Slow Cooking for Two: Basic Techniques Recipes
4/5
()
About this ebook
Easy meals and creative recipes, tips, and techniques.
Meals for two have never been so easy or delicious. Using nothing more than a slow cooker for heat and a few common kitchen helpers—like foil, mini loaf pans, ramekins, a metal jar ring, a glass baking dish, plastic liners, and a stick blender—Cynthia Stevens Graubart turns the common slow cooker (3 1/2-quart) into a multi-use cooking convenience. Slow Cooking for Two includes basic instructions and creative methods for 100 recipes, plus tips and techniques.
Cynthia Stevens Graubart is coauthor of Southern Biscuits and Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking with Nathalie Dupree, and author of The One-Armed Cook. She is married with two children. With her second child now away at college, she is adjusting to cooking for two at her home in Atlanta, Georgia.
Cynthia Graubart
Cynthia Stevens Graubart is an author and former television producer who began her culinary television production career with New Southern Cooking with Nathalie Dupree in 1985. She is the author of The One-Armed Cook, called the culinary version of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. Cynthia and her husband, Cliff, live in Atlanta, Georgia.
Read more from Cynthia Graubart
Southern Biscuits Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Southern Biscuits Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slow Cooker: Double Dinners for Two Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Slow Cooking for Two: Basics Techniques Recipes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nathalie Dupree's Favorite Stories and Recipes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nathalie Dupree's Favorite Stories & Recipes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mastering the Art of Southern Vegetables Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChicken: a Savor the South cookbook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Slow Cooking for Two
Related ebooks
Fix-It and Forget-It New Cookbook: 250 New Delicious Slow Cooker Recipes! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fix-It and Forget-It New Slow Cooker Magic Box Set: Over 1,300 Classic, New, and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Book of One-Pot Dinners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5101 Things To Do With a Sheet Pan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFix-It and Forget-It Cooking for Two: 150 Small-Batch Slow Cooker Recipes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFix-It and Forget-It Cooking Light for Slow Cookers: 600 Healthy, Low-Fat Recipes for Your Slow Cooker Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe New Slow Cooker Cookbook: More than 200 Modern, Healthy--and Easy--Recipes for the Classic Cooker Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Cooking Light Slow-Cooker Tonight!: 140 delicious weeknight recipes that practically cook themselves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/55 Ingredients or Less Slow Cooker Cookbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taste of Home Copycat Favorites Volume 2: Enjoy your favorite restaurant foods, snacks and more at home! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Microwave, a Mug, a Meal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBetty Crocker Right-Size Recipes: Delicious Meals for One or Two Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Instant Pot® Meals in a Jar Cookbook: 50 Pre-Portioned, Perfectly Seasoned Pressure Cooker Recipes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/55-Ingredient Natural Recipes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFreezer Meals for Slow Cooker : Easy and Delicious Dump Dinner Recipes and Make Ahead Meals for Busy People: Slow Cooking Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings365 Slow Cooker Suppers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crockpot Recipes: Scrumptious Crock Pot and Slow Cooker Recipes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/57x7 Cooking: The Art of Cooking in a Small Kitchen Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fix-It and Forget-It Slow Cooker Dump Dinners and Desserts: 150 Crazy Yummy Meals for Your Crazy Busy Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWeeknight Wonders: Delicious, Healthy Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The New One Pot Cookbook: More Than 200 Modern Recipes for the Classic Easy Meal Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAARP/Betty Crocker Cooking for Two Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sunday Casseroles: Complete Comfort in One Dish Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Quick Slow Cooking: More Than 125 Tempting Recipes with Hectic Schedules in Mind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Skillet Suppers: 65 Delicious Recipes Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Modern Freezer Meals: Simple Recipes to Cook Now and Freeze for Later Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCooking Slow: Recipes for Slowing Down and Cooking More Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Cooking, Food & Wine For You
Whiskey in a Teacup: What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tucci Table: Cooking With Family and Friends Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Back to Eden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mediterranean Diet: 70 Easy, Healthy Recipes Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Eating Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Quick Start Guide to Carnivory + 21 Day Carnivore Diet Meal Plan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cook Once Dinner Fix: Quick and Exciting Ways to Transform Tonight's Dinner into Tomorrow's Feast Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Joy of Cooking: 2019 Edition Fully Revised and Updated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Eat Plants, B*tch: 91 Vegan Recipes That Will Blow Your Meat-Loving Mind Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Snoop Presents Goon with the Spoon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From Crook to Cook: Platinum Recipes from Tha Boss Dogg's Kitchen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Small Apartment Hacks: 101 Ingenious DIY Solutions for Living, Organizing and Entertaining Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Carnivore Code Cookbook: Reclaim Your Health, Strength, and Vitality with 100+ Delicious Recipes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Medicinal Herbal: A Practical Guide to the Healing Properties of Herbs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Instant Pot® Meals in a Jar Cookbook: 50 Pre-Portioned, Perfectly Seasoned Pressure Cooker Recipes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Homegrown & Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-Reliant Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dutch Oven Cookbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ninja Creami Recipes: Easy, Delicious and Creamy Recipes to Enjoy from Smoothies, Sorbets, Ice Creams to Milkshakes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Ultimate Cooking for One Cookbook: 175 Super Easy Recipes Made Just for You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Slow Cooking for Two
5 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I like that these are smaller-sized portions; sometimes with slow cooking you end up with leftovers for days. Winners: Peanut Chicken 32, Honey Ginger Chicken Thighs 42, Cornish Hen Dijon 54, Braised Short Ribs 56, Foil Pouch Lemon-Dill Salmon 86, Potato Gratin with Fresh Herbs 92, Glazed Carrots 96. Try: Smoky Chipotle Butternut Squash Soup 26, Chicken Thighs in Dijon Artichoke Sauce 37, Cornish Hen in Port Wine 52, Shrimp in Herb Butter Sauce 88.
1 person found this helpful
Book preview
Slow Cooking for Two - Cynthia Graubart
Chart
Introduction
It was 1974 when the avocado-green Rival brand Crock-Pot entered my life and became a boon to our family. My mother was working full time and attending nursing school part time, and the mere thought of dinner preparing itself was enormously liberating.
Rooting around the dark corners of the kitchen cabinets several years later as I headed off to college, I pilfered the Crock-Pot. It turned out not to be so handy: the meals served far too many portions and I hated having leftovers for days at a time. The crock itself was attached to the base, so washing the inside without getting the appliance wet was a nuisance.
Years later, raising my own family caused me to revisit the concept. I replaced the green beast with a new 6-quart model with modern features, like multiple heat settings and an auto-switch-to-warm setting. I even included a chapter on slow cooking in my first book, The One-Armed Cook, co-authored with Catherine Fliegel, and touted it as a much more useful choice for a baby shower registry gift than a baby wipes warmer!
So steadfast was my devotion that I continued to slow cook even as my children left the nest, but I found myself right back in that leftovers for days
quandary. Life was just as hectic as ever, and I needed those days when I could leave something to cook unattended.
Enter the newest addition to my kitchen, the 3-1/2-quart slow cooker! I can now prepare reasonable-quantity slow-cooked meals while I go about my busy day.
This book is intended for newlyweds, empty nesters, small apartments, and unusual spaces where a slow cooker might be the only appliance available for cooking (vacation cabin, boat, RV). The recipes do not call for browning or other additional preparation steps requiring another appliance such and a stove, oven or microwave. Each recipe is designed for 2, with a little leftover for lunch or perhaps a second light meal or a third drop-in diner. All of the ingredients can be found in your local grocery store, without an extra trip to a specialty store. And although this is not a Southern slow cooker book, my Southern cooking bias is surely evident.
Why Slow Cooking?
Slow cooking is an ideal cooking method to tenderize tough cuts of meat. It’s also a boon to the busy cook who could benefit from a recipe that cooks unattended. A slow cooker uses about the same amount of electricity as a 75-watt bulb.
About Slow Cookers
Selecting a Slow Cooker
Slow cookers are available in many sizes, from just 1-quart all the way up to 7-quart. For a typical family, a 5- to 7-quart size is ideal, but still too large for cooking for 2. I found the best size for me is the 3-1/2-quart slow cooker. There are a few choices in that size range; I like one with these handy features:
High, Low, Warm, and Off settings
Programmable Timer
Auto switch to Warm at the end of cooking time
Power indicator light
See-through lid
Removable crock
Oval shape (more accommodating to irregular-shaped foods)
All the recipes in this book were tested in the Cuisinart brand 3-1/2-quart slow cooker, which has all the above features.
Slow Cooker Safety
Read the manufacturer’s guide that came with your slow cooker. It contains information unique to your slow cooker.
Never use an extension cord to plug in your slow cooker. The cord is purposefully short to prevent accidental turning over of the appliance.
The outside of a slow cooker gets hot, so keep it away from children and pets, low-hanging cabinets, and walls.
Do not wash a slow cooker insert until it has cooled or the pot might crack.
What’s Different About this Book?
Double Dinners—Most cuts of beef and chicken parts are sold in packages designed to serve 4 or more people. Since I dislike having a large quantity of leftovers, I’ve designed Double Dinners. These recipes call for using slow cooker liners as separate cooking bags to cook two different recipes in the same slow cooker at the same time, using the total package amount of meat. For example, the smallest chuck roast available in my local grocery store is 2 to 2-1/2 pounds. By cutting the roast into two equal portions and following two separate recipes, I have two completely different dinners from the same roast, cooked at the same time in the same slow cooker—one for dinner tonight and one for a future meal that’s not a leftover! (see the Double Dinners chapter).
A Recipe for Success
Additional Equipment
These items can be found in a well-stocked suburban grocery store, obtained at your local cookware shop, or easily ordered online:
Immersion Blender—I’m not a gadget geek and keep very few specialty gadgets in my kitchen. I thought an immersion blender fell into that category until I started using one! Pureeing a soup is now a breeze without having to transfer hot solids into a blender or food processor. Add one to your kitchen if you can; I doubt you’ll regret it.
Mini loaf pan—A 5-1/2 x 3-inch pan is perfect for the banana-nut bread.
Mini Loaf Pan
5-inch-diameter cake pan—My pan is nonstick, but I still line it with wax paper to create the chocolate and lemon cakes.
5-inch Diameter Cake Pan
4-cup glass dish—Glass storage dishes, also made for reheating, are great for the perfect lemon curd.
4 Cup Glass Dishes
2 (1/2-cup) ramekins—Look for either glass custard cups or porcelain ramekins to make the chocolate mousse or lemon cream.
1/2-Cup Ramekins
Slow cooker liners—Popular for easy cleanup, these are the basis for my Double Dinners chapter.
Slow Cooker Liners
Aluminum foil—Handy for the foil sling to help remove meatloaves from the slow cooker.
Instant-read thermometer—I wouldn’t be without one. This is an essential tool to be sure your meat and poultry reach a safe temperature.
To Make a Foil Sling
Cut two 6-inch wide strips of aluminum foil.