Most helpful customer reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Slow Cooker deluxe!!!, Mar 22 2004
By A Customer
Probably not for everyone....although saying that I love this book. This has some fantastic recipes in it, amazing tastes. If you have a slow cooker just to throw things into and turn it on this isn't for you... However if like me, you enjoy cooking and don't mind a little extra time to make a simply succulent dish this is the one.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Great introduction to technique; good recipes, Jan 28 2004
By A Customer
When I got my first slow cooker recently, I had no idea how to use it, so I set off to find a book to get me started. I had always looked down on slow cookers, primarily because I always associated them with Campbells "cream of" soup cooking. This book impressed me because the recipes are healthier and more sophisticated than the other books I looked at.
So far, I have made 6 recipes from the book. All have been good and some really delicious. I made very good veal stew and pot roast and some decent pasta sauce. Right now I have his beef chili simmering away and it smells fantastic. Here are some of the negatives:
*There is some minimal prep work involved in most of his dishes, such as browing the meat, sometimes sauteeing onions and vegetables, etc. This is not really a downside for me, as I think it is ridiculous to expect to be able to just toss things in a pot and have a dish come out well. The prep work doesn't usually take more than 15 minutes or so, and that is time that I will gladly put in to improving the quality of my meal.
*Many of the dishes are, to my tastes, underseasoned. The spicy dishes are not hot enough, garlicy dishes need more garlic, etc. If you have a bolder palate, you will need to learn to adjust the seasonings. I don't consider this a real downside to the book either, as I bought the book more to learn slow cooker technique.
*Almost all of the recipes in the book are geared to a 3 1/2 quart cooker. Most cookers sold these days are larger-- mine, and the ones I mostly see in the stores, are 6 quart. So the timing he uses in the book will ususally have to be adjusted for a larger cooker, sometimes as much as a few additional hours in my case.
But despite these drawbacks, I like the book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for some tasty slow cooker recipes or pointers on technique, and won't freak out spending a few minutes on prep work. If you are new to slow cooking like me, after trying a few of these recipes and understanding the methods involved, you will be much better equipped to branch out on your own and become creative with your own recipes, too.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Quality Slow Cooking, Dec 29 2003
As a person who frequently purchases cookbooks, I was hesitant to buy another bad cookbook, especially for slow cookers. So, after reading a couple reviews mentioning prep work before putting the food into the cooker, I hesitated. But, after giving it some thought, I realized that I had never purchased a good slow cooker book. So, I put it on my birthday wish list, and low and behold, it was lovingly wrapped for me!!! The first dish I tried was the Asian Pork Ribs. Yum! The recipe required that you broil the ribs for 10 minutes and mix a couple ingredients before putting in the cooker. The ribs came out tender and juicy. This past weekend, I was planning what I would bring with me to an "Post New Year" type party. I looked through a couple cookbooks. I thought I would be adventurous and try another slow cooker recipe from my cookbook. BBQ beef seems to always be a hit, so I headed to the market early and picked up what I needed. I caramelized the onion and mixed the other ingredients. In all, it took about 15 minutes. I put everything in the cooker (without doctoring up the recipe with additional ingredients). 8 hours later.... out came the most tender, delicious beef. No additional ingredients were needed. From what I've read and experienced myself, there is no possible way you can produce a quality slow cooker meal without at least ten minutes prep before the beef/chicken/pork is put in. It's not possible. Otherwise, half the veggies won't taste right or the food will taste bland. And if you think about it, if the food comes out ho-hum at the end of it's cooking cycle, you'll spend valuable time once the meat is done trying to fix it up. I'll be honest, this book is great. It's easy to follow, you can find all the ingredients in your cabinet (without having to shop at Fante's or the like to find all the ingredients if they were gourmet), and the product you make is definitely worth the effort. And, he explains where everything comes from. His book doesn't just give you a tireless amount of recipes. Your family and friends won't be disappointed.
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