow the proper safety precautions, your food will be ready by the time you get home.
Clean up is easy
No more struggling with gross pans and sticky grease surfaces. You can have all the food you want, and all you have to do is wash one pot. Ah, simplicity at its best!
Slow cookers take us back to the good ‘ol days.
Remember when cooking was not a priority to survival, and someone else use to cook for you? Well, this machine does all the work for you! Slow cookers tend to have this magical power of taking even the most unsavory of recipes and sending you back to your child hood memories of home-made meals.