If you think your beloved and trusty slow-cooker is only good for slow braising meats and simmering soups and stews while you’re at work, you are sorely mistaken.

In fact, a variety of foods can be made low and slow in your favorite kitchen appliance. Everything from candy to cakes to buffalo wings — slow-cookers can do it all. Granted, it’s not a fast process, but using a slow-cooker is nearly foolproof, and it keeps your hands free to do whatever else you need to do.

The slow-cooker is especially handy during the holiday season; it makes it easy to serve a group of people, and it frees up oven and stovetop space for other cooking and baking needs. Another plus is that electricity is cheaper that gas — so using a slow-cooker is a bonafide win all around.

If you’re not convinced yet, scroll through the following collection of recipes, guaranteed to inspire you to break out your slow-cooker more often.

Apple Butter
Apple butter is a concentrated caramelized apple sauce with a spreadable richness. Making this in your slow-cooker may take a little time (almost 12 hours) but it is well worth the wait. P.S. the technique works well for pumpkin butter, too! Find the Slow-Cooker Apple Butter recipe here.

Apple Crisp
This ooey-gooey cinnamon-baked apple crisp is covered in a sweet oat crumble. Cook it in your slow-cooker on high for two hours and then on low for four. Then turn off the heat and leave it partially covered for up to an hour to let the sauce thicken. Don’t forget a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! Find the Apple Crisp recipe here.

Bananas Foster
Although the fun part of bananas Foster usually involves some flambé action, this slow-cooker method will have the bananas melting in your mouth. The flavors of caramel, rum, and walnut naturally complement fresh bananas in this classic dessert made easy. Check out the Bananas Foster recipe here.

Buffalo Wings
Use your slow-cooker to make super tender, never-dry chicken wings. Just place the wings in your slow-cooker and cover with your favorite sauce. Once they are cooked and tantalizingly tender, put the wings in an oven heated to 400 degrees F or place them under the broiler to give them a crispy exterior. Click here for the recipe.

Carrot Cake
Although designed for the oven, this cake can be made fully in your slow-cooker. Keep an eye on it, and when a cake tester or toothpick comes out nearly clean, turn off the heat. Just be aware that the ambient heat from the slow-cooker will continue to cook the cake even after you turn the cooker. Check out the Carrot Cake recipe here.

Chocolate Lava Cake
Chocolate-lovers rejoice: Everyone who tries this dessert falls in love with it. Plus, if you use a liner in your slow-cooker, cleanup is a breeze. Find the Chocolate Lava Cake recipe here.

Chocolate Candy
The gentle heat from the slow-cooker is ideal for melting chocolate. Not only will the dry heat ensure that the chocolate won’t seize, it will also make it impossible to burn the chocolate morsels as they melt. Once the chocolate is melted (and this does take some time) and you’re ready to use it, temper the chocolate and then ladle it into small candy/cupcake liners and allow it to harden.

Cinnamon French Toast
Prep everything the night before and plug the slow-cooker in just before you turn in for the night. In the morning you’ll be awakened with a deliciously sweet aroma of a French toast breakfast ready to eat. Click here for the recipe.

Cornbread
Don’t have a cast-iron skillet? No worries! Brush butter along the inside of the slow-cooker and then pour in the batter — it’s that simple. Check out the recipe here.

Dulce de Leche
With the slow-cooker method, you can make a large batch of luxurious and simple dulce de lechewithout ever fussing or worrying about burning it. This low and slow method might take longer, but it is absolutely foolproof. Banoffee Pie anyone?

French Onion Dip
Start by using the slow-cooker to deeply caramelized onions. This intense rich flavor tops a homemade yogurt sauce with a zesty tang that balances the sweetness of the onions. For this recipe, click here.

Jalapeño Spinach Dip
Everyone loves spinach dip, and this version is as easy as it is delicious. Just mix the ingredients together in the slow-cooker for a savory and creamy appetizer. Click here to see the Crock-Pot Jalapeño Spinach Dip recipe.

Mac and Cheese
Mac and cheese is the homiest, most delicious comfort food you can treat yourself to. Just imagine coming home from a tiring day at work and being welcomed with a steaming pot of cheesy noodle casserole. You’ll be in heaven, we promise! Click here for the recipe.

Mulled Apple Cider
This cider is perfect for serving friends on a chilly night; you can use your slow-cooker for mulled wineor Scandinavian glögg as well. Click here to check it out.

Party Mix
Use your slow-cooker to make a delicious party mix perfect for that holiday party around the corner. You can make it while you check other items off your party list. For this recipe for Slow-Cooker Chex Mix, click here.

Peanut Butter Fudge
Peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven. When these two ingredients are combined in the slow-cooker, they melt to form the perfect base for creamy and luscious fudge that’s super simple to make. Click here for the Peanut Butter Fudge recipe.

Poached Pears
Simply poach fresh pears in liquid, anything from green tea to white or red wine, until tender — it’s as easy as that! Click here for our best poached pear recipes.

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Cooking cheesecake in the slow-cooker produces wonderful, creamy, and surprising results (seriously, cheesecake in a slow-cooker? Absolutely!). Check out the recipe here.

Risotto
Traditionally, risotto requires constant attention and stirring to activate the starches in the rice. Yet by using your slow-cooker, you can free up your hands and cut back on the labor required for this classic Italian dish. This technique calls for all the stock to be added at once, and the gentle heat of the slow-cooker cooks the rice to a perfectly rich and creamy al dente. Check out the recipe here.

Roasted Peppers
You can create the same roasted pepper taste and tender texture in your slow-cooker that you get when you actually roast red peppers over a flame. Just rub the inside of your slow-cooker with olive oil. Halve and seed your bell peppers, and place them in the oiled base. Simply cook on high for three hours, and then remove the lid and allow the peppers to cool. The skins should easily peel right off.

Stock
The flavor of homemade stock beats the store-bought variety any day, and your slow-cooker makes it easier than ever. Place all of your stock ingredients in the base and cook on high for about six hours to achieve a rich and flavorful stock. Click here for more stock recipes.

SOURCE: The Daily Meal, Rachael Pack