I love my slow cookers* (aka crock pots), I don't know how I would have gotten by without them once I had kids. The beauty of being able to sort out dinner first thing in the morning and then have it ready without having to try and cook with tired, hungry children under my feet is awesome.So I'm always on the lookout for new recipes to try, and always flick through any cookbooks I come across. It seems that they are making a comeback lately as I have noticed quite a few in the book shops now! Most aren't really to my taste though, and sadly a lot rely on processed ingredients such as tins of condensed soup or dry soup mixes, which contain lots of additives I'd rather not eat.
Sally Wise is the Aussie author of A Year in a Bottle, a preserving book which I really like, so when I noticed her new book Slow Cooker, I picked it up immediately for a look.
Like A Year in a Bottle, the recipes in Slow Cooker are for unpretentious, wholesome dishes. There is also a whole section devoted to desserts to, something I don't do regularly but may do now (well, perhaps in winter anyway) although I will probably substitute raw honey for the sugar in many of the recipes. Plus because Sally is an Aussie, the recipes are in metric for a change, so there are no conversion issues as I usually have with recipes I source from the 'net.
It does have a good section of vegetable dishes, but it isn't a book for vegetarians as most recipes are meat-based. If you do eat meat, the advantage of a slow cooker is that it suits the cheaper, tougher cuts, and they generally use less energy than baking in an oven for a long period.
It's worth checking out.
* Yes, I have two; one large 6L one and one smaller 4.5L one.
Cheers,
9 comments:
I love my slow cooker too! It has been a real household helper since having children. It is just starting to heat up where I am and the flies have come in- so I don't tend to use it as much at the moment or I end up with a houseful of flies!! The book looks fab- will have to have a squizz.
That looks a good book - I hope they get it into the library. I don't use ours as much as I could because DH and DS don't really like "stew-y" things. I need to expand my repetoire.
My dad bought a slow cooker about 8 years ago and there were hardly any books about the method in Australia then: I ended up buying him one while visiting the US. And now, I feel like the only person I know without a slow cooker!!
Do you leave it your slow cooker on while you're out of the house?
I know what you mean about the recipes, I can't believe how many of them require you to put the meat in with several different cans full of E numbers. I will definitely hunt this one down.
My favourite recipe is beef rendang.
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Hi Julie,
thanks for your slow cooking post. I am part of the slow cooking revival, having zero experience but slowly learning my way around my slow cooker. Thanks for the cookbook recommendation, I also ordered some US cookbooks only to find out most of them use tinned soup. Not in our house!
Ditto to what Sonja had to say.
I throw in all natural ingredients and haven't had any complaints..not even from 'fussy middle child aged 10'. It's my favourite way to cook lately, especially if I have planned a full day's work. Great post and I really enjoy your blog. I'm in complete admiration of your efforts to lead a sustainable life.
Hello everyone, sorry for my tardy responses (ahem).
Hi Jane - Er yes, the flies issue is a big one when I have kids constantly going in and out! Ah well LOL.
vTg - Yup, I leave it on while I'm out. I make sure there isn't anything touching it and it has good air flow around it and I've never had any problems :-)
Hi Deb - Oooh, how good is beef rendang! Love a good curry :-)
Sonja - I hope you can borrow a copy of the book for a squiz, it's pretty good :-)
Ecoinspired - Thank you :-) And yes, how great is it to be busy all day but not have to worry about putting a nourishing meal on the table at night?
Cheers, Julie
Hey bought this book after friend at work recommended it. I have made the Satay Chicken and one of the puddings (who knew you could make puddings). Both were delicous and I really want to try the bread recipe. All of us at work have started slow cooking and enjoy passing on recipes. Its perfect when you have children and are out of the house all day. Also something I hadn't thought of which Sally suggests is using it during summer because a slow cooker doesnt heat up your kitchen like a stove.
cheers Aly
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