The Gourmet Slow Cooker: Volume II, Regional Comfort-Food Classics

I use my slow cooker frequently; it gets me very good food with little effort when I work fairly long hours. I owned Lynn Alley's first book and thought I would like Volume II. So far I've made one recipe, the Adobo Chicken, which met with favor from my husband--distinctive flavors and easy to do; vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, and chicken basically. Oh and of course garlic! I like the other recipes and intend to try them in the near future; particularly a slow-cooked pork roast for barbecued pork sandwiches. And a green chile/hominy posole' style soup. There's even a fruit preserve recipe that sounds interesting. The format of the books is clear, the recipes are easy to follow, the book's design and photographs are attractive, and there's enough variety to keep it interesting. And nary a can of cream of mushroom soup!

I just bought a slowcooker, after a lot of thought (since the last thing I need is another unused appliance to clutter up a small kitchen.)I wanted to get a cookbook that would inspire me to use the thing, so I ordered this book BEFORE I got the slowcooker.It seems reasonable, like stuff that's easy to do (I don't find the recipes here to be onerous, but then, I never just dumped stuff in a pot and let it cook without watching it.) So for a first timer to slow cooking, the book cautiously inspired me to take a chance and try it.We'll see if I become a slowcooker convert, but so far - with this book - it looks like smooth sailing.

My friend is really into cooking, she recently purchased a slow cooker and when I asked what she wanted for Christmas she responded with a cookbook for her slow cooker. I looked everywhere for one, they all had a ton of recipes that were all similar, just changing one or two ingredients and calling it something different. There were many that took a dish you could make in twenty mins and in a slow cooker it took 4. The all had prep steps that she really didn't need, things that if you were not too sure of you could always look on line, things she already knew about being such a great cook. I was this book at a little boutique in San Francisco's pier 39 and loved it so much I took a picture with my camera phone and when I got back home I found it on Amazon.She has tried a few recipes and loves them, I was so inspired by the recipes that I have recently purchased a slow cooker and plan on buying the vegetarian cookbook by this author.

I like this cookbook better than Alley's first slow cooker book. Because it's regional foods, the recipes are still varied, but the ingredients are a little less exotic. This book contains close to 60 solid recipes with beautiful photography. Best of all, the author admits she tested the resipes on various brands of slow cookers, something that didn't quite happen with the first book.The intro pages contain useful info. I was pursuaded to whip out a thermometer and test my cooker's low and keep warm settings. I've found that my model runs extremely hot and I'm sending it in for warranty evaluation.

On the whole...I like this slow cooker recipe book. The one complaint is that I wish there was the "grind spices" and then the amounts if you have already ground spices. Besides that I have enjoyed...love the Split Pea soup recipe (France)...the Italian Pot Roast, the dried apricot bread pudding and some others...those were the highlights. Recommended for people who want more to slow cooking that a lot of cans going into the pot.

I have this book and the author's other slow-cooker cookbook, and they are wonderful! The recipes are easy to follow, smell incredible while cooking and taste delicious. This is NOT an "open-the-can and dump it in your crock pot" type cookbook. The recipes call for fresh ingredients. Sometimes the author suggests you brown meats before placing them in the cooker, but as she states in her introduction this step is not required. It's a recommendation.My favorite recipes from this book are the pulled pork and chicken adobo. Many recipes from the book are now a part of my repetoire of regularly cooked meals.I've learned a lot from this book regarding making "gourmet" slow-cooker meals and am so glad I own this book and the author's other book. Another bonus is it has some excellent pictures throughout.For the price, you definitely can't go wrong with this book. If you love food that tastes delicious and you own a slow cooker, you will be happy to have this book as a part of your collection of recipes.

So many sow cooker recipes call for canned soup, but not the recipes in this book. As with most cookbooks, not every recipe appeals to me, but there sre several that I will try. I'd suggest buying the book, not the Kindle edition because you could swipe through many recipes to find the ones you want!

Recipes are easy to prepare and make. The versatility of the slow cooker is amazing. Preserved to puddings. Stews toe ribs

I didn't think this book lived up to the hype.

Great book

Several good recipes