Introduction

In our very first slow-cooker cookbook (Slow Cooker Revolution), the test kitchen tackled the slow cooker head-on, determined to discover new techniques for making classic slow-cooker dishes (soups, stews, chilis, and braises) taste better. In this, our second volume of slow-cooker recipes, we set out with two goals in mind: to deliver a new collection of flavorful family favorites (while making them faster to get into the slow cooker) and to explore new uses for the slow cooker.

In the process, we’ve learned a lot about the versatility of slow cookers while pressing them into service to make appetizers, cook leaner cuts of meat, poach fish, cook pasta, and even make creamy desserts. Developing these recipes required new strategies (and new mindsets) for using this handy appliance. In short, this book is about using your slow cooker in many different ways, not just to make a meal that is ready when you arrive home from work (though there are plenty of recipes like that in the book). We learned that a slow cooker can sometimes outperform the oven or stovetop, or at least make the cooking process easier or more foolproof when it comes to tasks like gently poaching shrimp, making a hands-free risotto, or turning out a no-fuss creamy cheesecake. Not to mention the fact that it can free up your oven for the main course while you use it to “bake” potatoes or “roast” beets or Brussels sprouts.

One constant throughout this book, however, is that in the spirit of keeping things easy, we made sure that no recipe took more than 15 minutes of prep time before you could press start and walk away. And the recipes require absolutely no stovetop cooking. So whether you are making a dip that takes just an hour, poaching fish that takes about 2 hours, or assembling a hearty braise that can cook all day, getting started will be easy.