Customer Reviews

Delicious and Dependable Slow Cooker Recipes

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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

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.

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.)

I have tested one recipe from this book so far and it was absolutely delicious: chicken with 40 cloves of garlic.

I appreciate the more adventuresome recipes with lots of ethnic cooking and spicing. It does require some extra work to start with but the end results are worth the extra effort and time. I still enjoy the fact that I can walk away from the food cooking and come back 10 hours later to a delicious, ready to eat meal, with lots of variety!

I have made 20 or so recipes from this book, and with only 1-2 exceptions, have found it to be easy and quite good.

I am new to Crock pot cooking and although I was surprised that this was not a "dump it in and forget it" cookbook, I have been pleased with the results. I have made the Chunky Black Bean Chili twice now---it is what I had for dinner before I sat to write this review--- and it IS delicious.

I cook ahead and freeze for another day and this recipe is wonderful for this purpose.

The Captain's Curry is delightful, the curried chicken with spinach was terrific, I enjoyed the chicken and chickpeas with spinach, too. I haven''t made any of the desserts, but probably would use more traditional methods of preparation for those type dishes.

What I really appreciated about these recipes are the fresh flavors and variety of spices. Not your every day recipes.....and I am looking forward to making more of these recipes!

I just checked this book out from the library and now have about 2 dozen sticky notes stuck on the recipes I want to try. I just made the chicken and dumplings and it was delicious. After perusing most of the recipes however, I am wondering how on earth my slow cooker will save me any time. Most if not all of the recipes that call for meat instruct you to brown it in oil in a skillet first. Also, the C&D recipe required me to precook the veggies in the oil too. So if you are looking for time-saving recipes for your slow cooker, this is not the book for you. Next time I make the C&D I will not brown the chicken first and I will probably just nuke the veggies for 2 minutes first. This will result in a lower fat dish with less prep time and mess. I did see a new generation slow cooker at BB&Beyond that offers the cook the option of placing the insert on the stove burner to pre saute meat and veggies and then placing the insert back into the cooker to finish the process. It was expensive at $100 but this is an option that's out there. But back to this book, another thing I really didn't like about it is that most of the vegetarian main dish recipes included eggplant. What's with that? We are trying to cut back on meat in our diet, but eggplant? (upon marrying my husband I was forbidden to ever serve eggplant). So if you are looking for a variety of veggy only recipes, look elsewhere unless you like eggplant.

Almost every recipe calls for browning meat in a skillet prior to adding it to a crockpot. When coupled with the warning not to store partially cooked meat in the fridge, one wonders who the book is for. If you have time in the morning to stand at the stove in a business suit and brown a pot roast prior to running to the office, these recipes will work for you. But if you are looking for quick cooking recipes, you will be disappointed by this book

Although Finlayson's book is well-laid out and beautiful to look at it, it has major problems. She seems to have overlooked the need for liquid in many of her recipes. The split pea soup has NO liquid listed, leaving me to guess at the amount. The recipe for short ribs in black bean sauce ended up a burned disaster. I will not use this book again.