How to make slow-cooker Beef and Barley Soup

The slow, moist heat of a slow cooker is ideal for stews, sauce-based dishes and for tenderizing inexpensive cuts of meat. It will bake beans evenly and produce fall-off-the-bone pulled pork. It also turns out a mean chicken stock. Slow cookers will not produce crispy chicken, and nicer cuts of meat, such as pork tenderloin or filet mignon, will be ruined. Pastas can be tricky (they can turn mushy), and delicate cream sauces and white fish require careful timing.