The Slow Cooker Ready & Waiting Cookbook: 160 Sumptuous Meals That Cook Themselves

by Rick Rodgers

Hearty stews. Rib-sticking chilis. Tender pot roasts. The real secret is a long, slow simmer at a constant temperature, and no appliance does this better than the slow cooker. If your old slow cooker recipes disappointed you, throw them away! The Slow Cooker Ready and Waiting Cookbook is for people who love good food!

Rick Rodgers has adapted an eclectic array of American and ethnic dishes for the slow cooker. They're all here: fancy fare (Farmer's Market Lobster and Corn Chowder, Sweet and Sour Brisket, Erna's Sauerbraten), everyday favorites (Ground Beef Chili with Cornmeal Dumplings and Herbed Tomato Sauce with Parmesan Meatballs), side dishes (Potatoes Euphoria, Smothered Green Beans, Sugarbush Beans) -- even desserts (Strawberry-Strawberry Cheesecake, Bourbon Bread Pudding, and Lemon-Raspberry Pudding Cake). Ideal for entertaining, the slow cooker keeps crowd-pleasing dips and holiday punches warm from the beginning of the party to when the last guest leaves.

A special section explains how to choose the right-size slow cooker for your needs, how to adapt a favorite recipe, and what can (and can't) be prepared in a slow cooker.

Genres: Cookbooks

256 pages, Paperback

First published February 4, 1998

Reviews

[Carol Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book in August 2010 based on web reviews. In the past three years, I’ve made at least 26/160 recipes, 16% of the book. Have probably made more recipes than that but failed to annotate them.

I love this book. I love that Rodgers treats slow cookers with the respect they deserve. A slow cooker is just an appliance, not a magic machine; you get out what you put into it, both in terms of ingredients and time. These recipes require a bit more up-front investment than your typical “dump in a can of cream of tomato soup”-style recipes, but the results are truly guest-worthy. Very feasible to prep these recipes in the morning before work, especially if you and your partner do it together.

One of my favorite cookbooks. Very brief recipe notes:

1. Guacamole salsa (not a slow cooker recipe): perfectly serviceable as far as guacamoles go.
2. Chicken, tomato, and tortilla soup – really excellent. Double the ingredients (but less than double on the liquid).
3. Pink bean and pasta soup with ham: great! Use a variety of beans.
4. Very nice red beans and rice – very nice!
5. Lentil-tomato stew – okay, not very exciting.
6. Bistro beef bourguignon – not enough wine in this version. Next time use all wine, no beef broth.
7. Portuguese spiced beef stew – very flavorful, very unusual flavor.
8. Short ribs with garden patch horseradish sauce – a keeper! Nice, thick sauce with a kick.
9. Chinese country ribs – excellent and filling, but doesn’t taste very Chinesey…
10. Ravioli casserole – fabulous! Comfort food! Lasagna- like. Double it. A keeper.
11. Belgian beer and onion pot roast – Good! Lots of onions.
12. Joy’s Mexican pot roast. Eh. Veggies are soggy, rather bland.
13. Erna’s Sauerbraten – takes several days to make but so worth it. Tender, awesome gravy. Not much leftovers for the effort – more meat next time?
14. Texas BBQ beef – truly excellent sauce. Thicken it a bit with cornstarch or tapioca.
15. Ham with Port-Raisin sauce – the best, best sauce! Wow, so tender. A keeper. Use a whole bottle of tawny port (the small size). Worth it.
16. Pork loin in milk sauce – good. Interesting technique.
17. Little Italy Chicken Cacciatore – very good! Needs more olives. Try adding pulverized dried porcinis next time…
18. Chicken with Mushrooms and Artichokes in Red Wine Sauce – added more red wine, still not “winey” enough. I think Cooks Illustrated’s recipe is better.
19. African Marinated Chicken in Onion Sauce – double the meat, but not the onions (lots of onions in this!). Not very hot. Try adding more/different spices next time. Make again.
20. Basque Chicken and Rice Casserole – very good!
21. Soy-spiced Simmered Chicken – fantastic! So tender and flavorful. Can use cooking liquid multiple times if stored in freezer.
22. Chicken Stew with Spicy Peanut Sauce – good. Add hot sauce to spice it up (not really spicy enough).
23. Turkey Breast Saltimbocca – just okay. Would’t make again. Maybe turkey is just boring.
24. Green Peppers with Turkey-Corn Stuffing – meh. Don’t make again. Maybe turkey in slow cooker is boring?
25. Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage – very good!
26. Chinese Cabbage and Peanut Slaw – excellent! The hubby says add garlic next time.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to read cookbooks for new, clever ideas but almost always end up tweaking the recipes. And I regularly cull my shelves, getting rid of the books I haven't returned to. Rick Rodgers knows how to cook, and he knows how to write a clear, easy-to-follow recipe. That's why this book has been right within my reach, on the nearest shelf to my kitchen, for 20 years. The food is that good!

You won't believe how many different meals you can make in a slow cooker! Follow these reliable recipes, and your slow cooker will turn out yummy, comfort food. My favorite recipes: Tarragon Pickled Vegetables; Mediterranean Vegetable Soup with Pistou; Nor-eastern Shrimp Chowder (so easy!); Belgian Beer and Onion Pot Roast; The Good Woman's Chicken Pot Roast; and Lemon-Raspberry Pudding Cake (yes, you can make cake in a slow cooker, which comes in handy in the summer when you don't want to turn on the oven). Oh, and don't forget the Very Nice Red Beans and Rice and the North Beach Cioppino and...and...

[Mamafeelgood · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have so many things bookmarked in this book. I'm ready to get cooking. Best crockpot book I've ever used.