The Absolute Best Way To Prepare Baked Beans Is Also The Easiest

We're used to popping open a can of baked beans as an easy side to a barbecue, cookout, or to bring on a camping trip. But if you've ever taken the time to cook up from-scratch, slow-cooked beans the old fashioned way, you know the payoff. If you can't be bothered with all the time over the stove that transforms a bag of dried beans into the smoky, rich, caramely side dish, though, there's an easier way — your slow cooker. 

The handy countertop appliance is by far the least labor-intensive method for beans and the saving grace of busy foodies everywhere. It makes it possible to toss in ingredients for a spicy beef chili in the morning as you're running out the door, and does all the heavy lifting for you so dinner's ready by the time you get home. It also takes all the leg work out of tasks you'd traditionally have to toil over the stove for hours for, including making caramelized onions and, yes, tackling dried beans. 

You can dump all the basic baked bean ingredients into the pot — dried beans, perhaps bacon for flavor, brown sugar, molasses, onions, your liquid, and any other add-ins your recipe calls for — set it on low, and let it cook for the better part of day. Depending on the bean you're using, you may want to pre-soak the beans first, so always follow what your recipe recommends.

Whether you're making something savory such as baked beans or sweeter fare such as apple-cinnamon steel-cut oatmeal, it's very possible to transform a traditional recipe using the oven or stovetop into one for a slow cooker. Of course, not everything lends itself to slow cooking, but heartier fare with higher moisture levels, including grains, beans, soups, and stews, tend to do beautifully. Plan to need less overall cooking time, in general, and less added liquid than you'd need on the stovetop. 

There's so much to love about baked beans: The dish is protein-rich, can easily be made vegetarian or vegan, you can turn up or down the heat and sweetness to your liking, and it's as affordable as it gets. Plus, the prep work is essentially done for you by the slow cooker, turning this simple, rustic fare into a hands-off recipe that you can start in the morning and come home to at night. Because the slow cooker process gives the beans the long, slow simmering they need to become perfectly soft, saucy, and infused with rich flavor — with much less work for the chef — baked beans and a slow cooker are a match made in side dish heaven.