Gluten-Free Slow Cooking: Over 250 Recipes of Wheat-Free Wonders for The Electric Slow Cooker Paperback – May 15, 2012

This cookbook has much to recommend it to any cook - over 250 recipes, interesting and frequently useful notes and cooking tips, beautifully illustrations. The recipes are for the most part versions of classic dishes from other cuisines (Latin American, Asian, North African, Italian, French, East European, regional U.S.) translated into versions that call for ingredients that are not that hard to find even for those of us not living in large urban areas. The book contains over a hundred more recipes than the 140 (not all for slow cooker dishes) in Mayone & Broihier's recently published  Everyday Gluten-Free Slow Cooking . However, neither of these "gluten-free" cookbooks offers recipes that couldn't be found in elsewhere and be made gluten-free without much difficulty, with the exception of a couple of recipes in Mayone & Broihier's book for making gluten-free granola in a slow cooker. There really isn't much need for a special "gluten-free" slow cooker cookbook.The variety of recipes made from easy-to-find ingredients would make Brown's book a pretty good choice for anyone in search of a slow cooker cookbook, whether they normally cook gluten-free or not, though I don't find the results as tasty as those from some other books. It's not going to take the place of my favorite slow cooker cookbook, Judith Findlayson's  175 Essential Slow Cooker Classics , which has slow cooker recipes that we find more highly spiced and tastier - comparing Findlayson's Captain's Curry or Indian-Style Cashew Chicken to Brown's Country Captain or Indian Chicken with Toasted Cashews, or the Shrimp Creoles found in the two books. But I do like Brown's greater use of vegetables in her recipes, as well as the number of new recipes not in my other slow-cooker books.I would have given it 4 or 5 stars if it weren't so poorly indexed - nothing to help you locate recipes but an alphabetical index by the exact name given the dish by the author. If you don't remember the exact name (e.g., Herbed Tomato Sauce or Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce, not "tomato sauce" or "spaghetti sauce"), you have to go hunting for it - and there are no listings of recipes at the begining of chapters, either, so if you don't remember that Herbed Tomato Sauce is a "Side Dish Star" and "Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce" a vegetarian entree, it may take some time just to find the right section, not to mention leafing through it until you find the right recipe. I find this particularly annoying for the stews and chilis, which you'll find here and there all the way through the book. If I were sure this one is going to prove a keeper, I'd do my own index now - and I may well find myself doing one later. Too bad no one took the time to make a proper index to what seems to be otherwise a pretty good cookbook.

If you are the kind of cook who likes an organized format (which I do), and full color, appetizing photos of every dish (not necessarily), and wants to make sure that your recipes are gluten-free, then this is the slow cooker cookbook for you.Features I appreciate: The number of servings in each recipe is listed. The size of the cooker used is listed, as well as the minimum cook time. Many of these recipes have cook times for either High or Low settings, and the minimum is at the higher setting. In the small print, in the introductory section ,the author states, "All recipes in this book (except for a few fondues in Cpt. 9) were written for and tested in 4- or 5-quart slow cooker; that is what is meant by medium, in size". I also like the notes on possible variations, as well as the side boxes that highlight recipe origins and spice and ingredient trivia. There is a nice selection of chapters including recipes for, vegetarian, poultry, seafood, meats, and grains, and the emphasis is on readily available spices and ingredients.Improvements might include: There is no nutritional breakdown of these recipes, if that is of concern to your diet requirements. Also, although the glossy, coated pages will easily repel small spills, for this to be a "working" cookbook, I think it would be improved by having a binding that lays flatter, even a spiral would be nice. Overall, a very nice recipe collection with a more healthy slant.

I ordered this cookbook on the recommendation of a friend who is gluten free. He said that the recipes are easy, use ingredients you normally have on hand, and give options for different versions of the dishes. I have found all that to be true. It is great to have a cookbook that uses ingredients I have on hand and that give ways to vary the dishes so they don't get old. Plus, I love, love, love using my crockpots (I have a 3!) to cook good tasting meals.However, I was shocked and appalled to see ingredients in a couple of recipes that have gluten in them. For example, one called for soy sauce with no obvious note about the fact that it has gluten in it or alternatives you can use. Because I am highly experienced at cooking gluten free for my husband, that is not a problem, but I am concerned about people new to this type of cooking relying on this book that is supposed to be written by an expert in gluten-free cooking.This led to a debate about the number of stars to give this cookbook. For myself, I would give it 5 stars. Due to the concerns that people might not realize some ingredients have gluten, I'd give it 2. So, I settled on 4 because I really do like this cookbook.

This cookbook has excellent recipes for those that need or want to eat gluten free. I have absolutely enjoyed everything I've made from it. Two things to keep in mind before you purchase: 1) The recipes are not "easy" and 2) Make sure to use gluten free soy sauce and gluten free oats.For those of us who do not have very much experience cooking more complicated recipes or using "exotic" (for me, currants and sesame oil were "exotic") ingredients, this book might present a challenge. Personally, I think the author provides enough hints and tips, that I have enjoyed the challenge and have learned to cook with new ingredients in the process. Make sure that you set aside prep time for these recipes, though. This is NOT the "pour a can of cream-of-whatever and some frozen veg in the crockpot" kind of recipe. The recipes are best when you follow the directions exactly.Secondly, the author talks about gluten free soy sauce in the chapters at the beginning of the book, and has a hint box about gluten free oatmeal. But, if you are one of those people who does not read that stuff and you are cooking for a gluten intolerant friend, then be sure that you purchase gluten free soy sauce (I recommend San-J) and gluten free oats (NOT the same thing as steel-cut oats; I recommend Red Mill).