Slow Cooker Cookbook - Catherine Atkinson

=== The slow cooker ===

We bought a slow cooker as had heard some brilliant reviews on them and Mrs B was desperate to try anything which made healthy, home-cooking easier and less time-consuming since Baby B came along. At first we were both dubious about leaving on an electric cooker all day whilst we went off to work or Mrs B took Baby B out to various baby groups, we had images of a huge electricity bill or a burnt out kitchen ...
.../> The idea of a slow cooker is to reduce time of cooking, so you just throw your veg in, cover it in stock and add whatever else you need, leave it on a low heat all day and then it's ready! It always tastes so much better too as it's been cooked for a long time enabling all the flavours to come out.

=== The cook book ===
We bought this book as we decided we wanted to get the most out of our new appliance and we are so glad ... more

The slow cooker

We bought a slow cooker as had heard some brilliant reviews on them and Mrs B was desperate to try anything which made healthy, home-cooking easier and less time-consuming since Baby B came along. At first we were both dubious about leaving on an electric cooker all day whilst we went off to work or Mrs B took Baby B out to various baby groups, we had images of a huge electricity bill or a burnt out kitchen or maybe even both but this hasn't happened! Instead, we come home to beautifully cooked food which has taken minimal effort.

The idea of a slow cooker is to reduce time of cooking, so you just throw your veg in, cover it in stock and add whatever else you need, leave it on a low heat all day and then it's ready! It always tastes so much better too as it's been cooked for a long time enabling all the flavours to come out.

The cook book

We bought this book as we decided we wanted to get the most out of our new appliance and we are so glad we did! This book really enables us to see how the slow cooker can be used. Before we were just using it for stews but this recipe book has some really novel ideas including using it to make steam puddings and even pates and terrines which we would never have thought of before!

The beginning of the book tells the reader about the history of the slow cooker which is a nice introduction. It then goes on to offer advice which novices like myself need concerning the preparation of food, useful equipment and the differences between cuts of meat.

The recipe section is then very clearly laid out. Before each section there is information about the different kinds of meats, poultry, pulses which is really nicely illustrated with some brilliant colour photographs which always make me very hungry!

Each recipe is carefully laid out with a picture of the finished product. The ingredients are (usually) easy to come about and the step by step instructions are easy to follow. For each recipe there is also a section including the calories, carbs etc of each dish which is very useful especially for those on diets. There is also information containing how long the cooker should be on for- if it says 4 hours on high then this equates to 8 hours on low so you can adapt it to whatever suits you. The measurements are in imperial, metric and American so it's very versatile!

There are some really good soup recipes in here which I have found to be really easy to make and useful. I can see these being used frequently now that it's getting into winter.

There are varying levels of difficulty for each dish from the dishes which are 'no fuss' which take less time to those which require more preparation. I find this really useful as some days I do quite like spending some time on my cooking even if I am using a slow cooker.

What I do find a little frustrating about this book is that the majority of the recipes do take quite a bit of preparation so it does kind of take away the main point of a slow cooker. I think usually I would spend less time with preparation than i do when following a recipe from this book so I tend to only really use it when I do have that extra time so I don't rely on it every time.

There are about 200 recipes in this book and they are all very varied including the wholesome traidtional meals and more modern twists on recipes. There are also very interesting ways to use this machine so you can make terrines and pates too so there are lots of recipes to choose from.

My opinion

I think that this book is great. I think if you're quite established at cooking you may find it pointless and just a lot of faffing around but for me it's great as it gives me the chance to explore new ideas which I may never have thought of before. I like the fact that it suggests new ways to use the machine= like using it as a bain-marie, something which I hadn't thought of doing at all.

The recipes are illustrated really well which make the book really appealing and i think it would make quite a nice present to someone.

All of the recipes which I've tried from this book have been a success. I haven't come across anything that hasn't worked or was too awkward and fiddly to make. If i end up late home from work nothing goes wrong with the recipes either! It just cooks for longer and still tastes fine!

It cost me £16 which I think was well worth it as I really have learnt a lot from it and feel as though I am getting the most out of my slow cooker now. I reallly do recommend it.

Availability

At the moment Amazon are offering this book at £14.44 for a limited time only.  

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