The Complete Idiot's Guide to Slow Cooker Cooking

I like that this book cuts things down to their simplest elements. The recipes all look not only good, but realistic on a budget. It also discusses the how's and why's behind cooking with a slow, low-heat process, which was informative. A good book for any avid or beginning slow-cooker owner.

Crockpot cooking is such a lifesaver for busy families. Don't you feel smug all day, knowing your dinner is cooking on the counter at home? It's a great feeling! These recipes are a cut above the usual crockpot food but still fast and easy family fare. They rely on fresh high quality ingredients and take a few easy extra steps (i.e., broiling the chicken for 2-3 minutes before you put it in the crockpot) that make the food more appetizing. I've tried Red Cooked Chicken (twice!) and Coq au Vin, and have many other recipes I'm going to try. A very good new cookbook.

Due to the slow, moist, enclosed, long-term cooking method the slow cooker uses, recipes turn out a bit differently than they do on the stove. Flavors can blend together in odd ways, and spices & herbs in particular can come out tasting differently. Many foods don't taste as good if you can't separate out the flavors a bit; you have to have the right recipes to truly enjoy slow cooker food. Author Ellen Brown succeeds at this in two ways. First, she knows how to get just the right combination of flavors. Second, she knows how to combine the slow-cooked contents of the crockpot with other ingredients so that many of her recipes contain the varied flavors of non-crockpot cooking. There's only one potential problem with this. Many of her recipes use the crockpot simply as one tool in the process of making a dish. On the one hand this is great---the fact that she isn't trying to achieve everything in that one appliance is what keeps many of these recipes vibrant and delicious. On the other hand, if your entire reason for wanting to use the crockpot is the ability to toss stuff in and forget about it until dinner time, then have only the one item to clean, this can defeat the purpose. Personally I agree with her approach to slow cooker cooking. Most of these recipes are still easier and less attention-intensive than their regular counterparts, and her take on things is what makes these recipes more delicious than many other slow-cooker recipes.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Slow Cooker Cooking is great. I was determined to learn the basics of slow cooking and take advantage of my new slow cooker, but was at a loss as to where to start. The Idiot's Guide not only has some great recipes - both basics and unusual - but lots and lots of general tips that can be applied to other recipes. I really like that element because I can only follow recipes for so long before my brain starts to wander and I want to do my own thing. Knowing what works and doesn't work in general in slow cookers is invaluable.

I've always found the Complete Idiot's Guides to be a mixed-bag; some I liked and some I didn't. This one, I liked very much! This book claims to have over 220 recipes, and I believe it, there are too many to count. First off, the book is organized into seven sections - 1) A Fast Course in Slow Cooking (a good quick start), 2) Enticing Appetizers, 3) Satisfying Soups, 4) Stews to Savor, 5) Crock Around the Clock (main courses), 6) Healthful but Homey (seafoods, vegetarian and others), and 7) Grand Finales (desserts). Each of the recipes comes complete with estimates on preparation and cooking time plus number of servings, list of ingredients, step-by-step directions, and some extra little hints and warnings.My wife and I found this to be a nice book, with easy to read and understand instructions. So far, we have tried to Chicken Paprikash, and Short Ribs with Rosemary - both of which were excellent. So, if you are also on the go, and want to use some slow cooking to save time, then get this book!