That was just a sampling of recipes for your kitchen device. Recipe books and cookbooks abound. If you have a particular dish or type of dish you’re looking to make in your appliance, chances are better than good that there is a cookbook out there that’s dedicated to it. With so many cookbooks flooding the market, it can be hard for crock pot owners and slow cooking enthusiasts to zero in on the cream of the crop. We’ve compiled some suggestions based on our own personal libraries of crock pot cookbooks.
Some to try are detailed below.
“Taste Of Home Slow Cooker: 431 Hot & Hearty Classics.” (2013)
If you’re a fan of the Taste of Home magazine, then you know its recipes feature the best in downhome cooking. The same is true of “Taste of Home Slow Cooker: 431 Hot & Hearty Classics.” The meals in this paperback cookbook run the gamut from beef, pork, and poultry favorites such as Cranberry Turkey Breast with Gray to soups, stews, and chilis, including No Fuss Potato Soup and Shrimp Marinara.
A lightened up version of many classic dishes contains your favorites with a new, healthier, lower-calorie take, including Beef Stew, Artichoke Dip, and desserts. A chapter on sweets, snacks, and drinks shows you how to use your appliance to create hot drinks and desserts that are sinfully delicious.
Slow cook enthusiasts that are new to slow cooking will appreciate the art of slow cooking will appreciate the cookbook’s overview, which contains tips and tricks, along with each recipe’s easy-to-understand directions.
“Fix It and Forget It Big Cookbook: 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes” by Phyllis Pellman Good (2008)
This cookbook has become an instant classic in the slow cooking arena. This compilation of recipes ranks up there with the most comprehensive (if not the most comprehensive) collection available in a single book. This 704-page features a range of crock pot recipes you can literally throw together in your crock pot, set it, and then forget it.
One of the biggest draws of this cookbook is that it is written with the budget-conscious cook in mind, with many of the recipes calling for cheaper meat cuts and ingredients. The layout of the book makes it easy to find recipes you want to fix and identify quickly any shopping that needs to be done in order to make the recipe happen. These recipes come from all over the United States, so you get regional favorites and new ideas to try from a range of different home cooks.
“Slow Cooker Revolution” by America’s Test Kitchen (2011)
America’s Test Kitchen has become a go-to authority over the years when it comes to cooking, and this recipe book, “Slow Cooker Revolution” is proof positive that the organization is on top of its game. This book features a host of recipes that are developed, tested, written, and then edited by test cooks and editors, tasters, cookware specialists, and even food scientists – so there’s some high-quality recipes in this book that you shouldn’t miss.
If you’re not familiar with America’s Test Kitchen, you may be familiar with its publications, including Cook’s Country and Cook’s Illustrated magazines. America’s Test Kitchen also hosts a program by the same name, a cooking school and has its own radio show. This 336-page cookbook features tailored takes on old favorites like mac and cheese with new innovative delights to try with your All Clad sd700450 programmable slow cooker, including Nutella bread pudding. You can’t go wrong with this one.
“Crock-Pot The Original Slow Cooker Recipe Collection” by Publications International Ltd.
Yes, when you basically invent slow cooking, you’re bound to know a lot about it, so it makes perfect sense that Crock-Pot, the original maker of the appliance, should write a cookbook or two. This original recipe collection contains more than 350 mouthwatering recipes bound into a durable hardcover edition, so you can use it over and over again.
Inside this beautifully illustrated book you’ll find recipes developed by Crock-Pot over its four decades of slow cooking genius, including practical appetizers, tempting main dishes, stews and soup for cold winter days, and sweet desserts and treats. The photography in this volume is simply stunning and goes a long way toward helping cooks develop the recipes inside while also giving plating ideas for dishes you try.
“2500 Crockpot Recipes Cookbook: 7 Years of Crockpot” by Laura Baker (2012)
If you thought 1,400 recipes was a hard act to follow, then you’ll really get into this cookbook that has nearly double that number of tempting recipes to try. There’s bound to be more than a few new favorites among the throngs, whether you’re looking for savory sides, filling main courses, or desserts that finish off the meal in true culinary style. Or perhaps recipes based on the size of your best 4 quart slow cooker.
Although this book gives you access to 2,500 recipes, the bulk of them live on line with the actual book serving as a companion and ingredient list for the most popular among them. The format divides the recipes into the seasons of the year, which is a helpful aspect if you’re looking to source ingredients from local farmer’s markets. Bottom line: there’s lots to try in this book, and it’s a valuable asset to your growing crock pot library.
“5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Cookbook” by Louise Davidson (2014)
If simplicity is your thing, then this is the cookbook for you. This book contains recipes that use five or fewer ingredients, so it takes slow cooking to an even easier level than ever before. Pretty much a recipe suitable for the best size slow cooker for 2. But that’s not to say that the recipes inside are not family pleasers, with favorites like easy chicken broccoli casserole and buttery salmon and onions, you can’t go wrong. If you’re only purchasing a few cookbooks to flex your slow cooking skills, this is a time-saving compilation that you’ll be happy to own when you’re stressed for time and running low on ingredients.
“Betty Crocker’s Slow Cooker Cookbook” by Betty Crocker (1999)
Betty Crocker literally wrote the book on cooking; every generation of cooks owes at least a little to Betty Crocker. It makes natural sense for Betty Crocker to be somewhat of an authority when it comes to slow cooking, and this book is a definitive collection of some of the brand’s best.
This 240-page cookbook features chicken dishes galore, including Mexican Chicken with Green Chili Rice, served Thai style, and Herbed Chicken and Stuffing Supper Creamy Chicken. Sides include delectable versions of Chutney Apple Butter, Red Cabbage with Apples, and Scalloped Corn. From simmered meat dishes to drinks, desserts, and dips.
“Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook: 150 Fix-and-Forget Recipes Using Delicious, Whole Food Ingredients” by Pamela Ellgan (2015)
Eating well doesn’t mean forgoing slow cooking. There are tons of ideas out there, including 150 of them in this must-have cookbook for the health conscious. This cookbook comes to you from a New York Times bestselling author and recipe creator and features meals that you can cook that are good for you and that won’t interfere with your efforts to live a healthy lifestyle.
Ellgen takes old favorites and puts a new healthy spin on them with a fix-and-forget attitude that ensures your appliance gets the workout it craves. Prepare meals such as Texas-style pulled pork, pumpkin macaroni and cheese, and even cheese fondue. Most of the recipes in the book require 15 minutes or less prep, so you can get everything ready and cooking in no time flat. In addition, the volume contains tricks and tips for working with healthy, whole foods, making it must-have if you are looking to improve heart health, lose weight, or just live healthier.
“American Heart Association Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook: 200 Low-Fuss Good for You Recipes” by the American Heart Association. (2012)
The AHA is the go-to authority when it comes to heart health, and now the powers that be at this worthwhile organization have teamed up with a host of chefs and food scientists to develop special recipes that you can prepare in your appliance – and that contain heart-healthy ingredients.
This comprehensive volume contains everything from appetizers to main courses to desserts, all brimming with flavor and all guilt free. Make savory shrimp jambalaya, Cuban-style pork, butternut squash stew, and lemony fish and veggies, just to name a few. The easy-to-follow format makes it easy to learn the basics of heart-healthy slow cooking while enjoying new and old favorites.
“Mexican Slow Cooker Cookbook: Easy, Flavorful Mexican Dishes That Cook Themselves” by Marye Audet (2015)
If you’re a fan of Mexican cuisine, this is a must-own cookbook for your slow cooking collection. This go-to volume contains a mix of different Mexican dishes for you to try, each of them with south-of-the-border flair.
If you’re new to Mexican cooking, this cookbook is also a good place to start, since it contains a definitive guide to Mexican cooking including a list of staples that you should keep on hand in order to be ready to throw a Mexican feast together in no time flat. Inside you’ll find tons of colorful photos of the dishes being created, so you can draw inspiration for your own culinary creations.
“Slow Cooking for Two: A Slow Cooker Cookbook with 101 Slow Cooker Recipes Designed for Two People” by Mendocino Press (2014)
If it’s just the two of you, it can be tricky finding crock pot recipes that are designed for two to four servings. Not anymore. This cookbook provides a whole repertoire of meals – 101 recipes altogether – so that you can cook small meals that feed just you and your significant other.
Find meals that work for when you’re short on time and looking to just toss a few things in the crock pot, jet out the door, and return to a savory meal with minimal effort. Ideal for empty nesters who love to own a 3 quart slow cooker, this cookbook contains recipes that are perfectly portioned to feed a couple, so you don’t cook too much and you always have enough. Find everything from apple cobbler to French onion dip to hearty sides, main dishes, stews, and soups, all designed to feed two people perfectly.
“Cooking Light Slow Cooker Tonight! 140 Delicious Weeknight Recipes That Practically Cook Themselves” by the Editors of Cooking Light (2012)
Weeknights can be a big hassle, especially if you come home and have to cook dinner. This cookbook solves that issue – just choose a hearty recipe and throw a few things in your Kitchenaid ksc6223ss 6 qt slow cooker. When you return home, you’ll have a great-smelling home with a home cooked meal in the crock pot waiting on you.
This collection contains 140 recipes for your appliance, each designed for a streamlined meal that you can cook easily while you’re away at work or shopping. The entire book contains a sprinkling of tips and tricks throughout, so you can improve your slow cooking prowess, and there’s a large selection of menus to choose from, including meats and poultry, side dishes, and desserts.
“Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook” by Beth Hensperger (2004)
So much has changed in slow cooking since the original models came out nearly a half century ago. This cookbook pays homage to that in a bi way, with 350 recipes that make use of wholesome ingredients and that take minimal time to prep.
Today’s cook has even less time on her hands than cooks of previous generations, so this cookbook is all about minimizing the time you spend in the kitchen. From honey chicken drumsticks to tango tomato brisket, your family will never notice that you’ve not been slaving for hours in the kitchen, however. With 528 pages and loads of illustrations, this cookbook is poised to become a fast favorite in your home.
“The Gourmet Slow Cooker: Volume II, Regional Comfort Food Classics” by Lynn Alley (2006)
Slow cooking is all about convenience, but that doesn’t mean that recipes should be limited to chili or lasagna. This cookbook is dedicated to gourmet tastes, with a focus on regional comfort foods that are bound to become instant classics no matter where you live. The beauty of it all is that it takes very little time to bring these meals to life for your own crew.
Sink your teeth into Sorrel and Aromatic Rice Bisque, or serve up Santa Fe Sweet Potato Soup. These and more gourmet dishes await, and no one but you will know that you made your gourmet meals in a crock pot while you were out running errands.
Here’s a bonus great read for you and your crock pot cooking skills. That is if you haven’t found the perfect one for you yet.
A Note About Formats
These are just a sampling of some of the most popular crock pot cookbooks on the market, all of which are available in print copies that you can add to your collection. Many of them, however, are also available in digital format for various e-readers, in keeping with the growing trend of cooking with a tablet in hand instead of a recipe book.
Some may even include interactive videos with the digital versions in lieu of illustrations, which may appeal to slow cooker cooks who take a more visual approach to recipe preparation. When it comes to selecting which is best, it’s all about what works for you. If the books above are not the ones that you are looking for, then this website should help you further.