Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

January is Slow Cooker Month and properly so. One might ask why the authorities didn’t call it crock pot month. People tend to use the terms “crock pot” and “slow cooker” interchangeably, but that’s a wrong assumption. Crock-Pot is a brand name that came on the market in the 1970s. Other stoneware pots surrounded by a heating elements followed Crock-Pot’s debut and all are referred to as slow cookers. By any name, they get the job done. They cook low and slow and do all of the work while you’re away.

Here is the story of a kitchen appliance that has become a homey household standard. Nearly 12 million slow cookers are purchased annually. They have a place of honor in about 80 percent of American homes.

The first slow cooker to be manufactured was known as the Naxon Beanery. In 1936 Irving Naxon (Nachumsohn) applied for a patent for a food heating device. The device consisted of an insert held up by a case that held a heating device which facilitated eve...