Compared to the same dish cooked on the stovetop or in an oven, food from a slow cooker can sometimes taste bland and dull (some people call this the "slow cooker flavor"). Well, your taste buds aren't tricking you - slow-cooking actually mutes flavor. In the slow cooker, steam coming off the food gathers on the lid, then drips back down. This closed circle means your food essentially stews in its own juices with almost zero evaporation throughout the entire process.