Slow-cooked foods seem tailor-made when the mercury is low. Stews, soups and casseroles can simmer and gain great flavor through slow-cooking methods. But slow cooker appliances don't need to be stored away when spring flowers start to bud. In fact, this method of cooking can bridge the gap between cold weather cuisine and the grilled and chilled fare of summer days to come.

Rely on a slow cooker for potluck dinners or when you have to feed a crowd. "Suzie's Sloppy Joes" is a reinvented take on the traditional Sloppy Joe, and can feed the soccer team after practice or a busy family that has...