Rating: 
Summary: Not what I had in mind
Review: I also was somewhat disappointed in this book. I was looking for a collection of easy-to-cook recipes, along with some helpful tips and suggestions for Crockpot cooking. However, there is really quite a bit of instruction and examples on food preparation, which is helpful, but there is not as much on what I think crockpot cooking is all about - a reasonably short prep time and worry-free cooking. Many of the recipes are based off of a "main meat" or "main broth" type of recipe - which means that you will first have to find the base recipe and then flip back to the recipe you are trying to prepare. Not as handy as I would have liked - especially for a ".... for Dummies" book. There are probably some better choices out there.
Rating: 
Summary: Fast start for slow cooking
Review: If you work all day and are responsible for feeding the trooops at home at the end of the day, you'd certainly be someone who'd get a lot of use from a slow cooker. Maybe you are like me and the one thing you DON'T want to face when you come home from the office is a pile of raw ingredients that somehow has to get converted into an edible state in less than 40 minutes. Not fun. Better to start your dinner in the slow cooker before you go to work and come home to the appetizing aroma of a nicely cooked meal.Slow cookers aren't expensive(I got mine for less than $10 and they turn up at yard sales.) The electricity consumption is very low, something like a 60 watt light bulb. So what's not to like? Well, slow cooking isn't the same technique as cooking a stew or roast on the stove. If you don't know how to adjust a recipe, you will often get a raw or a watery mess. And you DO need hints on how to use the cooker (such as, don't keep lifting the lid, you'll dissipate the heat and your cooking times will be off.) This book is full of the important basics of slow cooking you need to know, plus full of recipes. I like it a lot better than Mabel Hoffmann's very widely published book on slow cooking because it has a larger format --I don't like small format paperback cookbooks because they don't stay open on the kitchen counter. This is a great addition to any kitchen library and the recipes are adaptable enough that you can adjust them and create your own.
Rating: 
Summary: Knowing your tools
Review: Instead of just giving us a fish, this book teaches us to fish. It's a primer on the art of using the slow cooker well, written by a pair of cooks who are happily suited to the task -- he is also a kitchen appliance expert, she is also a recipe developer. Not surprisingly, their recipes are compatible with the appliance and are versatile ("Master Roast Turkey Breast," "Slow-Cooker Bolognese Tomato and Meat Sauce," "Coq au vin," etc.) I especially appreciate this guide because I've been away from my slow cooker for decades and am now reacquainting myself with the subject. I was comparison shopping for a new slow cooker and was on the verge of buying a very seductive appliance, when I found this book and read it in one sitting. I purchased a "true" slow cooker the next day. I don't mean to imply that this book is only for novices and returning users. It's clearly for anyone who's genuinely interested in good-tasting and looking slow cooked food, and its potential for meal planning. It's smart fellow dummies. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Could Have Been Better
Review: This book could be useful to someone who has never used a slow cooker (Crock Pot or other brand) but for those of us who are looking for a collection of recipies to update our slow cooking repetoire, it is a disappointment. Although the authors give an excellent tip to brown all meats and some vegetables before placing them in the slow cooker, the majority of the recipies are not FOR the slow cooker, they are for using with components MADE in a slow cooker (stock, sauce, roasts). The section on the history of slow cooking and cookers, the section on food safety and the sections on recipies for meals from slow-cooked-stock or sauce could be replaced with more slow cooker recipies.
Rating:
Summary: Knowing your tools
Review: This book was less about the food, and more about the backround, history, and machanics of a slowcooker. If you love soup this book might be what your looking for, but for everyday good food, I will keep looking for a better book.
Rating:
Summary: I'll keep looking for a better book
Review: This book was less about the food, and more about the backround, history, and machanics of a slowcooker. If you love soup this book might be what your looking for, but for everyday good food, I will keep looking for a better book.
Rating:
Summary: Learn more about your slow cooker
Review: This is *not* a collection of slow cooker recipies. It *is* however, a far better replacement for the manuals that comes with most slow cookers though. There are recipies in the book, and they're good recipies. The value of the book though comes from the tips and techniques that will teach you how to do more with your slow cooker and how to adapt recipies to slow cookers. I definitely recommend this for people who are new to slow cooking (the ones who received it as a housewarming/wedding/graduation/other gift). Slow cooker pro's probably won't get much from this book (of course they're not dummies, so why are they buying a book for dummies?), but newbies and intermediate users definitely will get lots out of this book.
Rating:
Summary: Learn more about your slow cooker
Review: This is *not* a collection of slow cooker recipies. It *is* however, a far better replacement for the manuals that comes with most slow cookers though. There are recipies in the book, and they're good recipies. The value of the book though comes from the tips and techniques that will teach you how to do more with your slow cooker and how to adapt recipies to slow cookers. I definitely recommend this for people who are new to slow cooking (the ones who received it as a housewarming/wedding/graduation/other gift). Slow cooker pro's probably won't get much from this book (of course they're not dummies, so why are they buying a book for dummies?), but newbies and intermediate users definitely will get lots out of this book.
Rating:
Summary: This is great for what it is:
Review: This is not so much a recipe book as a manual that teaches you how best to use a crock pot. It teaches you how to convert your favorite recipes to a slow cooker, which is my favorite part of the book. It gives you some "master" recipes (meat sauce, chicken broth) that you can put in the freezer and use as a base for fast, delicious meals. That part of the book is also brilliant. There aren't many recipes, but the great thing about the recipes they do have is that they are NOT the "add a can of condensed mushroom soup" variety. There are some hearty chicken and potato recipes that my family just adores - using real food such as herbes de provence and fresh mushrooms. But at the same time, the recipes are not complicated and the ingredients are easy to find in a regular grocery store.
Rating:
Summary: This is great for what it is:
Review: This is not so much a recipe book as a manual that teaches you how best to use a crock pot. It teaches you how to convert your favorite recipes to a slow cooker, which is my favorite part of the book. It gives you some "master" recipes (meat sauce, chicken broth) that you can put in the freezer and use as a base for fast, delicious meals. That part of the book is also brilliant. There aren't many recipes, but the great thing about the recipes they do have is that they are NOT the "add a can of condensed mushroom soup" variety. There are some hearty chicken and potato recipes that my family just adores - using real food such as herbes de provence and fresh mushrooms. But at the same time, the recipes are not complicated and the ingredients are easy to find in a regular grocery store.
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