The Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook

Product Information

Have you got a slow cooker? Of course you have - everyone seems to these days! But what do you cook in it? Perfect for busy families, the best slow cooker can provide a tasty home cooked meal with minimal mess and fuss. What’s not to love? While stews and soups are the most common recipes for slow cookers, there’s loads you can do with them – from slow cooked meat and tasty sauces to desserts and even bread.

If your family likes to try new things, this could be the book for you. With a mixture of family favourites and dishes that are a bit more adventurous, Whole Food Slow Cooked helps you put delicious meals on the table with different options for cooking, depending on how much time you have. Nathan Anthony, the home cook with over 3 million followers, shares delicious and easy home-style recipes that can all be made in your slow cooker while you get on with your day. When looking for the best slow cooker recipe book, take into consideration your family’s preferred flavor profiles and usual cooking style. As mentioned above, ATK’s The Complete Slow Cooker is probably the safest choice for beginners. You don’t have to brown your meat first, so if you're in a hurry, you can throw your ingredients in and you’ll still get a tasty meal out of it. However, if you have time, browning is better for adding more depth to your dish. You will get more rich, complex flavours from frying off your meat before cooking it in the slow cooker. Are slow cookers energy efficient? Best vegetarian slow cooker cookbook. Again, we recommend starting with the ATK book—it has plenty of vegetarian main dishes. After working your way through those recipes, you should be able to convert your own favorite vegan and vegetarian recipes to the slow cooker. Also see our best vegetarian cookbooks list.

There are photographic guides for helping you prepare the meals, with tips on how to use up cheaper and leftover cuts of meat to help you cook on a budget and reduce waste. It also provides advice on different cooking methods, so this will be a great book for someone who wants to broaden their cooking skills. Readers note that some ingredients need pre-cooking in a frying pan or a saucepan though, which requires more effort than just throwing it all in the slow cooker and leaving it to cook.

From casseroles to porridge, delicious puddings and curries, be prepared to become a slow cooker wizard with our favourite slow cooker recipe books: Slow cookers are designed to cook for a long time so you can keep it on low overnight or all day while you’re out as long as you follow the directions and the manufacturer's instructions. However, consider what it is you’re cooking. Most recipes suggest six to eight hours on low, so if you want it on for longer, it is best to keep an eye on it to ensure you get the best out of your recipe. Do you need to brown meat before slow cooking? Slow cooker cookbook for two (or one). Opt for the ATK book discussed above and simply adjust ingredient proportions. That said, one other option to consider is Fix-It and Forget-It Cooking for Two: 150 Small-Batch Slow Cooker Recipes from the classic bestselling series of the same name. Slow Cooked, by Miss South. Based on an excellent blog, that's sadly now unavailable.” (Recommended by Mumsnet user DogInATent) Our verdict

8. Best slow cooker recipe book with pictures: The Slow Cook Book by Heather Whinney

Calorie-counted and perfect for anyone enjoying a slimming lifestyle or following a diet programme, satisfying, flavourful food has never been so easy and affordable. With this number one bestselling book, Nathan Anthony has proven that you can eat healthily and still enjoy gorgeous home cooked meals at the end of a busy day. The book came from Nathan’s popular blog, Bored of Lunch and he now has over 1.2m followers, plus a companion book focusing on air fryers. If you don’t know where to start, there are loads of great slow cooker recipe books around to inspire you in the kitchen. From vegetarian-friendly dishes to tasty curries, there’s a cookbook to cater for every kind of taste. I have the BBC [Good] Food Slow Cooker Recipe Book, which has some nice and simple recipes in it.” (Recommended by Mumsnet user Pilot12) Our verdict

And when you're trying to think of meal ideas for all the family, a slow cooker can be a godsend. Together with a bread maker and a coffee machine, you'll be well and truly covered throughout the day. Is there anything better than coming home to the smell of your dinner already cooking? Even better if you’ve only had to spend ten minutes in the morning throwing some ingredients into your slow cooker. Whilst this book isn’t specifically a slow cooker recipe book, it comes recommended on our Mumsnet forums due to the variety of ways the meals can be cooked. Written by Kate Allinson and Kay Featherstone, Pinch of Nom Comfort Food is part of their bestselling series of books. The Bored of Lunch cookbook is really good. Only bought it last month and it’s already one of my favourites (and I’m a cookbook addict and have way too many!!).” (Vetted by Mumsnet user Sammysquiz )

Customer reviews

BBC Good Food Slow Cooker Favourites, Pinch of Nom Comfort Food, and 200 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes by Kate Bishop.” (Books loved by Mumsnet user Skyeheather) Our verdict What’s it about?: Making meals in a slow cooker will not only save you plenty of hassle in the kitchen, it’ll save you money too. This nifty piece of kitchen kit uses far less energy than an oven or hob, making it the appliance of choice for budget-conscious cooks. Nathan has become a go-to source of inspiration for what to make in a slow cooker and his debut cookbook is a treasure trove of ideas for every day of the week. The 80 calorie-counted recipes include pasta, risotto, curries and healthy versions of your favourite takeaways, all of which leave the hard work to the slow cooker while you get on with your day. With simple methods and easy-to-find ingredients, this is a perfect accompaniment for the chef looking to expand their repertoire of slow cooker recipes. As a slow cooker fan herself, our writer Gemma is always on the lookout for family friendly meals so spent time hunting down the best slow cooker recipe books currently available, making sure to cater for all tastes, needs and budgets.