Ready & Waiting: 160 All New Recipes to Make in the Slow Cooker - Hardcover

"I asked the anti-slow cooker contingent to send me recipes. Here is an example:

Coq au Vin: Slow-Cook 1 chicken, skinned and cut up, with 3 tablespoons oil, 1 chopped onion, 4 cloves garlic, 2 cups semisweet wine, 8 ounces mushrooms, and 3 potatoes. Cook from morning to evening.

What about browning the chicken to add flavor? What about some chicken broth for the sauce? Why isn't the sauce thickened? No wonder the cook considered this recipe a failure!

For my Coq au Vin, I took the same basic list of ingredients BUT I applied the same principles of good cooking that I always use. I browned the chicken (with the skin, but removed it after cooking) in a skillet, cooked the onions and garlic in the same skillet, added herbs, and used dry red wine. After 6 hours, it was was tender but not overdone. I skimmed the cooking liquid and thickened it. The ingredients for both recipes cost the same amount of money, but the few minutes of extra effort improved the dish immeasurably."

Controversial or not, I refuse to pretend that slow-cooked food prepared by the typical "dump in the pot" method is as good as my (admittedly longer) technique. My experience as a professional cook showed that the old method is a sure way to waste groceries and time.

There are many kinds of cooks. If you judge a recipe by how few ingredients it has and how little time it takes to make it, R & W isn't for you. If you are looking for tasty, new (even gourmet) recipes, then check it out. (A title change to "The Slow Cooker Gourmet: Over 150 Recipes for Good Cooks" might be in order.) This book's longevity (over 9 years old) speaks for the amount of people who do like it.

Rick Rodgers is the author of more than thirty-five cookbooks, including the bestselling 101 series (Thanksgiving 101, Christmas 101, Barbecues 101) and beloved cookbooks on everything from fondue to slow cookers to comfort food. His recipes have appeared in Cooking Light, Fine Cooking, and Food & Wine and on epicurious.com, and he is a frequent contributor to Bon Appétit. He lives in the New York tristate area.