12 easy Memorial Day side dishes you can make in a slow cooker

You might not know that you can parboil potatoes in a slow cooker. To do so, chop and cover the potatoes with water, a little salt and pepper, and butter and cook them until they're fork-tender, usually about six hours on low.

Then, mix together the dressing for your potato salad as you normally would, such as mayonnaise, dill, whole grain mustard, and a splash of red wine vinegar.

"I love to make spinach and artichoke dip in my slow cooker," Chungah Rhee, the author of the blog Damn Delicious, told Insider.

"You can just free up so much of your time by using a slow cooker and hang out with your guests instead of laboring in the kitchen," Rhee continued. "Especially for side dishes or dips. You put it all together, set the time and it comes out ready to go."

One of the benefits of making a slow-cooker Buffalo chicken dip — or any other side dish in a slow cooker — is that it can be prepared well ahead of time and reheated when you're ready to eat.

Chungah Rhee's advice for someone using a slow cooker for the first time this summer for entertaining is actually to start out with a dip or side dish.

"If for some reason it doesn't turn out, because we all know that can happen using an appliance for the first time, it's not detrimental to your dinner party being a success," she said.

"Another favorite of mine is this corn and jalapeño dip," Rhee told Insider.

One of the best ways to utilize braised and slow-cooked pork shoulder is to make pulled pork sliders with all that tender meat.

To take the dish to the next level, top your meat with barbecue sauce and slaw before sandwiching it between two fluffy brioche buns or potato rolls. Or, use the carnitas to make delicious tacos.

"Brisket is a natural partner for the slow cooker, as a gentle braise renders it meltingly tender," Kim Laidlaw writes in her cookbook, "Everyday Slow Cooking: Modern Recipes for Delicious Meals."

Laidlaw's recipe for slow-cooked braised brisket includes garlic, onion, dry red wine, carrot, and chicken or beef stock, with a chimichurri sauce.

Nothing screams a summer cookout like sauce-covered ribs. After cooking them in the slow cooker, place them on a baking sheet in your oven and broil them until they're slightly crispy.

Brats with onions, peppers, and garlic simmered in the slow cooker along with beer are one way to utilize your slow cooker on Memorial Day weekend or throughout the summer.

Top your brats with a little sauerkraut and put them on buns for a delicious summer dish.

If you're looking to add some carbs to your menu, look no further than a piping hot pot of macaroni and cheese. Sarah Olson of The Magical Slow Cooker's recipe uses cream cheese, milk, sharp cheddar, and white sharp cheddar.

"The recipe for slow cooker garlic herb mushrooms is divine and so easy," Chungah Rhee told Insider. "Mushrooms made in a slow cooker are truly the best."

One of the best — and easiest — ways to use your Crock-Pot or slow cooker is by making shredded Buffalo chicken.

Add seasoned chicken breasts to the slow cooker and cover with your preferred Buffalo sauce. Then add a splash of ranch dressing and a cube of butter and toss your chicken breasts in the mixture to coat fully, and cook until the chicken is shreddable. You can use it for Buffalo chicken sliders, salads, or tacos.

You can make any style of wings in a slow cooker, from Asian-style to barbecue and Buffalo wings. Simply add your wings to the slow cooker, add in your sauce of choice, toss to combine, and let them cook for a couple of hours on high.

To make them crisp up, add a cornstarch and water mixture to your slow cooker after they're cooked through, mix, and broil them for a few minutes in the oven.