Slow Cooking Properly Explained: Over 100 Favourite Recipes [Kindle Edition]

Having not used a slow cooker for many years and considering buying a newer, up-to-date version, I was searching for a book that would give me a better idea of what I could actually do with a slow cooker nowadays. I found this book to be very informative on the principles of slow cooking. It was also very easy to understand. The recipes were English based and therefore the ingredients etc were accessible to me and I found this to be a good stepping stone which would give me the confidence to be more adventurous in the future. A must have book for reference, ideas, and encouragement at a very affordable price.

I have many slow cooker recipe books - but this one is the one I use the most. Simply, I like it precisely because the recipes are not sophisticated and posh. Flicking through you it you won't see many recipes that require fresh herbs to finish the recipe off - so no throwing out half used tubs of wilted fresh herbs in the bin. A lot of the recipes use store cupboard items such as dried herbs and pulses. A favourite recipe of mine is Winter Pea soup using dried split peas. Alongside my breadmaker I can produce tasty, cheap, nourishing meals with little cost in terms of my time and energy.

I have made the steamed pudding from this book - the result is a light, moist sponge. One of my favourites is fricassee of Turkey - a supposely old fashioned recipe, but nevertheless a really yummy dish using chopped up turkey, lemon, mushrooms and onions.

However, there are a few duff recipes - I have found potatoes turn out watery and unappetising. If a stew recipe includes slow cooked potatoes I just tend to cook them separately, or just serve the dish with rice instead. The beef in beer recipe is wonderful (called Geordie stew with dumplings) - but I omit the dumplings. It cooks in 6 to 10 hours - it is great to come back home to a cooked dinner after a day's work.

I would recommend this book just for the soup recipes alone - once you have tasted how good the soups are you will want to keep on making them!

I was given a slow cooker as a Christmas present this year. I got this book to give me a few ideas. It is well laid out with over a hundred easy recipes. There are plenty of helpful hints and tips to help you get started. Well worth the money.