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Slow Cooker Revolution: member book reviews

(2 reviews)

So you don’t have a slow cooker? Even better, you can take advantage of their section on buying a slow cooker. I was chagrined to compare my two bargain models to their superior one, but I can’t see buying a third one. However, I am envious of the picture of a wall of slow cookers. Wouldn’t that be great for potluck meals at work or church?
I have learned the idiosyncrasies of the slow cookers that I have and try to use it to my advantage. These recipes are all for 5 quart Crockpots and they are usually filled to the top. This is now my favorite Crockpot cookbook. I used to buy the cookbooks based on the length of time that the recipes cooked; I wanted to be able to load up the Crockpot, and come back 12 hours later. So now I am more likely to use one of these shorter cooking time recipes on the weekend or when someone is working from home. These are not the standard fare of beef stew, baked beans, chili, etc. recipes that you would expect in this kind of cookbook. There are many that you would not think of as traditional Crockpot fare. I love the polenta recipe, not having to stand there stirring for 30 minutes. I like how they state how long the dish can stand after it is through cooking and what to do to return it to optimal condition. I hate searing meat at 4 AM, and these recipes have you skip that step but instead build flavor by microwaving onion, garlic, oil and spices instead. I love the little extras on most pages – a recipe for a quick side dish of slaw or couscous, or what to look for in buying polenta, etc. I have cooked over twenty recipes so far and look forward to cooking many again and continuing the exploration of this education and delicious cookbook. If I had to only pick one slow cooker cookbook this would be it.

(edited 24th February 2012) report

When I first got this book, I flipped through the pages and I wasn't thrilled. I put it away, and forgot about it for several weeks. Last week, I revisited the book and began to read it. Then, I was hooked. You see, I don't use my slower cooker very often. Most slow cooker cookbooks I've seen use a lot of canned soups and mixes, and I don't. A lot of recipes have directions to through raw meets into the slow cooker and press "go". I don't like that either. I'm big on searing and braising, and so my Dutch Oven gets a lot of mileage for me. Cook's Illustrated's recipes are definitely enticing, in this book. I like the ideas like using a panade, to prevent cooking ground turkey from becoming too dry. Or, the use of soy sauce to add more depth of flavor. I ended up bookmarking a LOT of recipes, and I'm looking forward to preparing the recipe the night before work, then plugging it in the morning and letting things cook low and slow.

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