Slow Cookers For Dummies

I'm going to jump the gun and review this book before I've cooked any of the recipes. I haven't bought the slow cooker yet. I mainly chose this book to educate myself on what to look for when shopping for a slow cooker. I've never owned one before and I didn't want to buy one and then realize which features I should have looked for. How many appliances have I bought that I wish I hadn't, only because I didn't know enough about how the appliance functions. Not going to make that mistake again so this time I'm starting with the cookbook first. I think it's going to pay for itself even if I don't like the recipes (which I'm sure I will once I try them). Information contained in this book still applies to slow cookers sold today, I've been shopping for them this week. What has changed is that the quality of slow cookers has declined, reviews show you that, all the more reason to purchase this book to help you sort out the wheat from the chaff. Looking at the recipes in this book I see that they call for a 4qt or a 6qt slow cooker and the instructions are given in hours on either a Low or High setting. Now that I've seen what a slow cooker recipe looks like I know that a cooker with a dial that has these settings is going to make it easier to follow the recipe. I also know that there is a difference between cookers that use a wrap around heating element and a bottom only heating element. The book warns you about the pitfalls of owning a slow cooker with a bottom only heating element. It also talks about the insert, how some models allow the insert to be placed directly on your stovetop but this means you do not have a true slow cooker. Lots of informative advice I am so glad I am aware of now. Makes shopping for a slow cooker less daunting.

I love this cookbook. It gives the reader all sorts of helpful information on cooking with a slow cooker, along with many excellent recipes. Much better than some of the fancier slow cooker cookbooks, with recipes that take too much time. After all, I bought my slow cooker to SAVE time!

You don't have to be a dummy to want to use this excellent guide to slow cookers. There simply isn't a better manual on the subject in publication - at least none that I would prefer over this one. I haven't been exposed to more valuable information concerning my 'crock pot', and I discovered more here than I had ever hoped to learn. The tips, hints, suggestions, pointers (whatever the term is that you label them or commonly call them in your household) are priceless. Even if you consider yourself an expert on the slow cooker you'll discover something during a perusal of this book you haven't before. As always the writing in this book in the seemingly inexhaustible "For Dummies" series is never condescending, at times quite humorous, and organized to perfection. It never assumes anything and talks the reader through each process step by step. You'll be tempted to discard the instruction manual that comes with your slow cooker; you'll learn more basic techniques here than are covered in any manual that comes with a slow cooker appliance. But you get much more than that within the pages of this guide. The book is broken down into five parts, and each part contains a number of separate chapters. Included are an introduction to and background information on the slow cooker appliance; safety tips; a multitude of recipes (try and pick a favorite - go on...try!) and the final section offers some handy kitchen troubleshooting techniques - in case you may experience a problem during preparation of a meal in the slow cooker. One of the best instructive sections written here helps you to adapt your family's favorite recipe into a meal cooked in your slow cooker - just in case you haven't been able too already that is! Of further interest here is a list of ten websites on the subject of slow cookers and recipes for them. The front of the book has it's own provided recipes broken down in appropriate food groups; the book also has an index for easy referencing. Additionally there is a metric conversion chart for measurements and, probably most helpful of all, a list of each of the manufacturers of the appliances and how to contact them. Granted, 'Slow Cookers For Dummies' may contain information that is "old hat" for the pro's out there but don't neglect at least a glance here even if you lump yourself in with this group. And definitely don't pass up this book if you're a seasoned amateur or especially if you're only a beginner. Hint: I received mine as a Christmas gift several years ago...so if you're looking for a gift for someone's birthday or shopping for Christmas gifts be sure to give this strong consideration. I know I really appreciate my copy!

This is not so much a recipe book as a manual that teaches you how best to use a crock pot. It teaches you how to convert your favorite recipes to a slow cooker, which is my favorite part of the book. It gives you some "master" recipes (meat sauce, chicken broth) that you can put in the freezer and use as a base for fast, delicious meals. That part of the book is also brilliant. There aren't many recipes, but the great thing about the recipes they do have is that they are NOT the "add a can of condensed mushroom soup" variety. There are some hearty chicken and potato recipes that my family just adores - using real food such as herbes de provence and fresh mushrooms. But at the same time, the recipes are not complicated and the ingredients are easy to find in a regular grocery store.

Instead of just giving us a fish, this book teaches us to fish. It's a primer on the art of using the slow cooker well, written by a pair of cooks who are happily suited to the task -- he is also a kitchen appliance expert, she is also a recipe developer. Not surprisingly, their recipes are compatible with the appliance and are versatile ("Master Roast Turkey Breast," "Slow-Cooker Bolognese Tomato and Meat Sauce," "Coq au vin," etc.)I especially appreciate this guide because I've been away from my slow cooker for decades and am now reacquainting myself with the subject. I was comparison shopping for a new slow cooker and was on the verge of buying a very seductive appliance, when I found this book and read it in one sitting. I purchased a "true" slow cooker the next day.I don't mean to imply that this book is only for novices and returning users. It's clearly for anyone who's genuinely interested in good-tasting and looking slow cooked food, and its potential for meal planning. It's smart fellow dummies.Highly recommended.