Now in the 21st century they come in various sizes, with digital displays, multiple settings, dual dials and programmable timers; a long way from its humble beginnings. From the squatty ceramic bean pot, which sat on an electrical tray, the slow cooker (often referred to by the trade name Crock-Pot) has become a standard appliance in approximately 70 percent of American households.

Irving Naxon is given credit by many writers for the invention of what could be argued is the most popular cooking appliance today. Naxon remembered the stories his mother told him about growing up in Lithuania where working in the kitchen was taboo on the Sabbath. But his grandmother found a way to get food cooked on this day anyway by putting an uncooked Jewish stew called cholent in the oven on Friday when the oven was being used. When using it wasn’t allowed on the Sabbath, it was still warm enough to cook the stew slowly. By sundown on Saturday, it was ready to eat. Thus the electric bean pot was...