Best kitchen appliances cooking books according to redditors
We found 384 Reddit comments discussing the best kitchen appliances cooking books. We ranked the 113 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 384 Reddit comments discussing the best kitchen appliances cooking books. We ranked the 113 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Browning the meat means using your stove to brown it (not fully cook, just brown the outside) before putting it in the slow cooker. Drying the pork means patting it dry with paper towels or something before putting it in the slow cooker.
Browning the meat is not fully necessary, but it will add an extra depth of flavor. It'll taste better if you do this step, but if you don't have time and just throw it into the slow cooker, it'll still cook through and you'll still have a tasty dinner. I skip that step all the time when I'm in a rush.
I highly recommend the Slow Cooker Revolution and Slow Cooker Revolution 2: Easy Prep cookbooks from America's Test Kitchen. For two reasons: One, their recipes are awesome. Two, they actually explain why you do certain steps and what the results will be so you can better understand what you're doing. Helped me to branch off from just using recipes to inventing my own. If you're looking for quick recipes, I'd go with SCR2 as the prep is much quicker for those recipes than in the first.
You don't hate healthy food, you just haven't found ways to eat healthy that you like. Look, I used to feel exactly the same. Then I got myself some cook books and learned how to cook beyond the "college" level (ie very rudimentary cooking skills).
It sounds old fashioned, but buy some cook books. Eating healthy does NOT have to mean (and shouldnt mean) eating boring, bland food. I have been eating quite a healthy balanced diet lately, but it doesn't suck and I enjoy everything I eat because I cooked it and it tastes really good. I am a pretty proficient cook now because I've learned enough from cook books that I can create something tasty on my own if I want to. But for the most part, I'd say I still follow recipes very frequently, mostly because a) I know it will turn out really well unless I royally screw up like forget an ingredient an b) I'm not that creative when it comes to meal planning - I'd prefer to flip through my cook books and pick out new recipes to try for dinner this week.
If you do take my advice and go the route of cook books, I will make a few suggestions below. You will notice that all of them are America's Test Kitchen. There's a reason I suggest mostly their books--they are totally idiot proof. Their recipes are thoroughly tested (it IS americas TEST kitchen after all...) They rarely have recipes that call for unusual or hard to find ingredients, and rarely call for unique appliances (like, most people probably do not have an immersion blender). Their recipes are very simple (I've come across a lot of books from other publishers that have incredibly drawn-out steps, or just countless steps, or a lot of unusual ingredients) and easy to follow, and they also include brief scientific explanations for something about every single recipe (example, why you would want to brown your butter when making chocolate chip cookies) which I have always found interesting, and theyre meant to help you build your knowledge in how to cook --ie its often concepts that can be applied elsewhere.
ATK/Cooks Illustrated The Science of Good Cooking
ATK Cooking School
ATK's The Make-Ahead Cook - great if youre into meal prepping
ATK Cooking for Two - great if you are alone or just cooking for yourself and significant other, and dont like having leftovers
ATK Comfort Food Makeovers - turns traditionally unhealthy foods into healthy meals
ATK Slow Cooker Revolution - if you have a crock pot, you NEED this book. I've made a ton of recipes out of here and every single one has come out great.
They have a ton of books out there, many of them for specific things (pressure cooker, paleo, gluten free, vegetarian, mexican recipes, etc.) but you may be saying, "Hmm, none of those books said "Health cooking/eating healthy/buzzwords about health" - they dont need to say that. Quite a lot of their recipes are generally healthy. I haven't encountered many things (outside the dessert chapters, that is) that I've said "oh, I don't think I ought to eat that, it's just not healthy" --but if youre a bit narrow minded in terms of what constitutes a healthy meal (and I find that is common with people who struggle to eat a healthy diet--this is because they think there's a very small amount of "healthy" foods out there) , then maybe these books arent for you. But if you mostly eat intuitively, and know that you should be getting a decent amount of vegetables and fruits in your daily diet, and a good amount of protein, and not an overwhelming amount of starch and net carbs, then youre golden. Get yourself a cook book and learn to cook. Once you eat food that's been properly seasoned and cooked, youll realize that eating asparagus doesn't have to be a boring, unpalatable experience. Brussels sprouts don't have to be awful. I used to hate brussel sprouts...until I had properly roasted sprouts. Holy shit, they are good!!! Peas can be tasty! Baked chicken breast doesn't have to taste bland and dry as hell if you learn about brining, seasoning, and proper cooking times.
TLDR - eating healthy doesnt have to mean eating bland food. You admit your cooking skills are rudimentary, so it's no surprise you are not enthused when you try to make something healthy. A lot of "healthy" foods (veggies, etc) are bland when you don't properly season them or pick the right cooking method. Get yourself a cook book or two and learn how to cook. You won't have a hard time eating something you previously thought unpalatable--like filling half your dinner plate with brussels sprouts and broccoli--when it's seasoned and properly cooked!
Hey OP, I had the EXACT same problems you have. I'm going to tell you the truth about cooking and /r/cooking:
I went through the same thing you did. Was told it was easy and cheap and quick to create great tasting, healthy meals, had no idea what I was doing, came here for help and was told "If you aren't putting in 1hr+, you're not even trying! Get serious!" and was extremely discouraged. Luckily I found other ways around, specifically with regards to mass cooking and using the slow cooker.
PS You know what many professional chefs eat when they come home from a long shift at the restaurant? Take-out. Because like us, they have busy lives and don't have time to sit down and spend 30+ minutes cooking their dinner.
Everyone should seriously just go buy the America's test kitchen slow cooker book.
http://www.amazon.com/Cooker-Revolution-Editors-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1933615699
Yes, look up two things on google:
Dump meals are pretty popular for slow-cookers; Crockpot has a whole book on them with 5 ingredients or less, for simplicity:
https://www.amazon.com/Crock-Dump-Meals-Ingredients-Less/dp/0990963527
Here's some other Instant Pot dump meals to check out: (nice big list)
https://wondermomwannabe.com/instant-pot-dump-recipes/
On a tangent, I cloned Bertolli's 10-minute skillet-dump meals a couple years ago. They are fantastic (compares to Olive Garden, but for half of what they charge for a dinner!), but are $9 each where I live & I can kill a whole packaged dinner by myself, lol:
https://www.bertolli.com/frozen-meals/skillet-meals/
You basically just make a ziploc bag with the following:
Then dump that back in the IP (or skillet) to cook (well, reheat...ish). You have to experiment with the quantities (especially the sauce) to get it right. Sometimes I just use my Fasta Pasta for cooking the noodles separately (lazy but perfect pasta FTW!). For example, here's the Chicken Carbonara:
https://www.bertolli.com/frozen-meals/chicken-carbonara/
So you'd add your noodles, make your sauce, add the cooked chicken, frozen peas, and bacon chunks. Costs a fraction of what the packaged version does, tastes better, and is customizable!
Not sure if this is the right place for this, but here goes.
TL;DR: Handling run nutrition after growing up with an eating disorder
I developed anorexia in my early teens and it persisted into my mid/late twenties. I focused solely on restricting and was severely underweight for a decade at least. I eventually sought treatment and was hospitalized for several months. It's been a few years and I'd say I'm recovered. Healthy weight for ~7 years.
Recently I've been entertaining the idea of improving my nutrition to help running.
Thing is, one of my coping methods in recovery has been to just ignore any nutritional information. It took me a long time to learn how to eat when I am hungry (stupid as that sounds). As a result I'm eating a lot of junk. I have some slight idea of what vitamins/nutrients I am getting, but it doesn't go much further than "milk has calcium" "bread has carbs".
I've tried doing some searches of the sub, have been reading this thread for several weeks, and searched some articles and blogs but I'm lost and, frankly, overwhelmed. I've got my eye on this book though. /u/borichu you've totally sold me.
I don't want to track calories or keep a food diary of everything I eat. I feel like that could lead to a slippery slope of relapse.
---
Can anyone recommend a starting point for a few key vitamins or minerals that I should be getting? I'm hoping to start incorporating a couple things at a time but I have no clue where to start without an "all or nothing" attitude. Or if any of you have tackled this, I'd love to hear how you handled it!
^(^Please don't tell me to give up beer)
Fix It and Forget It seems to be the usual go-to for most slow cooker enthusiasts. They've been around for possibly 20 years or more. I bought a smaller paperback copy back in 2002 or 2003.
Another good one would have to be the America's Test Kitchen's Slow Cooker Revolution. America's Test Kitchen, produced by the publishers of Cooks Illustrated, tests hundreds or even thousands of recipes for a particular dish and then creates a recipe that is usually 100% foolproof. Not only does it work, but it will taste good. And if it doesn't, it's easy to see where you might have gone wrong, or where the recipe might have gone wrong. In some cases, it's even to tell if the recipe would be good before even trying to cook it. They list the ingredients in the order you'll use them, based on the instructions.
Again, no. A slow cooker is a way of cooking stuff long and low. A pressure cooker is a way of increasing the boiling point of water so that things cook hotter. But you can't just take recipe X made for "normal" cooking and put it in a pressure cooker to make it cook faster or put it in a slow cooker to make it cook slower. Well, you can, but it will not turn out good in either case.
Get America's Test Kitchen's books Slow Cooker Revolution (the second edition is lighter on prep work) and Pressure Cooker Perfection and see for yourself how the two aren't simply interchangeable by changing the amount of time you cook something.
This link to a free e-book of keto slow-cooker recipes was just posted the other day. I just downloaded it, looking forward to finding some tasty fall meals in there.
Sidenote, this is the Americas Test Kitchen book. It may be worth getting even before you get a pressure cooker, as they spend a substantial amount of time discussing the pros/cons of various types and models.
I've tried about a third of the recipes in the book and so far they have all been perfect. (Not all to my liking, but all perfectly executed.) The ATK people know their shit.
I’ve had good luck with this one!
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Food-Fast-Ultimate-Pressure/dp/1934193798/
I heard the first one is a little heavy on prep work. I have volume 2, and the recipes are pretty easy, but good. there's a vegetarian chapter, and a few vegetarian recipes scattered through the other chapters.
http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Cooker-Revolution-Volume-2/dp/1936493578
Buy a dehydrator. With a bit of trial and error experiments you can get some ridiculously good trail meals for so cheap. Check out this website and this book. I can't say enough about how easy it is to get some really tasty meals on the trail if you put in a bit of work at home before you go.
Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker: 200 Ultra-Convenient, Super-Tasty, Completely Animal-Free Recipes https://www.amazon.com/dp/1558327908/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_h49NybDEZ4JVT
That one ^^ :)
Crockpot Dump Meals
This cookbook has easy crockpot recipes that are all 5 ingredients or less. Super easy!
There's a really dope Cooks Illustrated book "Slow Cooker Revolution 2: the Easy-Prep Edition". A lot of these do require some quick prep in the microwave or the skillet, but there are probably a few in there with no prep required at all.
The book Slow Cooker Revolution from America's Test Kitchen is well worth the $15 - it's filled with recipes and shortcuts specifically tested for the slow cooker
This book makes a slow cooker definitely worth it!
Http://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1558322566/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1398599173&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40
I love the book Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. The white bean cassoulet with tempeh and shallot confit is one of my favorites.
There is a book that might interest you.
http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Slow-Cooking-Gluten-Recipes/dp/1936608693
All the recipes in it are designed to do exactly what you what. Throw stuff in, leave the house, and come back to a meal...Although I think 10 hours might be pushing it...So you may want to pop for a more expensive model that has timers.
Aside from that, I've yet to have a bad meal using mine. I am currently about to throw some lamb shanks in my crockpot. Tomorrow, oxtail!
http://www.primalpalate.com/paleo-recipe/braised-lamb-shanks/
http://stupideasypaleo.com/2013/06/05/crock-pot-caribbean-oxtails/
Perhaps not what you’re after but my girlfriend and I have been making dishes from this book 80% of our meals for over a year. Can’t recommend it enough!
The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot: 80 Easy and Delicious Plant-Based Recipes That You Can Make in Half the Time
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1624143385/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_OVrRCbKQPJPKK
"The test cooks at America's Test Kitchen have worked their magic again, developing and perfecting an all-new collection of 200 slow-cooker recipes. With this volume, we looked at this must-have appliance in new ways to truly maximize its potential. You'll learn how to make a host of dishes like Garlicky Shrimp, Chicken Soft Tacos, and Flourless Chocolate Cake--recipes you'd never expect to see coming out of a slow cooker. The moist heat of the slow cooker is tailor-made to serve up flavorful stews, chilis, and braises (and don't worry--we've included a good number of these), but with our smart strategies and clever ingredient selections, we were also able to pull off spice-rubbed roast chicken, ziti with meaty ragu, rare roast beef, poached salmon and even cheesecake."
https://www.amazon.com/Slow-Cooker-Revolution-2-Easy-Prep/dp/1936493578/
Uh....... so as someone who loves slow cooking and is eating low carb I jumped at the chance... but after opening it there's no carb count on ANY of the recipes and most of them contain noodles, tortillas, etc. What do they consider low? We will never know. :(
Edit: This book has carb counts and is also free today: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O312AK0/
Here ya go
Got it for xmas, this is the first dish I've made from it, certainly not the last.
We have this one: Great Food Fast (Best of the Best Presents) Bob Warden's Ultimate Pressure Cooker Recipes https://www.amazon.com/dp/1934193798
We've only made like 2 recipes from it so far, but I like that it has a lot of pictures and what we've made has been good.
Go to a thrift store and get a used crock pot, even a small one. It shouldn't cost more than a few bucks. Then get a book like this one: Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. If you want to be really fancy, get a lamp timer to delay the start, so that stuff doesn't end up too overdone by the time you get home/wake up.
maybe you're cooking too long? not enough spices and seasoning?
this book is super helpful in learning when to add certain things. for example, adding only half your onions in the beginning, and then rest toward the end. i don't have a microwave, but they pretty consistently suggest par cooking things in the microwave before adding them. but overall, i've learned that you really have to punch up the flavoring at the end with more seasoning.
Get the book Slow Cooker Revolution, by America's Test Kitchen. America's Test Kitchen runs a PBS cooking show, and they produce Cook's Illustrated magazine.
To produce this cookbook, at team of 10 chefs created a lab with 30 different slow cookers, and spent a year experimenting, testing, and judging recipes with them.
The work paid off.
In particular, try their "Bachelor Beef Stew". It's all lean beef and vegetables. If you make it according to their directions, you'll make a ton, and you'll be eating the leftovers for a week or two. They like to include little tricks or shortcuts, such as adding a bag of frozen french fries to the stew, instead of cooking potatoes. Those tips go a long way to get the most out your slow cooker.
The book has 200 recipes, and they'll be the tastiest meals you'll ever eat from a slow cooker.
I use this book. It's awesome. Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker: 200 Recipes for Healthy and Hearty One-Pot Meals That Are Ready When You Are https://www.amazon.com/dp/1558322566/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_5qAjzbV6CYJKX
you should look into a slow cooker - 20 minutes of prep in the morning (or the evening before - just put it in the fridge) and you have awesome food when you get home. The only recipes I can recommend for you are these and it's vegan.
Vegan Under Pressure. It's not specifically for the IP, but I have the Pressure King Pro (the UK market leader) and everything I've made in my PKP from Vegan Under Pressure has been superb.
https://smile.amazon.com/Vegan-Under-Pressure-Perfect-Cooker/dp/0544464028/
Kathy Hester's book is also pretty good and is specifically for the Instant Pot.
https://smile.amazon.com/Ultimate-Vegan-Cookbook-Your-Instant/dp/1624143385/
I'm a big fan of this book, yes it does have a lot of soups but it also has a great variety
I've been searching for these sorts of recipes recently too. So far my favourite i've tried from reddit is this Afghan Chickpea Recipe (ignore the unappetizing photo, it tastes much better than it looks).
Apart from that the most success i've had is from the America Test Kitchen Slow Cooker books which aren't focused on veg recipes but they have a bunch in there, and i can pretty much count on them being quality. Here's the ones i use:
The recipes i've tried are the Turkish Eggplant Casserole, Spanish Lentil Stew, and Veg Indian Curry, all pretty tasty.
Everything I've made from [Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1558327908/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_1GndAb342YGKP) has been super good!
I don't really think it's cheating if it isn't the major component of the recipe's flavor profile.
If you're looking for great slow-cooker/crock-pot recipes, Slow Cooker Revolution by America's Test Kitchen is amazing. They use chicken and beef broth a bit, but that's not much different from using stock in a recipe. I suppose you could do it from scratch and make your own stock if it bothers you. Every dish I've made from that cookbook has turned out fantastic. There may be a little bit of prep work (sautéing, searing, or microwaving mostly) at the beginning or end of the prep but it is definitely worth it. The Bachelor Beef Stew only requires a bit of microwaving and is absolutely amazing.
Not your Mother's Slow Cooker cookbook. https://www.amazon.com/Your-Mothers-Slow-Cooker-Cookbook/dp/1558322450
The authors have done a couple different books, they're all pretty good.
I enjoy Minimalist Baker because of the photos of every recipe + macros listed. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735210969/
I also really like this one (especially for impressing dates), though I'd argue most of it is a little decadent to be healthy. https://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Vegan-Slow-Cooker-Ultra-Convenient/dp/1558327908/
Tuna cakes, kale salad, and maybe mashed potatoes if I am super hungry.
My favorite slow cooker recipe is Kalua Pig, especially now that I've figured out that the pork shoulders I've been buying only need to cook for 12 hours instead of the prescribed 16.
I'm headed out the door but I have tons more suggestions and I'll add them here later.ETA more slow cooker things:
If you're in the market for cookbooks, we've had success with Slow Cooker Revolution (make the Moroccan chicken and chickpeas!) and Nom Nom Paleo (make the pho broth overnight, stash it in the fridge during work, defat and reheat for dinner). I'm not sure why so much of my slow cooker recipes are paleo, but whatever, they're awesome.
I have this book and I think its the best-of-the-best. Unfortunately, a lot of the recipes have more steps or are more complicated, but each recipe has some tips on why they think it does well in the slow cooker that could be transferrable to other recipes.
I find slow cooker meat only really works in scenarios where you're OK with shredded meat. And it can definitely dry out/over cook.
Yes, someone asked that in the comments and he responded.
There is a really good slow cooker sauce in here: http://www.amazon.com/Cooker-Revolution-Editors-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1933615699 that is very similar to his that I do every few months.
I am lazy so I like Fresh From the Vegan Slow Cooker
Veganomicon, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
Forks Over Knives―The Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Plant-Based Eating All Through the Year
If you have one: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot: 80 Easy and Delicious Plant-Based Recipes That You Can Make in Half the Time
I'm training for my first half marathon in November and I have a 9.7 km/6 mile run on Saturday. It'll be the longest I've ever run and I'm both crazy excited and kinda nervous. More excited than anything else. I just hope it's not too hot tomorrow because I can't sleep for shit if I run too late in the evening/night.
I borrowed the Racing Weight cookbook from the library and made the Asian Chicken with peanut sauce last night and while I don't know how good it'll be at fighting the runger, it was pretty tasty. I'm 100% on board with using broccoli slaw as a "noodle" base for dishes now. The cauliflower and white bean soup from the book was also really good.
Weeks ago, someone suggested stroopwaffels as a pre-run snack and I can't agree more. There's one grocery store that stocks them currently and it's a struggle not to buy a dozen packs just so I never run out. Why are they so good but so expensive?!
I have Not Your Mothers Slowcooker Cookbook and I like it. It was also only $5 when I bought it.
Lots of variety, easy recipes. Check it out.
Part of the problem is that there are a lot of bad recipes online... and most of them have you overcook the dish, which ends up giving you bad texture and washed out flavors.
I highly recommend starting slow-cooking with this cookbook: Slow Cooker Revolution Vol 2: The Easy Prep Edition as it explains to you what you need to do to develop good flavors in the slow cooker and it has lots of recipes that are easy to do but you can also use as a starting point for more complicated recipes.
/u/youreillusive needs this cookbook because everyone needs cookbooks, and this one looks both super fun and useful.
And I don't need double talk, I need this water bottle because I don't own a water bottle. Plus it's Perry from Phineas & Ferb, so that means I need it that much more.
I've had 3 recipes from Not Your Mother's Slowcooker Cookbook! that were fabulous.
The Weeknight Chili from this book is great and it only takes 10 minutes under pressure, plus a little prep time.
I bought this awhile ago and honestly make a recipe from it once or more a month:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1558327908
Long story short: lots of stews, amazing bean dishes, thick root vegetable soups. There are a billion things to do with a slow cooker that don't involve meat.
this is the one I have: http://www.amazon.com/Cooker-Revolution-Editors-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1933615699
some of the stuff in it is pretty complicated, but it has lots of good recipes. the white chicken chili is my go-to
Came here to say the same, you need more tech in the kitchen... I just got this slow cooker and you can do so much more than just stews, soups, and chilis... this has a meat thermometer so you can do whole roast chickens, pot roasts etc. and it turns itself to 'warm' mode when it's done.
I also got this book to go with it and love it, but there are loads of recipes for free online.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Main-Dish/Slow-Cooker/Main.aspx
http://www.slowandsimple.com/
I'm really enjoying Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook and Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two (which I'm in fact looking at right now). They have some good information at the beginning about how to use a slow cooker, and what sort of food you should have on hand (building your pantry).
My best advice is to build a pantry of common food items (herbs & spices, sauces, etc), and then start practicing cooking based on simple recipes. If she's encountering terms that she's unfamiliar with, encourage her to Google them. Most people don't start out being good cooks; they just keep practicing and experimenting they're making tastier and more sophisticated meals.
Also, encourage her to watch as you cook, and as you're cooking, explain what you're doing and why you're doing it.
Since we are all a little lazy... Here are links to all of the books in my stack:
Betty Goes Vegan (my mom got this one for my boyfriend - so not strictly mine - in hopes that he would cook for me. I am pressing the tofu right now at his request, so far so good)
Vegan Eats World
Eat Drink & Be Vegan
The 30 Minute Vegan
Thug Kitchen
The Lusty Vegan (my sister bought this one for me)
One-Dish Vegan
Fresh From the Vegan Slow Cooker
Vegan Brunch (second most used, the muffin recipes in here are crazy easy to customize)
Vegan Yum Yum
Twelve Months of Monastery Soups (not blatantly vegan, but almost entirely so)
The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook (My most used, and longest owned, the best of all. All super simple ingredients, only non-vegan ingredient mentioned is honey on occasion)
first result on amazon "crockpot dump meals book"
http://amzn.com/0990963527
Get the America's Test Kitchen Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook, It has great healthy recipes and calorie count for everything in there. Used it last year when I was working on getting healthier found some great recipes that are now in my regular rotation.
A slow cooker is a pretty convenient and cheap investment. I use mine nearly every week. Here is an album from the cookbook I primarily use (Healthy Slowcooker Revolution) containing a chicken stew and a beef stew recipe. It should be adaptable to something other than a slowcooker, you will just need to adjust it to cook the chicken right without it getting dry.
Apologize for questionable image quality, smart phone + poor lighting. They might look a little involved but they both turned out hearty and delicious. Some of the best stews I've personally made. That cookbook has some pretty good recipes in it. Some of the recipes suffer a bit to make them healthier but all of them are edible and many are down right delicious and they give alot of good tips on cooking in general.
Enjoy!
We do dead-easy BBQ chicken and enchilada meat all the time, and then freeze portions for later use since it's no more work to make a large amount.
The trick to good crock pot recipes is that you don't get any browning, really, so you need to do something to make up for that. A lot of good recipes we've used include soy sauce, fish sauce, mushrooms, etc. or do tricks like zapping the aromatics/spices in the microwave for a few minutes before dumping in the crock.
The America's Test Kitchen crock pot cookbook is awesome:
http://www.amazon.com/Cooker-Revolution-Editors-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1933615699
From Slow Cooker Revolution
https://i.imgur.com/dz008ZC.jpg
America's Test Kitchen has amazed me! The science behind it... love this book.
I have a wife who likes to cook.. She actually gets way into it and I don't make anything better by participating (I get in the way).
For my first project in our new place, I actually put up a little LCD TV for her so she can be entertained while she makes delicious stuff.... I go outside, have a cigar, and be thankful.
I do know she's dumped a beef roast and a jar of pepperoncinis in that thing in the morning, and by 7:00 at night I'm having delicious shredded beef sammiches.
To answer your question directly (and I texted my wife to confirm this) the book she uses most is Slow Cooker Revolution She has a shelf of cookbooks and this one gets the most use by far.
Hope this helps, enjoy the new place, and maybe some new grub!
Can't beat this for $13... it's a good starter book.
http://www.amazon.com/Pressure-Perfection-Editors-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1936493411/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371008143&sr=8-1&keywords=pressure+cooker+perfection
His dad eats meat and if we're out dad'll share, but he eats mostly vegetarian because that's what I cook.
http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Vegetarian-Slow-Cooker-Recipes/dp/1558322566 is my absolute favorite cookbook. And most of it is baby/kid friendly. :-)
I loosely follow :Page 45 All Day Minestrone
http://books.google.com/books?id=sZ9cxS52Lv0C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q=minestrone&f=false
depends what i've got in the fridge or from the market/CSA. Kale or spinach work well in it.
If you're looking for other odd slow cooker goodness, try Slow Cooker Revolution.
They have all sorts of fun stuff, and on the more traditional side, a beef stew my dad said he would "pay a rather large amount for in a restaurant".
http://www.amazon.com/Cooker-Revolution-Editors-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1933615699
Want to second the crock pot idea. Frankly, my wife and I were doing this well before I was diagnosed.
Prep on a Sunday afternoon, put it in the slow cooker monday morning, and by Monday evening you've got a few days worth of meals.
And, I couldn't recommend this cookbook more highly. They've got a few recipes in there (specifically, Tomatillo Chicken Tacos and Pozole) that are staples now in my house.
https://www.amazon.com/Slow-Cooker-Revolution-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1933615699
Here ya go
Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker: 200 Recipes for Healthy and Hearty One-Pot Meals That Are Ready When You Are https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1558322566/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_k3w.BbH23NGRJ
Definitely check out Slow Cooker Revolution Volume 2: The Easy Prep Edition by America's Test Kitchen. Totally worth it.
Friend of mine made this over the weekend. Fantastic!
Edit: because of this, I ordered America's Test Kitchen's pressure cooker cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Pressure-Perfection-Editors-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1936493411). Will post a review once I get it.
Might also look at a non-camping specific cooking area; dehydration. Many of the books on the market include recipe sections. Ingredients can be sourced commercially or dried at home. Then you can rehydrate to a complete meal or rehydrate to ingredients to be further used in a cooking process.
Here is a good example resource to consider;
https://www.amazon.com/Dehydrator-Bible-over-400-Recipes/dp/0778802132/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1537214717&sr=1-2&keywords=dehydration
If you google vegan crockpot meals, lots of great recipes turn up!
Here's two useful links:
http://www.chooseveg.com/15-easy-delicious-vegan-slow-cooker-recipes
https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Slow-Cooker-Intensely-Flavorful/dp/1592334644
Dried beans offer more bang for your buck! You should soak them though, overnight is best. Put them in water to soak a few hours before you go to bed, empty the water and then soak them again over night, it helps to remove the indigestible fibers that can make people toot!
This cookbook is excellent, but it's vegetarian.
It's my favorite kitchen appliance, bar none! When you do get one (and after-Christmas sales are right around the corner), chow.com and (believe it or not) the food network website have some amazing slow cooker recipes. My go-to cookbooks are
Fix-It and Forget-It Big Cookbook: 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes!
and
Slow Cooker Revolution for when I'm feeling fancier (some of the recipes require more prep and ingredients but are usually worth the effort)
If ya really wanna wow 'em.
You could try this recipe and leave out the chickpeas or substitute tofu and serve it over rice or as is since there are potatoes in the recipe. The recipe is from this cookbook. You might want to see if your local library has it. If not I own a copy and if you need a different recipe suggestion just PM me and I'll give the book another look through.
Edit: Added a word
I do not. I use The Dehydrator Bible as the base for my recipes and sub ingredients to fit my own tastes. Feel free to ask if you have any specific questions, between that book and a lot of trial and error I've learned a good bit about the process.
Let me suggest this and this as starting points.
I make "refried" beans in a slow cooker often. I use coconut oil instead of lard. They turn out really well every time.
You might consider this. From Cooks Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen - so recipes are usually pretty good.
Hell yeah. I have a similar Crock Pot and can't say anything bad about it. I'm actually about to buy this Crockpot Recipe book
Also, in the same note I would recommend you buying a cheap rice cooker like this. Cooking 2-3 cups of brown rice helps me through a whole week and it is cheap as hell (protip: add curcumin to the rice at the end for color and nutritious flavor). I also use this cooker to steam vegetables and bake (yes, bake) banana cake. Supposedly you can even do pasta there.
I think that by buying a rice cooker and a crock-pot will help your wallet. Two xmas ago I was really really short on money, and I made it through the whole month by mostly just brown rice plus a lentil recipe similar to the post above, no complains at all!
This book has recipes that run the gamut from super easy to very hard and it got me through the first 6 months of our daughter's life:
http://www.amazon.com/Cooker-Revolution-Editors-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1933615699/
I started cooking for my dogs when I lived in area where I could not easily find quality food. I bought this book -
http://www.amazon.com/Feed-Your-Best-Friend-Better/dp/1449409938/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1369923278&sr=8-2&keywords=Cooking+for+dogs
and if I catch stuff on sale, it is affordable and I can control exactly what is in there. I make up a big batch and freeze it. Just cooked a batch last night - chicken, quinoa, red lentils, tons of mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini and eggplant. Be sure and add the vitamin mix recipe included in the book to each batch of food, which you can also make up ahead of time.
Treats are dehydrated sweet potatoes and this week, organic blueberries from a local fruit stand.
That said, if cooking is not your thing, I agree with all the recommendations for the Costco food, definitely the best bang for your buck.
Cook's Illustrated Slow Cooker Revolution.
Here's a handy guide to soaking beans. I've found beans easier to digest since I started using this method.
http://www.deeprootsathome.com/soaking-beans-and-grains-byebye-phytic-acid-and-beano/
If you're in a rush, Eden brand canned beans are BPA free, if that's something you try to avoid.
I love the bean recipes in this cookbook. My husband, who used to hate beans, likes the recipes from this book.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1558322566/ref=redir_mdp_mobile
I bought a Paleo slow cooker book that has a lot of great recipes. More than just ground beef too. My personal favorite was the chile verde. Upon searching it looks like there is quite a few books, but here's the one I have:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1936608693/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1479260041&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=paleo+slow+cooker+cookbook&dpPl=1&dpID=51z%2BXZgMFtL&ref=plSrch
One working burner? Ouch! Well, that means you'll have to learn one pan dishes. This can be fine for things like eggs and what not.
Check your local library for these books:
The Best One-Dish Suppers
Slow Cooker Revolution (assuming you get a Slow Cooker - my local Goodwill always has one but they are even cheap new.)
Related and also free
The Unbelievably Ketogenic Crock-Pot: 50 EPIC Slow Cooker Ketogenic Recipes for Rapid Weight Loss! by Ankit Pandey
Link: http://amzn.com/B00MZQRKR8
Ketogenic Diet: Amazingly Delicious Ketogenic Diet Recipes For Weight Loss (Keto Diet Recipes, Ketogenic Diet Recipes Book 1) by Sara Banks
Link: http://amzn.com/B00M0DV1K8
For those of you who have Matt Fitzgerald's Racing Weight Cookbook, I'm a huge fan of the lemon poppyseed bars. I make them as muffins instead of bars, but they still come out incredibly delicious.
I recommend this book.
Vegan things I use my slow cooker for most often: beans, caramelized onions, veggie stock, veggie chili, sauces
maybe try this book - http://www.amazon.com/The-Vegan-Slow-Cooker-Intensely/dp/1592334644
also, a google search reveals a lot of vegan slow cooker recipe lists
I've had pretty good success with the recipes from Slow Cooker Revolution from America's Test Kitchen. There is a bit more prep involved instead of dump-and-run, but the results are always yummy. Favorite recipe = Bachelor Beef Stew
Yes it is perfectly safe. For some recipes the only issue is you may overcook it. If you have the old-school ones with a dial, you can buy a timer at home depot for like $5 to turn it off after the set amount of time. Most recipe call for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high, so just have it turn off after 8 hours. It is safe to let the food sit in the slow cooker for up to 4 hours after is has turned off by itself. Modern slow cookers are often programmable and you can have them automatically turn to "warm" when they are done so they will stay warm for you when you get home.
This is a great cookbook that has a whole section on slow cooker safety, but I gave you a basic summary concerning your questions. Slow cookers are dah bomb and perfectly safe.
My favorite desert is my vegan brownies with a nice dollop of coconut milk ice cream to go with it.
Vegan slowcooking so I can get my slowcooking on.
Awesome contest! Cheesecake all day everyday!
This has some really great recipes, some of which you can find online from blogs
Q: Why a slow cooker?
A: They allow you to do magic in a few simple steps with minimal effort. Example:
Edit: I highly recommend this book
It might be worth it to get this book
http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Cooker-Revolution-2-Easy-Prep/dp/1936493578
or check it out from a library. Lots of well tested, relatively simple slow cooker recipes.
I got my girlfriend Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker for her birthday, and it's been pretty excellent. We made ratatouille yesterday, and it was really tasty.
If you don't already have a crock pot, get one. It's so easy to just toss a bunch of stuff into it in the morning, and come back in the evening to a hot, delicious dinner.
This has vegetarian in the title, but I'm pretty sure every recipe in here is actually vegan, there are a handful that say something like "use dairy or soy cheese."
I make the three bean chili with cornbread, black bean soup, mushroom barley soup and probably a few others I can't remember.
http://www.amazon.com/Fresh-Vegetarian-Slow-Cooker-Recipes/dp/1558322566/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393950469&sr=8-1&keywords=vegetarian+slow+cooker
http://www.amazon.com/Cooker-Revolution-Editors-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1933615699/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299748227&sr=8-1
Cook's Illustrated, Crock Pot, what more could you want? I got it last week, first 20 recipes are all soups.
This book was super helpful when we made the switch ~4 years ago with our mini Aussie: https://www.amazon.com/Feed-Your-Best-Friend-Better/dp/1449409938. It includes options for supplementing or replacing kibble. We went the replacement route and it took some time to find some of the ingredients, but it wasn't anything the internet/a good health food store couldn't solve.
There's an America's Test Kitchen cookbook for pressure cookers that I love. My favorite healthy recipe from there is probably the rustic braised chicken.
Here is the link for UK, (not sure if its going to help)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00O312AK0/
Good luck!
I made beef stroganoff in the slow cooker last week - cooked on low for 8 hours. The heavy cream did not curdle, which I was concerned about. I used the recipe from this book. It was yummy.
I recommend this book for veg slow cooker recipes. I got it before rotations started, and it's been a great primer for designing my own slow cooker recipes in addition to the ones it provides. It even has a recipe for pizza!
http://www.amazon.com/Cooker-Revolution-Editors-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1933615699
Check out /r/slowcooking and search keto or low carb. Also check out /r/ketorecipes. There is also this book with some awesome ideas. It's $2.99 now but it has been free before.
I've got a Boston too and when I first got her she was pretty quiet and liked to explore cautiously, but after she was comfortable with everyone and everything there was no stopping her!
As for toys, get smaller ones that fit nicely in his mouth (but nothing he could choke on obviously). My dog has the same unstuffed long fox thing, and she loves it.
I would hold off on feeding your puppy by hand because you don't want him to expect this in the future. If he gets hungry enough he will eat.
I had a bunch of food problems with my Boston. I had her eating Acana brand foods, but the protein level was way too high for her (she has a small liver, so processing protein is hard for her (It also gave her nuclear farts). I then put her on a raw diet which is supposedly really good for their coats (you buy like hockey puck sized frozen portions of raw meat and vegetables, let it thaw, and that's it), but after a few months it was getting pretty expensive and she lost interest in the food.
Now I make her food (a mix of rice, chicken hearts or livers, chicken thighs, spinach, eggs, etc) which I found in this cookbook.
While sometimes she gobbles up her food right away, other times she can leave it for a good hour before touching it. I kind of just figure that she'll eat when she's hungry.
If you go the raw diet route though, you can't leave it out for long or else it can go bad
As for the baldness thing, I've never had that problem, but I can tell you that my Boston is bald on her belly and her "armpits" (if you can call them that). And sometimes, if the light is shining a certain way on her head, you can kind of see her scalp. So maybe it's just a breed trait?
Hope you find some reassurance in this. Let me know if you have any questions.
Cool! Have you checked out his cookbook:
http://www.amazon.com/Racing-Weight-Cookbook-Recipes-Athletes/dp/1937715159/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421704028&sr=8-2&keywords=racing+weight
If so, think it's any good?
Instant Pot +
"Great Food Fast : Bob Warden's Ultimate Pressure Cooker Recipes"
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Food-Fast-Ultimate-Pressure/dp/1934193798
This
Check out "The Vegan Slow Cooker." Awesome recipes.
America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Cooker-Revolution-Americas-Kitchen/dp/1933615699
This one is fantastic if you like asian food: The Asian Vegan Kitchen: Authentic and Appetizing Dishes from a Continent of Rich Flavors and this is my favoriate slow cooker cookbook Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker: 200 Recipes for Healthy and Hearty One-Pot Meals
I just got a hold of this book from my library. A bit on the simple side, but quite good.
I bought this and it has helped: http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Slow-Cooking-Gluten-Recipes/dp/1936608693/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373376543&sr=8-1&keywords=paleo+slow+cooker
My 2 favorite slow cooker cookbooks are the Indian Slow Cooker and the Vegan Slow Cooker.
My wife makes freeze ahead slow cooked meals out of:
http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Cooker-Revolution-Volume-2/dp/1936493578/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0BA51WJNVCMJPP319VNE
Simply the best crockpot meals I've ever had. Really changes the way that I think about slow cooked meals, and has opened up their potential. If you are dedicated slow cooker, these are worth taking a look at.
It's mostly from this awesome book :-)
I've made a number of Kathy Hester's recipes. She has a ton of them available for free on her web site, Healthy Slow Cooking. Don't let the name fool you, she has all sorts of recipes, not just for slow cookers (the last one I made was this soup). In fact, she just wrote a new book about vegan air frying.
If YouTube isn't your thing, check out her books (I found a number at my library):
Exactly - it's sort of a lazy alternative to cooking in a pan that I picked up in this book. You could probably skip this step, but I think it helps to steam off a bit of the moisture in the onions and it's a good way to mix the flavors up a bit before adding to the slow cooker.
You’re right. If I cared enough to dig through a pile of cookbooks at the behest of a stranger, it would be pretty easy to point out.
Edit: For example.
America's Test Kitchen book will solve all your problems:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1933615699?pc_redir=1410449452&robot_redir=1
They produce the most amazing cookbooks and recipes. Other than Julia Child and Jacques Pepin, they are my go to for food related issues.
AH! Mobile user!
Full Site Version
There is also a Vegan InstantPot Cookbook.
Simply googling Vegan InstantPot there is an abundance of recipes to try. Happy to help. :)
Racing Weight Cookbook by Matt Fitzgerald. I've made so many awesome things from this, and I gift it to people all the time! Definitely my favorite healthy recipe Cookbook.
Idiots guide to slow cooker cooking and slow cooker revolution volume 2 have some easy prep recipes. Browning (or sautéing) means pre cooking the food for a few minute before you put it in the slow cooker. It's not necessary but from my experience it adds a lot if flavor and is worth it. It'll bind the spices to the food better. For this reason I upgraded my slow cooker to this one. It can saute and even steam food right in the cooker. I found myself using my slow cooker sometimes twice a day so for me I didn't mind spending the extra money.
Found it! http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1558327908/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_twi_2?qid=1419485649&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40
USA link for the lazy http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1558322450/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419124428&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40
I made Tortellini and Meatball Soup from Great Foods Fast, with spinach in place of kale (I'm not partial to kale). Old hat to most of you on this sub, I'm quite sure. But I am not much of a cook in the normal way of things, and it was absolutely delightful to make something so flavorful and fresh, that came out right on the first try! I'm looking forward to expanding my repertoire.
A pressure cooker recipe I got from this book. I found the same recipe online sans attribution here.
I dunno, Pressure Cooker Perfection seems to have missed the mark based on the most helpful reviews. I also noticed that in my copy of ATK's Cooking School Cookbok, Pressure Cooker Perfection is not listed with all their other books. I am doubtful that this is really the case, but it smells like they're disowning it.