Slow Cooker Dinners

Liz Dennett is a public service librarian in the Science and Technology
Library at the University of Alberta.

Slow Cooker Dinners developed out of requests for more recipes from fans
of Paré’s popular Slow Cooker Recipes (1998). Familiarity with the
first book is not a prerequisite for this sequel, which includes a
number of basic slow-cooker use and food safety tips for those with
little slow-cooker experience.

The recipes are organized according to the major meat ingredient
(including meatless), and the selection goes beyond the stews, soups,
and pot roasts one might expect to “Coq Au Vin,” “Beef and Apricot
Braise,” “Savoury Side Ribs,” “Corny Shepherds Pie,” and
“Vegetable Curry.” All the recipes contain nutritional information
(e.g., fat, calories, cholesterol, protein, etc.) as well as “make
ahead” instructions that point out which ingredients can be combined
in advance to save time when preparing the dishes. Other useful features
include the book’s lay-flat coil binding, a chart for converting
imperial measures to metric, and colour pictures of the dishes for about
25 percent of the recipes.

The recipes are easy to follow and most can be quickly made. As for the
results of the recipes, I found them variable. The “Red Wine and
Rosemary Beef” is nothing short of delectable, particularly when
cooked for 10 hours on the low setting. “The Best Chicken Dish”
should be renamed “An Okay Chicken Dish.” The “Sweet Saucy
Meatballs” and “Tomato Olive Beef” were good. For all of the
recipes, I found that it was important not to exceed the suggested
cooking times. For anyone interested in getting more use out of their
slow cooker, this book provides lots of options and is reasonably
priced.