Delicious and Dependable Slow Cooker Recipes [Paperback]

Judith Finlayson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2002

Slow cookers have been rediscovered by a whole new generation of busy people. The reason is quite simple: imagine being able to throw some wholesome ingredients into a cooker, close the lid and come home to a hot, satisfying meal at the end of the day. A perfect mealtime solution! However, every memorable meal begins with innovative and creative recipes. In Delicious and Dependable Slow Cooker Recipes, you will discover mouthwatering recipes that allow you to create outstanding meals with a minimum of effort. This extensive collection of over 175 recipes contains a wide range of dishes from starters to soups, beef to seafood, and even desserts. Whether you're serving a weekday meal to your family or entertaining special guests, there's a recipe here to delight and satisfy everyone.

Here are just some of the delicious and dependable recipes you can enjoy: Spicy Artichoke Dip, Peppercorn Pâté, Creamy Corn Chowder, Mulligatawny Soup, Classic Beef Stew, Sauerbraten, Saucy Pork Chops with Cranberries, Chicken in Onion Buttermilk Gravy, Mussels in Lemongrass Tomato Broth, Turkey and Sausage Chili, Tomato Mushroom Lasagna, Cider Baked Beans, Hot Breakfast Cereals, Double Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, Apricot Almond Pudding.

• over 175 recipes for everything from appetizers to desserts
• more than 50 full color photographs
• helpful pantry notes
• vegetarian recipes
• extensive tips and techniques for foolproof results
• make ahead ideas
• recipes for every occasion

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Continuing on from her successful 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes, Finlayson brings a new range of recipes to the same method of cooking. Starting with clear instructions for using the slow cooker as well as tips for success at doing so, she explains the different applications and benefits from this method of cooking. Despite adding the extra step of prebrowning meats and softening vegetables, she is quick to promote the ease of slow cookers. While many of the recipes have long ingredient lists, the methodology is straightforward, which makes this book perfect for any level of cooking expertise. Ranging from appetizers to desserts, the dishes are not limited to the traditional stews that formed most people's memories of slow cooker dishes when the equipment first hit the market in the 1970s. From the Creamy Beef Curry with its Indian spices to the Lamb Shanks Braised in Guinness with its mouthwatering sauce, several dishes have an international inspiration and flavor; others, as with Mom's Meat Loaf, show the best of America's home cooking. Helpfully, Finlayson includes sidebars and pantry notes as well as tips on how to vary many of the dishes. Clearly laid out and interspersed with mouthwatering color photos, the resulting volume is comprehensive in range and breadth and just may even encourage a new generation of slow cooker users.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

If you're new to this type of cooking, you'll appreciate the tips on ingredients. (Rosemary Black New York Daily News 20021113)

Capture[s] some old and new family favorites ... makes a good gift for the busy cook on your holiday list. (Julie Cooper New York Times News Service 20021030)

[One of] the best of my nearly 20 slow-cooker books... an artful palate and healthful bias come together in recipes. (Kathy Martin Miami Herald 20060810)

This is an excellent collection and highly recommended. (Tuscon Citizen 20030108)

Perfect for any level of cooking expertise ... Clearly laid out ... comprehensive in range and breadth. (Publishers Weekly 20021021)

One of the most effective time-management tools busy cooks need. (Healthy Cooking )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Robert Rose (September 7, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778800539
• ISBN-13: 978-0778800538
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #366,360 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Judith Finlayson is a food journalist and author. She began her career writing featured food articles and developing recipes for magazines. She is author of The Convenience Cook and 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes. She lives in Toronto.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The most "gourmet" of the slow cooker cookbooks., December 9, 2003

By 

Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Delicious and Dependable Slow Cooker Recipes (Paperback)

Finlayson has managed to create a cookbook of slow cooker recipes that are so savory and intriguing that you really could use many of them for more formal dinners than what "crockpot cookery" usually suggests. Tortilla Soup with Corn and Chilies, Mixed Mushroom Soup with Creamy Goat Cheese, and Chicken Mulligatawny Soup are just a few of the outstanding soup recipes. A very well-seasoned Curried Lamb with Apricots, a Cuban-Style Flank Steak (shredded and served with cheese inside tortillas), Sausage and Barley Jambalaya (with Shrimp added at the last minute), and African-Style Braised Chicken in Peanut Sauce would satisfy even the most discriminating palates.

Readers should be aware that this type of gourmet cookery comes with a price--you will spend more time in preparation for these meals than the "dump-everything-in-the-pot-and-open-it-up-ten-hours-later"-type of slow cookery. Some recipes call for two cooking sessions, one to slow cook the meat, and an additional 3 - 4 hours the next day when you add the vegetables and other ingredients. Nearly all recipes require you to partially cook some ingredients in a skillet before adding to the slow cooker, and quite a few call for ingredients which may not be part of one's ordinary pantry--dried ancho, New Mexico, and pasilla chili peppers, in addition to a wide variety of fresh chili peppers (usually available in large supermarkets and ethnic food stores) and fresh herbs and spices. Many of the recommended meat cuts are very high in fat, though the fat can usually be skimmed off after cooking.

Dessert recipes look intriguing, including a cheesecake which is put into a springform pan in the slow cooker with 1" of water used to steam it, but unless you have no oven available, I can't imagine using these recipes in preference to the tried and true favorites. All in all, this is for the cook who wants really outstanding taste and is willing to do the extra preparation that these slow cooker recipes require. Mary Whipple

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Upscale Crockery Cooking", June 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Delicious and Dependable Slow Cooker Recipes (Paperback)

I usually never review books, but with this one I couldn't resist! I agree that the recipes are a bit more time-consuming than other crockpot recipes, but this book has the advantage of allowing you to prepare meals in advance that are good enough to serve to your dinner guests. I have made the following recipes with GREAT success & everyone I've made them for has raved: Red Lentil & Carrot Soup with Coconut, Beef & Sausage Chili (using chorizo & ground beef), and Sausage & Barley Jambalaya. There is also an entire section devoted to vegetarian main meals, and the book also contains some vegetarian appetizers and soups. As a warning, most of the desserts included in the book require a 5-qt or larger oval slow cooker. But if you have this size, the desserts look delicious and include: Chocolate Flan with Toasted Almonds, Rich Chocolate Cake, Apricot Almond Pudding, & Pumpkin Chocolate Marble Cheesecake to name a few. Try this, I don't think you (or your guests) will be disappointed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Unexpected Favorite Cookbook!, December 17, 2005

By 

D. Leary (Sunny CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Delicious and Dependable Slow Cooker Recipes (Paperback)

I first got this book at my local library and, when several recipes were surprisingly delicious and effective, ordered both of Finlayson's books from Amazon. These are not "dump everything in the pot" to return home to a gloppy mess recipes. Finlayson has adapted traditional recipes for use in a slow cooker, with good results. I tried her recipe for cassoulet (which, using classic French cooking method, traditionally takes 3 days) and it turned out quite well. As with any cookbook, there are some standout recipes and a few that are less appealing, but in all this book has become a favorite and piqued my interest in using a slow cooker. I am now intrigued by a couple of other slow cooker cookbooks: "Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker" and "The Gourmet Slow Cooker" which have gotten even more favorable reviews than Finlayson's book. (In closing, one Amazon reviewer notes the absence of an amount of water for split pea soup - my edition does have the water amount, so I'm guessing it has been corrected.)