There was a time, maybe the late 1970s or early 1980s, when if you got married, you didn't get just one Crock-Pot-type slow cooker for a wedding present. You got two. Maybe three.

I'm not sure whether "regifting" was even a word at the time, but I'm sure there was a bit of it going on.

Slow cookers — some people always called them "Crock-Pots," even though that's part of a brand name — were a working couple's and busy parents' dream: Throw a few ingredients into the pot before leaving for work, come home later to a wonderfully aromatic kitchen and a gently bubbling ready-made dinner.

The slow cookers seemed to go out of favor in the late 1980s and 1990s, but they are staging a comeback, spurred on by a spate of new cookbooks — some of which seem to make light of the generational roller coaster of popularity that slow cookers have endured.

Consider "Not Your Mother's: Slow Cooker Recipes for Two," by Beth Hensperger (Harvard Common Press, $12.95), geared toward owners of small slow cookers (1 1/2- to 3-quart size).

What, they haven't discovered the wonders of leftovers?

Other recent releases include the excellent "175 Essential Slow Cooking Classics," by Judith Finlayson (Robert Rose, $24.95), Cooking Light magazine's "Slow Cooker: 57 Essential Recipes to Eat Smart, Be Fit, Live Well" (Oxmoor House, $17.95), "Fix-It and Forget-It: 5-Ingredient Favorites/Comforting Slow-Cooker Recipes" by Phyllis Pellman Good (Good Books, $15.95) and the bare-bones "3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Comfort Foods: 200 Recipes for Flavorful Favorites Slow-Cooker Style" by Robert and Carol Hildebrand (Fair Winds Press, $17.99). Even the venerable "Joy of Cooking" added slow-cooker information and recipes to its 75th anniversary edition released a few months ago.

All this hubbub prompted me to blow the dust off my ol' reliable 6-quart Hamilton Beach Crock Watcher slow cooker. I even found the owner's manual tucked away in some old recipes. I thought my wife and I received this behemoth as a wedding gift in 1983, but the owner's manual was copyright 1978. Hmmm.

What was that I wrote about regifting? Or perhaps I inherited this kitchen classic from my mother.

So in other words, while some of these recipes from the newly released cookbooks may be "not my mother's," the slow cooker just might be.

And it still works just fine.

SLOW COOKER TIPS

n While it's tempting for convenience to simply throw the raw ingredients into the pot, flip the switch and go, you'll get better flavor if you brown meats and sauté vegetables before putting them into the liner.

n Use a small amount of liquid, since the low-heat, tightly covered slow cooker does not cook off the liquids as oven and stove-top cooking methods do.

#149; Avoid opening the lid while cooking unless you have to add something. The heat released can add as much as 20 minutes to the cooking time.

#149; Cut potatoes and root vegetables such as carrots and parsnips into small pieces or thin slices so they cook thoroughly.

n Cook less tender cuts of meat on the low setting for a longer period — 10 hours for roasts, 12 hours for brisket.

#149; If the recipe calls for chicken breasts or other white-meat chicken, watch cooking times carefully to avoid dried-out results. Consider using chicken thighs or other dark meat, which does not dry out as much.

#149; For best results, wait until the last 30 minutes of cooking to add milk, cream, cheese, leafy greens, peppers, seafood or peas.

n For food-safety reasons, don't allow food to stand for more than two hours before the slow cooker is turned on, or after it is turned off.

— Sources: "175 Essential Slow Cooker Classics;"

"Joy of Cooking" 75th anniversary edition

Lentil and Tomato Soup

Meat not your bag? Try this quick and simple soup recipe from "3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Comfort Foods: 200 Recipes for Flavorful Favorites Slow-Cooker Style."

1 1/2 quarts chicken stock or broth

2 cups dried lentils

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with onion and celery

1 cup chopped carrots (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Wash lentils in colander and pick over to remove any small pebbles. Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Cook 6-8 hours on low, until lentils are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Brisket in Tomatillo Sauce

Adapted from "175 Essential Slow Cooker Classics"

With a couple of extra steps thrown in both before and after the cooking, and the recommendation to cook the dish a day before serving so fat can be skimmed off, this recipe wins no prizes for quickest or most convenient. But, oh my, the flavors are worthwhile. It calls for two chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, and because the peppers can vary widely in size, use only one if it's the largest chile in the can, unless you enjoy a smoky burn.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4-5 pounds beef brisket, cut in half so it'll fit in the cooker

2 medium onions, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 (28-ounce) can tomatillos, drained

1 cup beef stock

2 chipotle chile peppers in adobo sauce

1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and stems

In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add brisket and brown well on both sides. Transfer to slow-cooker liner.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to pan and cook, stirring, until softened, about three minutes. Add garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and black pepper and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add tomatillos and stock and bring to a boil. Transfer to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting 12 hours, until beef is very tender. Cool, cover and refrigerate until meat is thoroughly chilled.

When you're ready to serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Skim the fat off the brisket sauce and discard fat. Transfer meat to a cutting board. Slice thinly and place in a large baking dish or Dutch oven. In a blender, combine chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, cilantro and about 1/2 cup of the brisket sauce and puree. Pour over brisket. Add remaining sauce. Cover and cook until hot and bubbly and all flavors have melded, about 30 minutes.

Serve over mashed potatoes or beans and rice. Serves 6-8.

Slow-Cooker Green Chili

3-4 pounds bone-in pork butt, trimmed and cut into large chunks, or 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork butt

1 (27-ounce) can chopped mild green chiles

1 head garlic, cloves peeled and left whole

3 canned chipotle chiles, or to taste

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, mixed with 2 cups cold water

Salt and pepper

Flour tortillas or rice for serving

Sour cream, optional

Place the pork, green chiles, garlic, chipotles, ground cumin and flour-water mixture in a slow cooker and set to desired temperature. Cover pot and cook until pork is tender enough to pierce easily with a fork (at least 5 hours if set on high). If preparing in the morning before work, set on low and cook all day.

Remove meat from pot and shred to desired thickness. With a wooden spoon mash garlic and chiles and spoon over pork. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roll in tortillas, or serve over rice, and serve with sour cream if desired. Serves 6.

Tuscan Chicken With Sage

Adapted from "175 Essential Slow Cooker Classics"

This recipe has been adapted from chicken breasts to thighs. If using breasts, leave the skin on and don't cook for longer than recommended; pierce chicken with fork and check to see whether juices run clear to ensure the chicken is done.

3 pounds chicken thighs

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup fresh sage leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns

2 cups dry robust red wine, such as Chianti

On a plate, coat chicken on all sides with flour, shaking off excess. Discard excess flour.

In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add chicken in batches and brown on all sides. Transfer to slow cooker.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to pan, adding more oil if needed. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, sage, salt and peppercorns and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in wine, bring to a boil and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until sauce is reduced by one-third.

Pour mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on low setting for 5 hours or on high setting for 2 1/2 hours, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork. Serves 4-6.