The 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes Paperback – July 28, 2011

I have had this cookbook for a couple of years and this year bought more of them to give to my grown children, who haven't used their crockpots very much. I've made more than half the recipes in my book and every one has been a standout! True, there is a bit of preparation before putting ingredients into the cooker, but that's the beauty of having an awesome meal ready at dinner time - that it doesn't taste like something you just threw into the pot and hoped for the best. Fish chowder, celery soup and southwestern corn and roasted red pepper soups are worth having the book for themselves! The cumin pot roast, "easy pot roast" and boeuf bourguignon are wonderful winter dishes that fill the house with lovely aroma all day. My family has had each of these several times and always raves. Pork roast with chili orange sauce is yummy (I left out the banana, as we are not fans). Pork chops and onions was a huge hit, and I even forgot to finish with the mustard sause! Chicken with sage makes a lovely brown sauce and the chicken comes out incredibly tender. Roast chicken in tarragon cream sauce is a real company-worthy meal. I serve it with couscous and roasted beets. I could go on and on . . .The thing I love about this cookbook, aside from that the recipes all come out so well, is that most of the ingredients are things I have in my kitchen already. There are not a lot of foreign or specialized ingredients to go out and hunt for. I can really thaw a piece of meat and flip through the book to find a recipe I can use for tonight's main course.I have a huge collection of cookbooks, and can say without a doubt that this one is used more often than any other I own. I totally reccommend it to beginners or seasoned cooks.

Over the years I had a couple of crock pots and slow cooker cookbooks and everything that came out of the pots was bland and unappetizing looking. I even managed to turn out beef that had cooked for hours and was so tough you could barely chew it. From this cookbook I learned that you can't simply throw a bunch of ingredients in the pot, turn it on low and hope to have something you'd really like to eat hours later. These recipes do require some prep--browning meat, sauteing veggies, etc. Perhaps not a lot less work than required for other ways of cooking, but the advantage of the slow cooker is that you can do all that prep early in the day, do the clean-up then, and then go about your day and expect tasty results when dinner-time arrives. If you're having guests for dinner (and yes, these recipes are something you'll be proud to serve to guests) you can relax and visit with your guests before dinner without being stuck in the kitchen with a lot of final preparations. I definitely recommend this cookbook.

I really like this cookbook. While I like the "typical" American fare, I like to try things that are new, too.Like other reviewers have mentioned, this is not a dump and go slow cooker cookbook. You'll have to spend about 30 minutes or so (depending on the recipe) of prep time before you put everything in the slow cooker, but I actually like that. I think it develops better flavors in these dishes than if you were to just dump everything in and turn the slow cooker on.So far, I've made 6 or 7 of the recipes and have really liked all of them. I try to do a slow cooker dinner every week because of our schedules, so this has been a nice change of pace to the typical short ribs, pulled pork or roasts.

I am one of those "morning people" who lose energy as the day goes along.This fabulous cookbook enables me to serve great food to company, doing my cooking in the morning hours. Thus, I am fresh and unharried when my guests arrive, and they are served wonderful, innovative food. I have been asked for recipes from this book so many times that I am ordering two more copies today--one for my good friend's birthday and the other to use at my summer house in Maine. Try the orange flavored Moroccan lamb with prunes! It's been a hit numerous times, even with people who claim not to like lamb.

I already owned a copy and have used it for years. Wanted another for a cabin.

This book is fantastic. I have made the majority of the recipes in the book with rave reviews from everyone who has tasted them. The only caveat is that they tend to be a bit conservative on the spice side, so if you want a bit more heat/flavor, add more. Overall, a great addition to your cookbook library.

I LOVE to cook, I HATED ancient crockpot recipes. They are so bland. I bought this for myself back when I didn't have a lot of time to cook when I got home from work. There are recipes in here that have become a staple of my weekly cooking. The Mellow Chicken Curry is absolutley wonderful - sometimes I use low-fat coconut milk in place of the yogurt. The Tarragon Cream Roasted Chicken is delicious. Carribean Pork Rum Roast - Oh my gosh! Beef Bourganion (sp?), Vegetarian Chili - has a lot of ingrediants but is so worth it.Anyway - You'd be crazy not to try it. I bought one for everyone in my family for Christmas who owned a crockpot.Even when I'm not using the crockpot, I reference this book for recipe ideas. They are just so flavorful.

My husband first bought this book for me right after initial publication. I have made many recipes multiple times. I have recommended it for friends, including one who is a professional caterer. My three daughters, one of whom has a culinary chef's designation, use it regularly. The recipes are creative, use great spices and take the cook out of the realm of tasteless, overcooked slow cooker recipes of the past. I gave this book as part of a wedding gift and the couple have used many recipes for formal entertaining. Some of the recipes require some specialty ingredients found only in foreign food sections of the store or, in some cases a specialty store, but it is all worth the delightful flavors and colors one experiences. I look forward to trying Ms. Finlayson's newest slow cooker book too!

I've used this book for two years and every recipe has come out very well. I've not found any problems with it being American and it's delight to come across new ideas from over the pond. All the quantities in my copy are in USA (cups/lbs/ozs/spoons) and metric (ltrs/ mltrs and grams). Not come across any ingredients I couldn't find in the shops so far (and I live in Wiltshire so I'm not toe to toe with loads of niche ethnic stores like you get in London or Manchester - or Bristol in my case.) You can make complete meals with this book - appetisers, starters, main courses, side dishes of vegetables, and deserts. (You could become slow cooker obsessed and surround yourself with them all going at once, a gurgle-fest in your kitchen.) It did make me think about all sorts of dishes I could prepare beforehand and slow cook them without that last moment panic. I got another slow cooker, a bigger one this time (3+ ltr) so I can cook, eat 1/2 and freeze 1/2, in one process. I can then use my current small slow cooker for deserts or side dishes. (Well I said you could get obsessed!)If you like the idea of slow cooking - get this book - every meal's a winner.

Had a go at a few of them, unimpressed

As with all cookery books I tend to use relatively few actual recipes, due to the fact that I don't eat a vast range of different foods, but it is a useful addition to the collection and the 'methods of cooking' can inspire me to adapt recipes as well.

I bought this cook book as an addition to my recent purchase of a slow cooker. The book is extensive in the number of recipts and has formed part of my ever increasing cook book library.

Good, perhaps not the BEST