In 2011, we published Slow Cooker Revolution, and, if I say so myself, it was a book that offered a truly revolutionary look at this appliance. (The cover featured slow-cooker lasagna after all!) We had to solve the problems with using a slow cooker—long cooking times mean that sauces become watery, flavors get washed out, and food can end up tasting dull rather than fresh. We also had to address the differences between different models of slow-cookers. But, at the end of the day, we did a solid job of rethinking how to use a slow cooker in exciting new ways. We continued our kitchen work to produce Slow Cooker Revolution: The Easy-Prep Edition.
In the last few years, we received letters from home cooks about how to use the slow cooker to prepare healthy recipes. Now, don’t get me started on “healthy.” There is nothing unhealthy about beef stew or a nice bowl of spaghetti and meatballs. But these missives got us thinking about the very nature of slow cookers.
In effect, a slow cooker steams food since it is a closed environment containing liquid. This requires less fat than other cooking methods, which worked to our advantage in this new book. Of course, building flavor is always an issue in a slow cooker and that means starting out with a flavorful base, using spice rubs, and creating strong flavor combinations.
We also came up with a host of new techniques, including using parchment paper on top of rice recipes in the slow cooker. (The rice doesn’t dry out.) We wrapped vegetables in cheesecloth to keep them from overcooking. And we found that low-fat cheese is poorly suited for the slow cooker—it can turn waxy and does not melt well.
Our test kitchen work on this book opened us up to a wider world of slow-cooker recipes, including seafood dishes (Halibut with Warm Bean Salad and California-Style Fish Tacos), vegetarian recipes (Stuffed Spiced Eggplants, Farro Risotto, Miso Soup and Sweet-and-Sour Braised Swiss Chard), and healthier takes on classics (Country Beef and Vegetable Stew and Chicken with “Roasted” Garlic Sauce). We even found new ways to make salads in the slow cooker, including Beet and Wheat Berry Salad with Arugula and Apples.
I have a fascination with old tools and what the old-timers in my town used to do with them. They could split cedar to make shakes for roofing or split logs for clapboards. Of course, they also made barrels, wagons, whippletrees, and traces. In many cases, the old tools, in the right hand, could do a better job than our modern electric machinery. It’s all about practice and skill.
That is a long-winded way of saying that slow cookers started out as a convenient way to cook beans. Here in the test kitchen, we used to view slow cookers as special occasion appliances, but now we think of them like a good tool—in the right hands, with the right experience, you can cook almost anything and cook it well. And, as it turns out, you can also produce wholesome, fresh food.
Practicality is the essence of the slow cooker; there is very little last-minute cooking and it forces you to plan ahead. Plus, one doesn’t need a battery of pots and pans—recipes call for either just the slow cooker or perhaps one other pan or appliance (a skillet or microwave). This aligns with one of the key elements of home cooking: an eye for sensible food preparation.
That reminds me of a story about a very practical Vermont farmer. He wanted to purchase a train ticket to Littleton. The ticket agent told him that it would be two dollars. He then asked, “Well, then, how much for a cow?” The answer? Three dollars. “How much for a pig, then?” The answer? One dollar. “Book me as a pig,” said the old-timer.
So there you have it—fresh, healthy food from a slow cooker and all with an eye for practical home cooking. We think that you’ll be more than happy with the results.
CHRISTOPHER KIMBALL
Founder and Editor,
Cook’s Illustrated and Cook’s Country
Host, America’s Test Kitchen and
Cook’s Country from America’s Test Kitchen