How to Make the Most Out of Your Slow Cooker Book
Our latest cookbook, Pinch of Nom: Slow Cooker has officially been out for over a month now, and we’re absolutely over the moon with how much love it’s had already! This one’s been a long time coming, so it’s been so lovely seeing it finally come to life.
Even better, seeing all the dishes you’ve been cooking up has made it all worth it. You lot really know how to make a slow cooker sing!
Inside Slow Cooker, you’ll find all the comforting favourites you’d expect, like soups and stews, the proper hearty dishes that warm you through on chilly days. But there’s so much more too. We’ve also thrown in some cracking fakeaways, a few slow-cooked salads (who’d have thought?!) and even some puds to keep your sweet tooth happy.
With 100 slimming-friendly recipes to choose from, there’s plenty to keep you going, and they’re all perfect for batch-cooking and getting ahead during busy weeks.
If you’ve not grabbed your copy yet, don’t worry. You can pick one up here. Then keep reading this post to get the most out of your new favourite cookbook!
Step 1: Join our Facebook group
We can’t stop talking about how lucky we are to have the best community in the cookbook world – seriously! Our Facebook group is the reason we do what we do, and your support keeps us going every single day.
If you’ve never visited the group, it’s a community of almost 1 million incredible members sharing their stories, tips, and inspiring anecdotes from their own slimming journey. In short, there’s no better place to go when you’re in need of inspiration!
Head over there now and you’ll get to see what everybody’s making first from their copies of Slow Cooker. If you’ve ever got a question or need some advice about recipes, the community (and our cracking team of moderators) is always on-hand to help – and we’ll swing by as often as we can to say hello!
To be the first to see our brand-new recipe videos, we’d recommend following our Instagram and TikTok too.
Step 2: Get to know your slow cooker
No matter the brand or style of your slow cooker, it’s capable of working wonders for your weeknight dinners. Some come with fancy digital timers and keep-warm settings, while others are as simple as plug in and go – both do the job beautifully.
The joy of slow-cooking is that it does that hard work for you! Just pop your ingredients in, switch it on, and let it gently bubble away while you get on with your day. It’s perfect for busy weeknights, lazy Sundays, or when you want to come home to a house that smells like you’ve been cooking all day. Plus, it’s energy-efficient, easy to clean, and brilliant for batch-cooking. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without one.
Step 3: Take stock of your ingredients and write your meal plan
Before you start cooking, it’s worth taking a moment to see what you’ve got in your cupboards and fridge. Having a clear idea of your ingredients makes meal planning so much easier, and it stops you reaching for the takeaway menu on busy evenings.
With our Slow Cooker book on your kitchen shelf, you’ll have plenty of inspiration to rustle up rich and hearty slimming-friendly meals. You can plan a week’s worth of dinners, mix and match recipes, and even batch-cook ahead for when your schedule’s hectic. Whatever it is you’re cooking up, knowing what you’ve got and what you need means your slow cooker can work its magic without any faff.
Step 4: Make the most of our slow cooker hints and tips
In addition to plenty of tasty recipes, Slow Cooker is filled with handy hints and tips to help your trusty kitchen gadget reach its full potential. Things like…
Keep an eye on your liquid levels. The liquid in your slow cooker has nowhere to escape, so too much can boil your ingredients instead of letting them cook gently. We’ve tested our recipes carefully, but every slow cooker is different, so check yours the first few times you use it.
Leave enough space for your meal to simmer. As a rule, fill your pot no more than two-thirds full, or halfway if your dish has more liquid. An overflowing pot can cause leaks and uneven cooking.
For more useful info, grab your copy of Slow Cooker and flick through to the Slow Cooker Top Tips section.
Step 5: Visit our Slow Cooker hub for helpful tips and videos
Along with the Top Tips we’ve provided inside the pages of Slow Cooker, we also created a How to Use a Slow Cooker hub on our website, where you can find even more useful advice, step-by-step videos, and plenty of recipes that’ll help you get even more out of your new favourite kitchen gadget and plan what to cook next. It’s a great way to keep your slow cooking skills simmering along!
All of our Slow Cooker recipes are well worth the wait!
Don’t forget to take a photo of your first ‘low and slow’ creation from our latest cookbook! As long as you tag us, we’ll definitely see it. And once we get going, there’s no stopping us scrolling through all of your comments and posts in our Facebook group.
Visiting our Gallery is another great way to find out what everyone else is cooking from Slow Cooker. You’ll want to sign up to a free website account to upload and share your photos (it’s really easy – we’ve got a step-by-step guide you can follow here).
If you liked this article, here are a few more that you might find useful:
- How to Make Healthy Slow Cooker Dump Bag Meals
- Our Top Slow Cooker Recipes
- What Can I Cook in a Slow Cooker? The Best Ingredients and Our Top Tips
- The Best Slow Cookers to Buy: How to Choose the Right One for You
- How to Convert Recipes to a Slow Cooker
- 10 Slow Cooker Recipes You Need to Try
- The Best Slow Cooker Recipes for Batch Cooking
- Easy Slow Cooker Fakeaway Recipe Ideas to Make on Busy Days