Book: The Mexican Slow Cooker: Recipes for Mole, Enchiladas, Carnitas, Chile Verde Pork and More Favorites
Author: Deborah Schneider
Release date (if applicable): Published
Synopsis: Ms. Schneider offers a collection of authentic Mexican recipes which have been somewhat adapted for the slow cooker. Among these are soups, main dishes, side dishes and even desserts.
My rating: 5 Stars
My opinion: As an absolute lover of Mexican cooking, I have made several recipes from this cookbook and absolutely love this book. I will be purchasing this cookbook.
The recipes are fresh and, for the most part, restaurant quality. Furthermore, they are laid out with very simple, easy to follow steps. However, there is much more prep time in these recipes than I have seen with other slow cooker cookbooks.
I do have to disagree with the Goodreads description of this book as being a "fix it and forget it" cookbook. It is not. For the most part the slow cooker is used for a portion of the cooking time, but further stove or oven "finishing" is needed for a chunk of the recipes. Also, there is a much "prep" time required for recipes. This isn't a cookbook to look at like a Stephanie O'Dea cookbook. On that note, though, the recipes in this book aren't Stephanie O'Dea quality recipes. These are recipes that, minimally, I would gladly use in my entertainment dinners and that, as I stated before, are restaurant quality. This is why I have stated that this book isn't for a novice cook.
ETA (11/01/2012): In continuing to make recipes from this cookbook, it has come to my attention that the author has misused cooking temperatures in the crock pot. She frequently directs to use a low cooking temperature however using a low temperature throws off the cooking time. Use either a high cooking temperature and maintain the cooking time directed in the book OR use low setting, BUT double the cooking time. Normally, I would rip apart a cookbook that makes this serious of an error, but continued feedback from the dishes made in this book is that they are restaurant quality. I contacted the author through Goodreads PM, but she failed to follow-up with me.
Source: Library
Would I recommend? : Not to a novice cook, but to a more experienced one, I would.
Stand Alone or Part of a Series: Stand alone
thanks for linking this in to Books you Loved, Naomi. Have a super week.
ReplyDeleteI was happy to do so, Carole..thanks for reminding me! You have a great week too!
DeleteThis looks great...that soup looks quite yummy.
ReplyDeleteStopping by from Carole's November Books I Loved. I am in that list as #2.
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
http://silversolara.blogspot.com
I have made 4 recipes from the book which will be featured here. We have had little leftovers whenever I cook from this cookbook!
DeleteI think I know your blog Elizabeth from other sources too!
Noted that you appended to your review a comment that "the author has misused cooking temperatures in the crock pot. She frequently directs to use a low cooking temperature however using a low temperature throws off the cooking time. Use either a high cooking temperature and maintain the cooking time directed in the book OR use low setting, BUT double the cooking time."
ReplyDeleteShould I be using the low temp times at high and double those for low-temp cooking, or should I be using the high setting for however long the book suggests and only change cooking time when I'm cooking on low?
(Is this an actual error? My understanding was that the "low" setting in modern slow cookers is higher than "low" was in previous generations of slow cookers - should this depend on the age of my slow cooker?)
Great question, David...
DeleteIn all of her recipes, I have used the high temperatures and gone with the lower cooking times. I have never had an issue with the that part of the prep being done within the cooking time. If I used a lower temperature, as was done in my first dish, there was a significant undercooking.
Second, all the crock pots I have used in the meal prep for her dishes have been approximately one year old. They would have had the higher cooking temperatures. The feeling I have is that it was an error. As I stated, normally I would rip the author apart in my review, but I have yet to have one recipe out of this book that my family has not deemed to be restaurant quality.
BTW..I am hoping it is this month, but be sure to watch The P&G..I am going to be featuring several recipes from this book.
Thanks for stopping by!