Anyone who knows me in real life or on Facebook knows that I adore my InstantPot and will proselytize on it’s wonders at the drop of the hat. I am the Kool Aid Man of the electric multicooker. As much as I love my InstantPot, it does not slow cook well, and I would be happy to use my slow cooker more often. I like my kitchen toys. When I saw Nicki Sizemore’s Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker: Reinvent the Slow-Cooked Meal offered on Netgally, I was excited to put my slow cooker back in rotation. This is an honest review.

Sizemore says she wants to refresh our love for the slow cooker by jettisoning the bland, watery recipes full of canned goods and replacing them with fresh ingredients and bold flavors. I personally have never used canned goods in my slow cooker cooking, but I am all for flavor packed meals that are also low maintenance. I picked out 5 different recipes to try. After being disappointed in the first two recipes I tried, I decided two was enough. I don’t have the money or patience to make more bad food.

One thing I like about Sizemore’s recipes is the way they are laid out. She breaks down ways elements of the recipe can be made ahead of time and then put together. I didn’t always make things ahead of time, but I followed the recipes as exactly as possible. I am not a trained chef, but I am a home cook who has cooked professionally and has a lot of experience cooking. I felt like Sizemore’s instructions are clear and would be easy for most home cooks to follow. If you do buy this cookbook, I recommend seasoning the food more aggressively.

Garlic-Lemon Whole Chicken with Fingerling Potatoes & Fennel + Parsley Pesto

I chose this recipe first because I liked the idea of cooking a whole chicken without the oven. I am the only person in the house who likes crispy skin, so the lack was not a deal breaker. I thought a fairly basic recipe would be a good place to get an idea for the overall quality of the recipes in the book. I hope I am wrong, because this was a disappointment.

The elements to this recipe were: herb butter, a 4 – 5 pound chicken sliced fennel bulb and fingerling potatoes, and a parsley pesto. I bought a barely 4 pound chicken, seasoned it with salt and pepper and made the herb butter. The butter had lemon zest, fresh garlic, fresh thyme and tarragon, and more salt and black pepper (I would make the butter again). I rubbed the butter under the skin, focusing on the breast and thigh areas, and then I put in the fridge over night. About 7 hours before I planned to serve dinner, I pulled the chicken out of the fridge and let it come closer to room temperature. No fingerling potatoes were to be had, so I used baby red potatoes. I sliced the potatoes and the fennel bulb and tossed them into the slow cooker with garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, salt and pepper and then some white wine. I nestled the chicken, breast down, into the vegetables, put of the lid and then turned the slow cooker to low as directed.

Five hours later, the chicken back and legs, which were facing up, did not look done, but the breast registered 165, so I pulled the chicken out. We let the potato and fennel continue cooking. and I made the parsley pesto. I love parsley pesto, so I knew this part would be good. The breast was tender and juicy, but the thighs and legs were too raw. We sliced off some breast meet and put the rest of the chicken in the oven at 375. In addition to the under cooked meat, the potatoes, fennel, and juices were very bland, and also watery. There was nothing lemony, garlicky, or herbal about the dish.

I wouldn’t make a whole chicken in the slow cooker again. I would make the recipe and cook it in the oven in a cast iron dutch oven. I think that would bring out a lot more flavor.

I hope next week’s turkey meatballs work better.

Turkey Meatball Subs + Spinach, Shaved Fennel & Parmesan Salad

Obviously, these did not become subs, and the salad didn’t happen. That’s fine, the recipe also suggested the meatballs and sauce could be served over pasta. That was my plan, but then we lost power after the meatballs were done, but before I cooked the pasta. As for the salad, my housemates thought it sounded weird and they weren’t going to eat it. They are now wary of fennel after last week’s flavorless, soggy fennel. I planned to saute the spinach with garlic and then make parmesean fennel chips (which only I would eat) but the power loss ended that plan. Fortunately, I had already baked a loaf of rosemary bread and made basil pesto.

This recipe was less of a disappointment than the Garlic Lemon Chicken, but was still a disappointment. So far we are two for two on dishes that come out bland and watery. I was concerned when the tomato sauce recipe called for 1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. It tasted like lightly seasoned tomato, which is ok, but not really what I wanted. The meatballs had a nice texture, but no flavor. All of the flavor in this dish came from the fresh pesto and the bread – which were recipes that came from elsewhere.

I like the idea of this dish. It’s a good way to cook turkey meatballs, which can get tough, but I would not use this recipe again. I had a lot of left overs and the meatballs were even more noticeably flavorless the next day.

I am disappointed in this cookbook. I have made meals in my slow cooker that were neither bland nor watery. I have used Lynn Alley’s The Gourmet Slow Cooker for years and never had a recipe turn out bland or watery. The ideas here are great, and I like the way she breaks down the recipes into do ahead steps. I wish the final products had been better. There is always the possibility that I picked the only two recipes that don’t work.

I thought the recipes were complicated and time consuming for the busy mom. I really wanted simple, quick and tasty recipes and did not think this book accomplished that.

I love this book and want a hard copy as this is definitely a media form which lends itself best to physical pages rather than digital in my opinion. However as a way to review an as yet unpublished title, a PDF has had to suffice.
Often cookery books focusing on one piece of kitchen equipment are dull and container mediocre recipes with poor photography. Not this one! I will be making good use of the ideas provided including all the useful tips given even before the actual food is dealt with. I also love having side dish recipes which naturally can be 'mixed and matched'. This has inspired me to get out the slow cooker again despite it being summer as I write. (I usually only have my slow cooker out for winter stews) Definitely recommended.

This is a great book for encouraging you to dust of the slow cooker and create some new recipes. The layout of the book is very good, and there are lots of pictures which is encouraging. It is aimed at an American market but there are still lots of great recipes to try. Personally I prefer the recipes with the least amount of preparation and effort (the throw it all in the slow cooker and leave it type). Overall a good and inspiring book

I really enjoyed this cookbook. Not only does she share slow cooker main meals but you also get recipes for sides, which sound equally delicious! There are lots of pretty pictures of the recipes and good tips throughout the book. I’m looking forward to making the Fajita Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, Chicken Noodle Soup & French Toast Casserole.

I received this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. This book may become my new favorite slow cooker title. There are great recipes that I am so looking forward to trying. I plan to purchase a copy for the library and for my own collection.

Fresh flavours indeed - this book was full of great, and importantly, easy recipes for me to follow and use my slow cooker for. Thanks for letting me read and review. Will definitely be recommending.

When I think slow cooker I think easy. I want to be able to whip something together quick, throw it in the pot, and go on with my day with no stress.

Unfortunately, this book kind of seemed like the opposite of that. It was very detailed and in depth which I appreciate, but nothing about a lot of these seemed easy. Some took days to prepare, or just had way too many steps. I have no doubt that almost all of these would taste phenomenal, they just didn't seem really practical to me.

The layout and look were also a little off to me but maybe it was because I was reading the ebook verison?

This is one of the better books I read aboit slow cooking. The recipes in this book not only look appetizing but in fact they do taste better than most of the recipes I tried in slow cooking category of cookbooks. Nice photos. Tips. Descriptions. It has only below 100 recipes bit let that not scare you. The recipes are really good!

With mouthwatering photography and stunning new ideas for crockpot meals this cookbook truly delivers the ideas , tricks and tempting recipes it promises. There is a wide variety of recipes utilizing different vegetables and meats . Each recipe is outlined with things you can prep before hand;instructions on how to layer ingredients for the best results and even suggestions on how to store the ingredients ahead of time in the refrigerator and how to freeze your leftovers for later. Each recipe also comes with suggestions and recipes for sides to compliment the meal. I am very excited to try many of the recipes in this book!!!!

Not the same old slow cooker recipes! I love the addition of some side dishes or accompanied dishes that don’t take long but really make each dish a meal. We tried the chicken tikka masala and can’t wait to try a few more! I have a love/hate relationship with my slow cooker so hopefully this book will tilt it more to the love side!

This was a very well written cookbook. I found the layout to flow well and the recipes were easy to understand and follow along to. I look forward to trying some of them out for my family.

I have to confess I am addicted to my slow cooker. I always tend to make the same things though. Not very imaginative or adventurous. So when I saw this book for review I had to have a read.

The recipes, some of which I’d never imagined making in the slow cooker and I DO want to try..like sticky ginger spareribs, have very clear instructions. Admittedly I can’t say a lot for the photos as I have only viewed this on a kindle and it makes it quite tricky.

Some of the recipes do seem to require a lot of prep and are not entirely slow cooker based, but the majority are. For example, some recipes require some stove top work or assembly afterwards instead of being entirely made in the slow cooker and then served. But it’s a great mix of both types and there is something in here for everyone, however you want to use your cooker.
It’s a nice change from the standard batch of slow cooker spag Bol and chilli recipes everyone seems to know and use.

The book is broken into sections to make finding recipes and looking for ideas based around a certain meat for example, very easy.

Thank you net galley for the opportunity to review this cookbook.

Great resource cookbook of new and non traditional Slow Cooker Recipes. Lots of ethnic dishes that I am excited to try for myself. And no condensed soup to be found in any dish!

Introduction has numerous tips and shortcuts for using a slow cooker.

Each recipe is thoroughly organized with prep time, cook times, and instructions with enticing descriptions.

Kudos to Nicki Sizemore for all the time and effort spent creating and testing these recipes.

Fresh Flavors for the Slow Cooker is a great cookbook and definitely not recipes from your grandmothers cookbook and I say that in the best possible way.

This cookbook has great tips and tricks. Additionally, the idea of being able to cook healthy while preparing the food in a crock pot is one that has always escaped me until now.

I found the recipes easy to understand with limited steps, after all that's what a slow cooker is for.

Great cookbook, would definitely reccomend!

Everything sounds delicious! I did not purchase because our patrons tend to prefer "dump" slow cooker meals that require less preparation. Wonderful choice for someone looking to get creative.

There are a prodigious amount of recipes in this book! The author suggests prepping the food you want to slow cook in advance to cut down on the time needed to prepare each meal!
The White Bean & Veggie Minestrone + Pesto recipe uses canned tomatoes, Great Northern beans, Swiss chard, garlic, carrots, pasta (cooked separately/and added later)and homemade pesto with pine nuts, basil, lemon juice and olive oil to make a scrumptious, full flavored soup! The Squash Curry uses butternut squash, coconut oil, chickpeas, and fire roasted tomatoes to create an Indian flavored masterpiece, and she even includes her recipe for Cilantro, Apple & Cashew Chutney to sprinkle on top of the curry!
There are recipes for every palate - from Chicken Tikka Masala + Garlic Naan to Carnitas Tacos, you will have to discover your favorite one - enjoy!

4 FRESH Stars

I must immediately say this book has mouth watering photos.. and it is not conductive to a Kindle book so please buy the actual book! it starts off as a book you pick up if you have no idea how to use your slow cooker or which kind to use. it also let you know how to freeze and reheat said creations. For me I have failed and succeeded at many a crock pot meal so I chose to skim past all that. the recipes allow for options such as . how to prep the recipe ahead of time and if you like to stovetop prep parts. basically these recipes are not a one dump and hit start but they take crockpot, stove top and side preparations combined to make one meal become elevated. I would say these recopies are really influenced with a lot of ethnicities such as Indian and Asian which are mouth water. they take things that sounds complex and make it so anyone could make it. I must say the recipe that jumped ion my head is the bimbibap beef bow.. I want to make that one for sure. and their entire seafood section was shocking and mouthwatering sounding!

Review
Thank you to @netgalley, Storey Publishing and Nicki Sizemore for the Arc of Fresh Flavours For The Slow Cooker.
As a busy mum of 3 girls, I really need to use my slow cooker more. I don't have any recipe books so typically do just two dishes. There is such a huge variety dishes in this book, I can see myself going back to this book time and time again. Its well laid out, and everything looks so good!!

This cookbook has a variety of recipes for the slow cooker. It includes new tips and techniques for using a slow cooker. It's divided into sections based on types of meat with a section for breakfast and brunch. The ingredients widely vary, and are unique. I don't typically have many of the ingredients on hand, but I'm sure other people do. I can see myself referencing it for the soups and chili. It has a lot of pork and seafood recipes too.