Intro -- Title -- Contents -- Introduction -- How to Use This Book -- Conventions Used in This Book -- Foolish Assumptions -- How This Book Is Organized -- Icons Used in This Book -- A Few Guidelines Before You Begin -- Part I : Revving Up Your Slow Cooker -- Chapter 1: Slow Cooking in the Fast Lane -- The Hare and the Tortoise: Fast Food versus Slow Food -- Here's Who's Slow Cooking -- The Benefits of Owning a Slow Cooker -- Quick and Easy Turkey Vegetable Soup -- Chapter 2: From the Fire to the Pot -- Cooking with Direct and Indirect Heat -- How a Slow Cooker Works -- Types of Slow Cookers -- Gearing Up for Slow Cooking: The Right Model for You -- Part II : Making the Best and Safest Use of Your Slow Cooker -- Chapter 3: Slow Cooker Basics from Start to Finish -- First Things First: Wash Your Slow Cooker -- Caring for Your Cooking Container -- Preparing to Slow Cook: Some Tips -- Now You're Cooking -- After It's Done: From Slow Cooker to Server -- Chapter 4: Food Safety 101 -- B Is for Bacteria -- Safe Cooking in Your Slow Cooker -- Chapter 5: From the Stove to the Slow Cooker -- Adapting Your Favorite Recipes for the Slow Cooker -- Some of Our Favorite Recipes Adapted to the Slow Cooker -- Traditional Bolognese Tomato and Meat Sauce -- Slow Cooker Bolognese Tomato and Meat Sauce -- Traditional Sweet Potato and Rosemary Soup -- Slow Cooker Sweet Potato and Rosemary Soup -- Annie's Traditional Chicken Provençal -- Annie's Slow Cooker Chicken Provençal -- Tom's Mom's Traditional Stuffed Artichokes -- Tom's Mom's Stuffed Artichokes for the Slow Cooker -- Traditional White Bean Stew -- Slow Cooker White Bean Stew -- Part III : Basic and Delicious Recipes for the Slow Cooker -- Chapter 6: Snacks, Dips, and Beverages -- Slow Cooker Munchies and Dipping Sauces -- Good Morning Granola -- Slow Cooker Party Mix -- Chunky Chili Sauce.

Holy Guacamole Tomato Salsa -- Nacho Cheese Sauce -- A New Twist on Some Classic Party Favorites -- Sweet 'n' Sour Meatballs -- Spicy Lil' Piggies -- Asian Chicken Wings -- Drinks That Warm Down to Your Toes -- Ruby Red Cider -- Mulled Wine -- Spiced Cider -- Mulled Spice Mix -- Irish Coffee for a Crowd -- Mexican Coffee - Café de Olla -- Spirited Tea -- Chapter 7: Spoonfuls of Goodness: Soups, Chowders, and Chili -- What's in a Name? -- Making the Very Best Soups -- Soups -- Cuban Black Bean Soup -- Beef Barley Mushroom Soup -- Split Pea Soup with Ham -- Minestrone Soup -- Borscht -- Chowders -- Fisherman's Chowder -- Corn and Lima Bean Chowder -- Chili -- Chunky Vegetable Chili -- Tailgate Chili for a Crowd -- White Bean and Chicken Chili -- Chapter 8: Slow Simmering Stews -- Preparing Your Stew Meat -- Browning and Layering -- Creating a Flavorful Sauce -- Old-Fashioned Beef Stew -- Chunky South-of-the-Border Beef Stew -- Asian Beef and Vegetables -- Coq au Vin -- Chicken Cacciatore -- Provençal Chicken and Potato Stew -- Curried Chicken with Basmati Rice -- Lemon and Thyme Pork Stew -- Italian Sausage Stew -- Moroccan Vegetable Stew with Couscous -- Chapter 9: The Big Cuts: Roasts -- Using the Slow Cooker as a Roasting Pan -- Searing and Browning Food for Best Results -- Testing to See Whether the Roast Is Done -- Favorite Roast Recipes -- Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Leg of Lamb -- Roasted Lamb Shanks with White Beans and Herbs -- Cranberry Brisket -- Corned Beef and Cabbage -- Sauerbraten -- Our Favorite Pot Roast -- Roast Pork with Apples, Sweet Potatoes, and Plantains -- Lemon Chicken -- Pulled Pork Barbecue -- Chapter 10: Casseroles -- The American Casserole: A 20th-Century Invention -- New Favorites from Old Classics -- Stuffed Cabbage Casserole -- Swiss Steak -- Baked Beans and Beef -- Stuffed Peppers -- Noodles Stroganoff Casserole.

Macaroni and Cheese -- Jambalaya -- Tortilla Stack -- Classic Vegetable Casserole with French-Fried Onions -- Sweet Potato Marshmallow Casserole -- Chapter 11: Desserts and Jams -- Fruit Desserts -- Apple Brown Betty -- Peach Crisp -- Apple Bread Pudding -- Applesauce -- Baked Apples -- Custards and Puddings -- Creme Caramel -- Chocolate Custard -- Rice Pudding -- Fruit Butters and Jams -- Peach Butter -- Rhubarb and Strawberry Jam -- Part IV : Jump-Starting Dinner with Your Slow Cooker -- Chapter 12: Cooking with a Master Meat Sauce -- A Master Plan, a Master Recipe -- Master Meat Sauce Cooking and Freezing Tips -- The Master Meat Sauce -- Master Meat Sauce -- All-American Chili for a Crowd -- Recipes Using the Master Meat Sauce -- Johnny Marzetti Casserole -- Shepherd's Pie -- Stuffed Baked Potatoes -- Sloppy Joe Sandwiches -- Mom's Baked Rice -- Spanish Rice with Meat -- South-of-the-Border Chili con Carne and Cornbread Too -- Cuban Picadillo -- Beef and Bean Burritos -- Quick and Easy Greek Pastitso -- Chapter 13: Master Roast Turkey Breast Recipes -- Master Turkey Recipe to the Rescue -- Master Roast Turkey Breast -- Quick Turkey Gravy -- Recipes Using the Master Roast Turkey Breast -- Turkey Potpie -- Turkey and Dumplings -- Turkey Croquettes -- Stovetop Turkey Divan -- Turkey Chop Suey -- Easy Turkey Tetrazzini -- Sliced Turkey with Piquant Tuna Mayonnaise -- Cobb Salad -- Confetti Pasta and Turkey Salad -- Chapter 14: New York Penicillin: Master Chicken Broth Recipes -- New York Penicillin -- Making and Storing Chicken Broth -- Master Chicken Broth -- Recipes Using the Master Chicken Broth -- Chicken Rice Soup -- Chicken Corn Chowder -- Matzoh Ball Soup -- Greek Egg-Lemon Chicken Soup (Avgolemono Soupa) -- Mexican Tortilla Soup -- Wonton Soup -- Italian Egg-Drop Soup (Stracciatella) -- Creamy Asparagus Soup -- French Onion Soup.

Potato and Leek Soup -- Part V : The Part of Tens -- Chapter 15: Ten Special Occasions for Slow Cooker Entrées -- New Year's Celebration -- Super Bowl Chili Party -- Weekend Skiing -- St. Patrick's Day -- Passover or Hanukkah -- Easter Sunday Dinner -- Summer Picnic -- Thanksgiving -- Christmas Day -- Potluck Suppers -- Chapter 16: Ten Problems and How to Handle Them -- Holy Smoke -- Stone-Cold Slow Cooker -- Just Broke My Tooth on a Potato -- Uneven Cooking -- Help, I'm Swimming in Liquid! -- Probably Done Three Hours Ago -- Honey, I Burnt the Roast -- Get Me a Flashlight! -- Slow Cookers, Like Cats, Don't Like Water -- Shattered Lid or Liner -- Chapter 17: Ten Web Sites to Check Out -- about.com -- Allrecipes.com -- cs.cmu.edu -- The Easy Guide to Crockpot Cooking on iVillage.com -- exnet.iastate -- Mega-Zine -- Slow Food -- SOAR -- Spira Solaris -- topica -- Chapter 18: Ten Tips for Great Slow Cooking -- Determining How Much Is Enough -- Layering Contents Properly -- Reducing Fat -- Intensifying Flavors by Searing and Browning First -- Cooking with Dairy Products -- Slow Cooking and Frozen Foods -- Cooking at High Altitudes -- Keeping It Under Cover -- Thickening Sauces and Cooking Liquid -- If Your Slow Cooker Cooks Too Slowly -- Appendix A: Contact Information for Slow Cooker Manufacturers -- Appendix B: Metric Conversion Guide.