What's The Difference Between A Crock-Pot And Slow Cooker?

During busy weeks, dinner prep is probably the last thing you want to think about. That's exactly what makes slow cooker meals so appealing — you just toss all the ingredients inside the pot in the morning, and by evening, a perfectly delicious, hands-off meal is ready to eat. The same can be said about Crock-Pots, though, which may lead you to ask if these two appliances are the same thing. In short, yes: Crock-Pot is just a brand that makes slow cookers.

The concept of cooking food low and slow has been around for thousands of years. Various cultures like Aboriginal people and Indigenous Americans did so by burying food underground and heating it with hot rocks or clay. But modern, electric slow cookers are directly tied to the Jewish community of Vilnius, Lithuania. Because they couldn't cook on Shabbat, they would prepare a stew to leave inside the ovens of local bakeries. Residual heat would cook the dish until it became what's known as cholent. It's this tradition that inspired the Crock-Pot's original creator.

In the early 1900s, Irving Nachumsohn, a Jewish American living in New Jersey, learned about the low-and-slow cooking tradition from a family member. Looking for an alternative to cooking with his oven during the summer — which heated the entire kitchen to an unbearable degree — Nachumsohn set out to create an electric slow cooker. He filed a patent for the appliance and received approval in January 1940. He sold his slow cooker under the name "Naxon" through the 1950s and '60s.

Upon retiring in 1970, Nachumson sold the company to Rival Manufacturing. Rival breathed new life into the design, selling it in the era's trendy colors and with a new moniker: Crock-Pot. The appliance shot to stardom, and revenue from sales hit nearly $100 million just a few years later. It became a kitchen staple, perfect for the increasingly busy lives American families were leading, which included women going to work rather than staying home to cook. Decades later, the Crock-Pot is just as prominent. Some estimates indicate that around 12 million of these slow cookers are sold each year (via NPR).

The original Naxon design provided the foundation for modern slow cookers, but Crock-Pot is simply the brand name that became the most popular. Many other companies sell their own versions of slow cookers, which work in exactly the same manner as Crock-Pots. The base contains a heating element which, when plugged into a power source, turns on to cook the food inside the vessel. This method helps retain moisture, hence why it's ideal for soups and stews.

Slow cookers can be used to cook rich, flavorful meals, from weeknight chicken enchiladas to chili. There are also a lot of things you're not making in your slow cooker but should — like bread and even cheesecake. This appliance is a convenient way to keep foods warm during parties, too. Just beware of the mistakes everyone makes when using a slow cooker (like lifting the lid for a peek during the cooking process), and your low-and-slow meal should turn out perfect.