We're pretty happy with our $40 Rival slow cooker. It makes lovely chicken stock, pork roast, and tender curry.

But we just about fell over when we saw this new slow cooker from All-Clad... More

Homemade stock is kitchen magic, an alchemy that turns ragged stalks and bones into liquid gold. All it takes is a chicken carcass, vegetables, and water. And yet I let chicken bones and celery pile up in my freezer, reluctant to keep my stove on for an entire evening.

Then I had a brilliant idea - use the slow cooker! With homemade stock bright in my mind, a Google search quickly disabused me of any notions of originality. Lots of people make stock in their slow cooker, and for good reason. More