15 cozy comfort food dishes you can make in a slow cooker, according to chefs

Cookbook author Kim Laidlaw told Insider that short-ribs are one of her favorite things to make for a holiday meal.John Kernick/Williams Sonoma

• A slow cooker or Crock-Pot can be one of the most valuable yet underutilized tools in your kitchen.
• Insider spoke with chefs and cookbook authors about their favorite cozy, comforting slow-cooker meals to make in the winter.
• From stews to simple soups and roasted meats, many cozy comfort foods can easily be made in a slow cooker.

When planning for a snow day or cozy night in, sometimes it's easiest to throw ingredients into a slow cooker and walk away.

Not only do slow cookers make cooking at home easy, but you can also make delicious, comforting meals that you'll want to make time and time again.

Insider spoke to Hugh Acheson and Kim Laidlaw about their go-to slow cooker recipes for a cozy night in. Acheson is "Top Chef" judge and Iron Chef Canada competitor as well as the author of "The Chef and the Slow Cooker," while Laidlaw is the author of multiple cookbooks and a professional baker.

"Our palettes have changed so much since slow cookers were all the rage 40 or 50 years ago," Acheson told Insider. "We want big flavors, and we can add those to slow cooker recipes fairly easily. We thought slow cookers were limited, but it's really limitless what you can do with it."

Here are 15 cozy comfort food dishes you can make in a slow cooker, according to chefs.