+2
The original question was, does a slow cooker make superior soups? So it's about the end result, not the circumstances around making it.
In my experience, slow cookers often overcook the ingredients and the food comes out tasteless and either mushy or dry. Making soup on the stovetop allows you to monitor it, tasting and adjusting as it cooks. It's hard to do that with a slow cooker and keep the temperature where it needs to be.
The exception is making pulled pork or beef when the meat is all you want. When I'm making a pot roast or stew on the stovetop, I leave the lid ajar so the liquid can reduce. This leaves caramelized residue (fond) on the inside of the pot, which is delicious stirred into the food
And I also also split pea soup in the slow cooker. It turns out great unattended. I don't eat it, but my husband loves it, so this works for us.
The original question was asked in January of 2004.
CD