Publisher's Weekly Review

Slow-cooker cooking has come into its own in recent years, and for many busy households, it's become a kitchen staple that allows for home-cooked meals even on harried weeknights. While most of us equate the slow cooker with winter comfort food, Cheney, a cookbook author (Tasting and Tasting Club), recipe developer, and magazine columnist, shows its versatility and ability to cook fresh, seasonal produce, making it a year-round asset. Better still, her recipes avoid packaged, processed ingredients such as bouillon cubes, package mixes, and store-bought sauces. Instead, her focus is on fresh ingredients and flavorful slow-cooked food. She divides the book by season and offers useful sidebars on everything from pomegranates to Jerusalem artichokes and rhubarb. Recipes typically serve four to six and include prep-time estimations as well as cooking times, which help with menu planning. Many of Cheney's recipes are accompanied by appetizing full-color photos that are guaranteed to inspire, from summer's triple-apricot "French toast" bread pudding and spring's osso bucco with gremolata served over saffron risotto with peas and spring onions, to fall's Thai tofu, Swiss chard, and sweet potato curry and winter's short ribs with hoisin sauce, tangerines, and scallions. She also offers up unusual slow-cooker recipes that include surprising ingredients such as cod with puttanesca sauce and boneless leg of lamb. Best of all, Cheney's mouth-watering and varied recipes will appeal to even the most limited palates. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.