Perhaps the biggest boost to the slow cooker's ego came when Lora Brody proved that it could be used to make food that is fit for a queen, the Queen of French Cuisine, that is. While researching her latest cookbook, a guide to some of the best kitchen appliances, Brody and a group of colleagues tested the recipes on Julia Child.

"We turned out a really great meal," she says. "And one of the entrees was a cassoulet that came out of a slow cooker." And what did the guest of honor think of the dish? "It knocked her socks off," says Brody.