The key to foolproof slow cooking is understanding the conditions inside the appliance and cooking accordingly. This means you’ll never go wrong with soups, stews or chilis and other foods that take to a steamy and moist environment. It also means some foods just aren’t well suited for the slow cooker. We’re talking about lean and quick-cooking cuts of meat, like chicken breasts and pork chops, that can be cooked well in a short amount of time on the stovetop or in the oven. Keep reading to learn how to make your slow-cooker meals better than ever before—because life’s too short to eat tough meat and gummy pasta.

The slow cooker shines when you’re too busy to stand over the stove or to watch the oven. It maintains a steady temperature over an extended period of time and requires little to no fussing in between. Combine that convenience with the right recipes—those that taste best after cooking slowly in a moist environment—and you’ve got the perfect tool to turn out stellar meals. These are the no-fail foods that turn out best in the slow cooker:

1.  Long-Cooking Cuts of Meat

Tough cuts of meat that turn out meltingly tender when cooked low and slow are made for this appliance. Since the slow cooker stays closed during cooking, the steam that’s created gets trapped, turns into condensation and drips back down on the food, essentially basting your meat for you. The only trick is to leave the lid on. We know how tempting it can be, but when you lift the lid to take a peek, the heat needed to properly cook dinner will escape—so please refrain! Here are some great long-cooking cuts to try in your slow cooker:

• Beef: chuck roast, brisket, stew meat and short ribs
• Pork: pork shoulder, pork butt, pork ribs, country-style ribs, ham

One note about large cuts of meat: Browning before slow cooking will lead to better results. While we understand there’s not always time, if you’ve invested in an expensive piece of meat and really want it to turn out well, we highly recommend taking this step. And here’s something you might not realize, deglazing the skillet—adding water, vinegar, wine, broth or another liquid to the hot pan and scraping up the browned bits—cleans up the pan and that deeply flavorful liquid can go right into the slow cooker with the meat. Give it a try in this recipe for Slow-Cooker Short-Rib Goulash.

2.  Whole Chicken & Chicken Thighs

When cooking chicken in the slow cooker, it’s important to pick the right cut, which means either the whole chicken or chicken thighs. Both have enough fat to withstand a longer cook time without drying out, which means you can turn out succulent “rotisserie” chickens and tender thighs. Cooking chicken this way is easy, hands off, won’t make a mess in your oven and won’t heat up your house during the hot summer months, so it’s an all-around win.

Note: Most slow-cooker chicken recipes will be in the 3 to 4 hour range and rarely longer than 6 hours. While it might seem like an odd time range, if you’re used to starting your slow cooker in the morning and letting the meal cook all day, we’ve found slow cooker recipes that cook for a couple hours are great on busy weekend afternoons or weeknight evenings. They allow us to start dinner before heading out to take care of pick-ups and errands, attending sports games or meetings and doing whatever else is on the family schedule. And on the nights when dinner together just isn’t possible, the food is hot and waiting for whenever people arrive home.

3.  Soups, Stews & Chilis

Soups, stews and chilis are tailor-made for slow cooking. Since moisture can’t evaporate, there’s no concern they’ll reduce too much, and flavors have a chance to develop and blend during the long cook time. See for yourself with our recipe for Slow-Cooker Irish Stout Beef Stew.

Note: One of the best ways to make your slow-cooker soups, stews and chilis even better is by adding a garnish. Think about things that will add a flavor or texture contrast and don’t overlook the ingredients that need using up—that bunch of herbs, the forgotten nub of cheese, etc. For all our tips on garnishes, check out Betty’s 5 Slow-Cooker Commandments.