The Complete Idiot's Guide to Slow Cooker Cooking, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Turning a piece of meat over an open flame was prehistoric man's first culinary technique..." (more)
Key Phrases: slow cooker, slow cooked recipes, pudding steamer, Cooker Caveats, Crock Tales, The Least You Need (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

More than 300 sumptuous recipes—from an award-winning author and chef.

In this revised and expanded edition, award-winning author and chef Ellen Brown gives you all they need to know to make party appetizers such as spicy cheese fondue, easy classics such as Coq au Vin, vegetarian specialties such as slow-cooked black beans, and cobblers and puddings for dessert. Each chapter offers a great mix of easy, intermediate, and complex recipes.

About the Author

Ellen Brown is the founding food editor of USA Today and has authored the IACP/SeagramsAward-winning Gourmet Gazelle Cookbook, along with several other cookbooks, including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Smoothies, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cover and Bake Meals, and more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 2 edition (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592576230
• ISBN-13: 978-1592576234
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #63,694 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read and understand, May 20, 2004

By	Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Slow Cooker Cooking (Paperback)

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!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Idiot's Guide to Slow Cooker Cooking, September 23, 2005

By	Jane M. Ritter (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Slow Cooker Cooking (Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative and delicious, June 6, 2008

By	H. Grove "owling6683" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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.