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SLOW COOKER COOKBOOK49EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SLOW COOKING MOUTH-WATERING RECIPESSHARON CHENWWW.DELISHPLAN.COM
TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction.7PART ONE: SLOW COOKER COOKING TIPS. 11CHAPTER ONE: Pros and Cons of Cooking with a Slow Cooker.12CHAPTER TWO: Slow Cooker Meal Tips.16CHAPTER THREE: The Comprehensive Guide to Adapting a Recipe to a Slow Cooker.20CHAPTER FOUR: Control Your Slow Cooker When You Are Away.26CHAPTER FIVE: How to Keep Vegetables From Disintegrating After Long Hours of Slow Cooking.28CHAPTER SIX: Slow Cooker Liner.32CHAPTER SEVEN: What You Can Make With A Slow Cooker.36PART TWO: SLOW COOKER RECIPES.38CHAPTER EIGHT: BROTH.39Beef Bone Broth.40Chicken Broth.42Vegetable Broth.44CHAPTER NINE: BEEF.45Shanghai-style Beef Borscht Soup.46Tangy Barbecue Beef Burgers .48Galbi Jjim - Korean Beef Short Ribs .50Hearty Beef Stew .52Killer Beef Roast .53Beef Barley Soup .54Classic Beef Short Ribs .56Pepper Steak .58Smoked Paprika Beef Goulash . 60Easy Round Steak .62The Best Weeknight Chili .64Beef Barbacoa.66CHAPTER TEN: PORK.68Hard Cider-Pulled Pork .69Fall-Off-the-Bone Texas-Style Baby Back Ribs .70Mexican Pork Roast .72Smothered Pork Chops with Bacon . 74Louise’s Pork Ribs .76Tacos de Carnitas .78Country-Style Pork and Beans with Sausage . 80Sausage and Vegetable Lentil Soup .82Barbecue Sticky Ribs .84Smoked Sausage Gumbo .86Meatballs in Marinara .88Cheesy Potatoes & Kielbasa.902
CHAPTER ELEVEN: LAMB.92Moroccan Lamb Stew.92Braised Lamb with Red Wine Sauce.94CHAPTER TWELVE: CHICKEN.96Turmeric Whole Chicken with Ginger Cilantro Sauce.96Spice-Rubbed Whole Chicken.98Honey Garlic Chicken with Vegetables .100Creamy Chicken with White Wine and Tarragon .102Stacked Chicken Enchiladas.104Chicken Ratatouille Stew.106CHAPTER THIRTEEN: PIZZA.108Sicilian-style Deep Dish Pizza.108Chicken Florentine Pizza.110Margherita Pizza.112Pizza Soup.114CHAPTER FOURTEEN: PASTA & SEAFOOD.116Orzo Jambalaya.116Two-Bean Minestrone .118Seafood Cioppino .120CHAPTER FIFTEEN: VEGETARIAN.122Root Vegetable Tikka Masala .122Vegetable Quinoa Medley. 124Taco Quinoa and Black Bean Stuffed Peppers .126Curried Lentil and Spinach Soup.128Vegetarian Quinoa Chili .130CHAPTER SIXTEEN: SWEETS.132Apple Cider.132Chocolate Lava Cake.134PART THREE: THE STORY.136CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: It All Started in San Francisco, CA. 137CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: From San Francisco, CA to Jacksonville, FL.148CHAPTER NINETEEN: Why Austin?.152References.155Acknowledgements.1563
DELISHPLAN SLOWCOOKER COOKBOOKCopyright 2017 DelishPlan LLCAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed,or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording,or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permissionof the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews andcertain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.4
DISCLAIMERLimit of Liability and Disclaimer: All material in this document is provided foryour information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction.No action or in action should be taken based solely on the contents of thisinformation; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals onany matter relating to their health and well-being.The information and opinions expressed in this document is believed to beaccurate, based on the best judgment available to the author, and readers whofail to consult with appropriate health authorities assume the risk of any injuriesor health issues.The author and publisher claim no responsibility to any person or entity for anyliability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly asa result of the use, application or interpretation of the material in this document.The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated the statements containedin this document.Food Handling: Please use great caution and sanitary practices when handlingfood products. Refer to your government’s or health department’s safe foodhandling guidelines. Wash your hands and surfaces thoroughly before and afterhandling any food product.Cooking instructions and directions referred to in this document are offered asguidelines only. Use your best judgment and proper discretion when preparingor consuming any food. We do not advise eating any eggs, meat or seafood thathas not been properly handled or cooked. Eating something undercooked or rawis to be done at your own discretion.5
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INTRODUCTIONI was introduced to a slow cooker threeand a half years ago when I moved tothe States from China in 2013. Recently,I ordered a new slow cooker on Amazonand sent it to my cousin who lives inOhio.When she received the gift, shetook a photo and sent it to me as aconfirmation. In that photo, I noticedsomething very familiar. It says “Made inChina” on the package.It’s funny that I’d never come acrossa slow cooker when I was in China.Neither had my cousin.I remember the first time I tried a slowcooker beef roast recipe. The only effortI had to make was to season the beef.Then, I put the beef in the slow cooker,followed by some vegetables. Turned iton and waited for eight hours accordingto the recipe instructions.When I opened the lid, I couldn’t believethat I handled a four-pound beef and Ihandled it well. I thought it was magic!Ever since then, I have been using myslow cooker extensively, to the point thatone is not enough – I have two of them!Over the past three years, I learnedmany cooking tricks along the way, suchas how to adapt an oven or stovetoprecipe into a slow cooker recipe, howto keep vegetables from disintegratingafter long hours of slow cooking, howto control the cooking time when I amaway, etc. You will find everything I’velearned about cooking with a slowcooker in the first part of this book,which will help you master your slowcooker.The other purpose of this book is tointroduce creative slow cooker dishideas to you. If you only associate soupsor stews with your slow cooker and storeit away when winter has passed, you aretotally missing out.I hope after reading this book and tryingsome of the recipes, you will changeyour mind and really put your slowcooker to work because it can make alot more delicious things you’ve neverthought about before.There are 49 slow cooker recipesincluding roasts, pasta, pizzas, stuffedpeppers, and sweets in Part Two of thebook. My favorites are slow cooker pizzarecipes; there are three of them in thisbook! Use them as a reference, you’llbe able to come up with your own pizzaideas and cook them in the slow cooker.Many recipes in this book are gluten freeor include adaptations to make them so.There is also an entire chapter dedicatedto vegetarians, so make sure to checkout Chapter Fifteen if you don’t eat meat.I would really encourage you to flip tothe next page now, but I know you areprobably thinking who I am and why Iwrote this book.7
I am a self-taught home chef whoshares her recipes and cooking tips atDelishPlan.com. My work has been seenon The Huffington Post, Elite Daily, TheKitchn, SheKnows, RedBook Magazineand numerous others.I don’t mean to brag. I just wanted you toknow that the information in this book isdistilled from years of extensive cookingand learning. It’s purely from the bottomof my heart. And if you would like toknow more about me and my stories,I’ve covered it all in Part Three of thebook.8
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Part OneSLOW COOKERCOOKING TIPSMy husband and I have lived in manyplaces. In other words, we movedquite a bit during the past few years.Whenever we move, I always makesure to take my favorite kitchenappliances. Sometimes, I have toleave things behind.Late March 2016, we moved fromFlorida to Texas.When packing for that move,between two slow cookers with atotal value of 50 and a 300-dollarKitchenAid stand mixer, I quickly andfirmly decided to take the former andleave the KitchenAid to my brotherin-law who lives in Florida.I simply don’t know what to dowithout my slow cookers.there is very little time left to spendwith family or even to ourselvesevery day. To me, slow cooking freesup my time—I’m not standing in thekitchen and taking care of the food,so sometimes it’s a lifesaver. Thepurpose of using a slow cooker isto be completely hands-off from theactual cooking so that we can dosomething else.All the slow cooker tips and tricksyou’ll learn in this chapter are basedon my own cooking experience. You’llfind everything you need to knowabout how to use a slow cookereffectively, not only just for makingcomfort food in the winter, but foryour summer cooking, as well. Theslow cooker is a great tool to use yearround. The more you use it, the lesshassle you have with cooking.Here’s why.We all have busy lives. After jugglingwork and household responsibilities,11
Chapter OnePROS AND CONS OF COOKING WITH A SLOW COOKERSlow cooker aficionados like us know mostof the benefits of using a slow cooker. But ifyour experience with a slow cooker so far islimited, you might not be up-to-date on allthe advantages that this kitchen appliancecan offer. To be fair, I am listing the cons, too,because nothing is perfect.12
CON: Cooking with a slow cooker is.slow.There’s no fast food option with a slow cooker.PRO: Your home will be filled with the enticingsmell of a home cooked meal all day long. If youhave a picky eater in the house, a slow cookerwill help awaken his appetite!CON: If you’re cooking for just one, you mightneed to get a second, smaller slow cooker.PRO: You can make an entire dinner for a largefamily in one round of slow cooking. Some largeslow cookers are sold with a free, bonus minislow cooker for smaller servings or fondue.13
CON: A slow cooker will never produce a mouthwatering T-bone steak.PRO: Your grill will never produce a juicy roast,and with a slow cooker you can get amazingtaste out of inexpensive cuts of meat that youcould never get away with on a grill.CON: Home chefs who love to stand in thekitchen cooking all day will be disappointed withthe simplicity of making meals in a slow cooker.PRO: Busy people who love homemade mealswill appreciate the simplicity of making meals ina slow cooker.CON: You might be chopping garlic and onionsat breakfast time if you want to come home fromwork to a finished slow cooker meal.PRO: You could do your whole week’s prep workon one day and have the rest of the week offfrom cooking. Studies show that you get moredone in less time when you complete chores(like food prep) in large blocks of time instead ofdoing them sporadically throughout the week.CON: Slow cookers can be big and a littleunwieldy.PRO: Many slow cookers are made in attractivedesigns and colors that complement modernkitchen décor, so you can leave them on yourcounter instead of in a hard-to-reach cupboard.In fact, many decorators recommend keepingcolorful appliances on display to add pops ofcolor in the kitchen.14
CON: Slow cookers can take up a lot of counterspace.PRO: Your oven takes up even more space, butyou’ll probably use your slow cooker more oftenthan the oven. Plus, according to the ConsumerGuide to Home Energy Savings, your oven costsabout 16 cents to run for one hour, while a slowcooker costs only 6 cents to run for seven hours.CON: You can’t cook everything in a slow cooker.PRO: A slow cooker is just about the only way tocook without being in the kitchen or even in thehouse. Basically, you can’t beat that! By the way,did you know that the average American spendsover 1,000 a year on takeout food? That’s thekind of money you could save by using a slowcooker to prepare meals while you’re at work orattending your kids’ sports games.There are so many more pros than cons to usinga slow cooker that this list isn’t really fair. Slowcooking is the best way to get hot, homemademeals on the table when you want them. Sowhat are the basic principles about a slowcooker meal?15
Chapter TwoSLOW COOKER MEAL TIPSMaking meals with a slow cooker is one of the easiest ways toprovide daily nourishment for you and your family. Simple as itis, there are several tips that will make the process even better,producing the best results possible. Here are some expert slowcooker meal tips that you may want to keep in mind.1. Start with fresh ingredients.You can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear, as they say.Whatever meal you’re making, use the freshest ingredients thatyou can. Just because you’re tossing them into a slow cookerand they’re disappearing under the lid doesn’t mean you shoulduse an ingredient that wouldn’t be fit to appear all by itself on adinner plate.Long before ingredients get to a dangerously spoiled stage,they lose their flavor and nutrients. Chemically, food changesas it ages. Just as a brown banana has a lot more sugar thana green or barely ripe banana, your vegetables’ taste andnutritional values are altered the longer they sit in your fridgeor pantry. Since your goal with slow cooking is health as well asconvenience, begin with the freshest ingredients possible.2. Choose broth, filtered water or water, in that order.Almost every slow cooker recipe calls for a liquid. The liquid youuse is just as important an ingredient as the other items in therecipe.Vegetable or meat broth should be your first choice because itwill impart the most flavor to your dish. (Also, since you have aslow cooker, there’s little excuse not to have some homemadebroth on hand, right?).If you don’t have broth, your second choice should be filteredwater. Tap water quality varies considerably depending on theregion of the country you live in. And, as you’ve no doubt heard in16
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the news, tap water impurities in contentand taste can occur with little warning.There are lots of options for water filters,depending on your preference andbudget, but the least expensive is thepitcher filter that you can keep on handin your refrigerator.3. Keep Curiosity at Bay.As you come to rely on and enjoy theconvenience of slow cooking, you’ll startto use your slow cooker on weekendsand days off, not just on the days youhave to work. Besides, after doing yourweekly shopping and prep work, isn’t itnice to sit down to a fully cooked meal?You know it is!be shy about trying it out.Slow cookers are fantastic platforms fortrying out new spices that you’ve alwayswanted to test.Or maybe you have a family recipe, andyou’d like to convert it into a slow cookerrecipe. Use the tips I’ll give you in thenext chapter about adapting a regularrecipe into a slow cooker recipe. Thenopen up your spice cabinet and seewhat other goodies you have in therethat might enhance the dish. There’snever been an easier way to play withexotic spices and unusual ingredients.Pretty soon you’ll be inventing new slowcooker recipes that will become familyfavorites.The problem with this comfy scenariois the irresistible aroma of your slowcooker meal as it cooks.5. Don’t confuse warming withstoring.Since you and any little tykes are athome and experiencing that scentsational atmosphere, it’s extremely hardto resist the urge to keep lifting the lid toinhale all that goodness.Even the most basic slow cookers have asetting for warming. This is to keep foodwarm after it’s finished cooking until youserve it.Nothing fills the home with the bouquetof delicious delights quite like a slowcooker. But you must keep your curiosityat bay. Every time you lift the lid, heatand flavor molecules escape from thedish. Only raise the lid when the recipecalls for it.4. Don’t be afraid to experiment.Slow cookers are very forgiving. (Trustme, I know.) If you think you have anidea for a twist on an old stand-by, don’tYou shouldn’t, however, leave the food inthe slow cooker on the warming settingindefinitely. This will result in the fooddrying out and going past its “done”point.You should also never leave yourdish in the slow cooker sitting on thecounter overnight unless you’re cookingsomething for the next day.The dark, moist and warm conditionscan lead to unhealthy bacterial growth.If you want, when you’ve finishedwith mealtime, just remove the entire18
ceramic dish and store it in thefridge with the lid on, assuming youcan make room for it. The next day,take it out of the fridge, allow theceramic dish and lid to come to roomtemperature, and reheat it right inyour slow cooker.Note: Reheat food on the lowestsetting or the warming setting for bestresults. You might need to add a littleextra liquid underneath your beefroast or chicken.19
Chapter ThreeTHE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO ADAPTING ARECIPE TO A SLOW COOKERCooking a conventional meal usuallyrequires us home chefs to be physicallyin the kitchen, babysitting what’s on thestove until the food is done. Even if it’s abaking dish, you don’t feel comfortablejust stepping away to walk your dog, runerrands, or go to your yoga class. Whatif something happens, and you can’t gethome fast enough to turn off the oven?The good news is that you will be ableto do all that and even go to work for theday with a slow cooker. We all love thatset-and-forget convenience.The questions are: How do you identifywhat types of recipes can be adapted?How can you successfully adapt a recipeto a slow cooker? Read on.Before I dive into the techniques ofadapting a recipe, let’s get familiar withthe fundamentals first.What kinds of recipes areadaptable?Generally speaking, if you are looking atrecipes for soups, stews, roasts, braisesand ribs, most likely you will be able toturn them into slow cooker recipes.What kinds of meat should youchoose?OK, say you are ready to make aconventional recipe into a slow cookerrecipe. The kind of meat you choosereally matters to your success. Ingeneral, tougher and cheaper cutsof meat work best. So brisket, roast,chunks, pork butt, pork shoulder, andchicken with bones in will do better in aslow cooker.What it boils down to is that you want tochoose the meats with fat for the slowcooker. The excess fat melts away afterlong hours of cooking, resulting in lean,juicy
There are 49 slow cooker recipes including roasts, pasta, pizzas, stuffed peppers, and sweets in Part Two of the book. My favorites are slow cooker pizza recipes; there are three of them in this book! Use them as a reference, you’ll be able to come up wi
