Crock Pots make for merry family affairs.

• Position: Kitchen appliance - WHAT'S NEW?

Although the downturn of the economy has brought about a lot of changes, one of them has turned out to be not all that bad: the return to home cooking. Takeout is convenient, for sure, but it can get quite pricey, and it seems to add to our frenetic pace by fueling an on-the-go lifestyle. Cozy family dinners, on the other hand, seem to have the opposite effect. We're certainly enjoying our time together and, in the end, we're reminded that nothing beats a home-cooked meal--plus there are the benefits of being able to control the quality of ingredients such as the amount of salt and fats that are added.

Of course, we're still as busy as can be, but it's a great feeling to know that, after just a few minutes of prep lime in the morning, we can toss our ingredients into one of Jarden Consumer Solutions' Crock-Pots and our dinner will be ready when we are. The Boca Raton, Fla., company, which first introduced this revolutionary way of cooking nearly 40 years ago, has modernized its line to include sleek designs, removable stoneware for easy clean-up, programmable functions, and some models that offer two or three crocks for added versatility.

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The Crock-Pot Programmable Slow Cooker with Touch Screen Technology ($129.99) is the ultimate in convenience and style. With a digital user interface and polished...