Business Insider lists 14 slow-cooker dishes

Business Insider on May 23 published a lifestyle article built around 14 Memorial Day cookout dishes that can be made in a slow cooker. The piece presented the recipes as low-effort options for hosts preparing holiday food in advance. It framed the dishes as “set-it-and-forget-it” choices for summer gatherings and make-ahead meals. The article also included preparation timing guidance for readers planning around cookout schedules. ### What exactly did Business Insider publish? Business Insider’s May 23 article was a service-style roundup of 14 cookout foods designed for slow-cooker preparation. The focus was not on restaurant news or product launches, but on home cooking for Memorial Day gatherings. The article grouped the dishes as practical options for hosts who wanted to reduce active cooking time on the holiday itself. (businessinsider.com) The publication described the concept in familiar slow-cooker terms: recipes that can be started ahead of time and left to cook with limited supervision. In that framing, the slow cooker was positioned as a tool for both side dishes and mains that can hold through serving time. (businessinsider.com) ### Why was the slow cooker the center of the list? The article’s central pitch was convenience. Business Insider said the dishes worked as “set-it-and-forget-it” food for hosts managing a cookout, a phrase commonly used for appliances or recipes that require little attention once started. In this case, the appeal was tied to holiday entertaining, when grill space, oven space and host attention are often stretched. (businessinsider.com) May 23 was also the Friday before Memorial Day weekend in 2026, placing the article in the short planning window when readers would still be deciding menus and prep schedules. The timing suggests the piece was aimed at readers looking for last-minute but structured ideas for the weekend. That is an inference based on the publication date and the holiday context. (businessinsider.com) ### What kind of reader was the article aimed at? Memorial Day hosts were the clearest target. The article emphasized low-effort preparation and make-ahead utility, which are practical concerns for people handling guests, outdoor cooking and multiple dishes at once. Rather than centering on technique-heavy recipes, the piece was presented as planning help. (businessinsider.com) The article also fit into a broader holiday-food cycle in which media outlets publish service pieces just ahead of long weekends. In this case, Business Insider’s contribution was to shift attention away from grill-only cooking and toward dishes that can be prepared in advance indoors and served alongside more traditional cookout food. That characterization is based on the article’s stated focus on slow-cooker dishes for Memorial Day entertaining. (businessinsider.com) ### What made this more than a generic recipe list? The article included timing suggestions in addition to the dish roundup. That detail matters because timing is often the operational problem for holiday hosts: when to start cooking, how long dishes can stay warm, and how to coordinate sides and mains around serving. Business Insider’s inclusion of timing guidance made the piece a planning aid as well as a recipe list. (businessinsider.com) A 14-item list also gave readers range. The article’s structure suggested a menu-building approach rather than a single featured dish, allowing hosts to mix slow-cooker foods into a larger cookout spread. ### Where can readers find the next step? Business Insider’s May 23 article contains the full list of 14 dishes, along with the recipe framing and timing notes referenced in the roundup. (businessinsider.com) Readers looking for the specific dishes, ingredient details and prep windows would need the original Business Insider piece.