Food Made Fast: Slow Cooker (Williams-Sonoma)
by Norman Kolpas
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Book Reviews of Food Made Fast: Slow Cooker (Williams-Sonoma)
Book Review: Just OK, recipes are not outstanding though
Summary: 3 Stars
I've made several recipes from this book. A lot of them really just don't add a ton of flavor. On top of the flavor lacking, several of the recipes are very non-traditional. I know everyone is different but I was expecting several takes on a great beef stew, etc. They have a guiness beef stew recipe, which sounds amazing, but it's a total flop. The recipe is not rich with flavor, it's more like beef in watered down beef broth with some vegetables. I've tried it twice, really trying to give it a chance. I wanted these recipes to work.
I own most of the books in this series, and I would say that this book is OK, but if you are looking for a great slow cooker book, this is not it. Out of 20 or so recipes, there are about 4 that are decent.
I really enjoy the layout of this book. It lays out how much prep time, then how much cook time. Most of the recipes do take the 8 hours in the slow cooker. Every recipe has a picture to go with it, which is a really nice twist. Occasionally it has recommendations on a side dish too (no recipe for side dishes though).
Book Review: YUM!
Summary: 5 Stars
I didn't buy this book ON Amazon, but felt compelled to write a review because I LOVE THIS BOOK! I was reading some of the negative reviews, and wanted to add to it all. :)
I LOVE this book because you can add your OWN flavor at the end....and with ANY recipe, you can add more or less of ANY flavor!
Another reason I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book is because there IS prep work involved.....meaning.....not everything tastes the same, as with OTHER recipes for the crock pot.
without a LITTLE prep, ALL the flavors turn into ONE flavor. What THIS book does is mesh the different flavors together while KEEPING a depth of flavor present....ie:
you can taste the layers of flavors! ...we had Cuban Chicken tonight and I loved how I could cook it for 5 hours on low or 2.5 on high! We did 2.5 on high, added the
parsley and lime at the end.....and WOW!!!!!!! We have children, so adding the pepper to individual dishes was how we managed the pepper-part.
YUMMMMMM!
Book Review: Perfect for All-Clad Deluxe Slow Cooker
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has excellent recipes and is particularly good if you own the All-Clad Deluxe Slow Cooker. (The liner is a piece of heavy-duty nonstick cookware. You brown the meat and onions in the liner on top of the stove, add the liquid and spices, transfer the liner to the slow cooker and walk away.) Most of the recipes require this type of preparation. The book is organized by prep time and times are given for cooking on high and low. I prep 2 or 3 meals on the weekend and then just throw them into the slow cooker before work during the week. So even if you don't own the All-Clad you could prepare the recipes this way. If you appreciate good flavor, fresh ingredients and don't mind investing in some prep time, this book is for you. Be sure to try the Spring Veal Stew with asparagus, peas, mushrooms and creme fraiche - outstanding.Book Review: lazy-lousy
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought this in good faith since it's Williams-Sonoma and all that.
It is very lazy in spite of all the pretty pictures. It actually tells you to
buy coleslaw "from you favorite deli or upscale market" instead of providing a
recipe. As if we couldn't figure that out for ourselves if we were short on time. And the kindest word I can use for the recipes themselves is 'uninspired'
and that's very kind.
I miss how William-Sonoma and Chuck Williams used to do things. His
1970's Williams-Sonoma Cookbook is still a big favorite of mine. Nothing lazy about those
recipes.
Save your money on this one.
Book Review: Williams-Sonoma Cookbook - Food Made Fast: Slow Cooker
Summary: 2 Stars
So anyone that cooks in a crock pot knows that it isn't 'Food Made Fast' - what were they thinking when titling this cookbook? But no big deal. The issue I have with these recipes is that many require non-crockpot precooking which defeats the purpose of using my crockpot in the first place. I think many people use their slow cooker so they can throw all the ingredients into the pot in the morning and voila! dinner is ready when you get home. If we have to precook anything, it just won't happen.
Too bad they didn't keep it simple for some easy crockpot meals because I think that all the William Sonoma recipes are terrific!