From Freezer to Cooker

November 4, 2019
Thriving Home bloggers Conner and Tiemeyer follow up From Freezer to Table with another family-friendly collection of hearty fare that can be prepped ahead of time, frozen, and reheated for mealtimes. The recipes include preparation instructions for both slow cookers and the Instant Pot, allowing readers to make informed choices regarding how and when they’ll prepare dishes, such as cheesy chicken taquitos, Asian turkey meatballs, and a weeknight marinara sauce made with ground sausage and beef. Ease doesn’t mean light on flavor, as evidenced by honey bourbon chicken breasts and Asian-style beef short ribs, which can prepped in minutes in the Instant Pot before dinner or cooked in the slow cooker while gone for the day. Though it may be tempting to race right to the recipes, readers would do well to read the authors’ tips on the various appliances, noting, for example, that while the Instant Pot can handle frozen food, slow cookers cannot. The authors give solid advice on proper freezing (place food in a freezer bag in a circular shape) and thawing techniques, and label each recipe with icons indicating whether they are dairy-free, kid-friendly, or vegetarian. All of this adds up to a useful collection for home cooks pressed for time.

December 1, 2019
Preparing meals quickly without relying on preprocessed foods can be a real challenge for the home cook with plenty of responsibilities beyond the kitchen. The cook who wants to offer the family fresh, healthy, well-chosen, and sustainably sourced meats and vegetables must do careful shopping and time-demanding preparation. Thriving Home bloggers Conner and Tiemeyer hope to solve some of these complications through the use of proper appliances: pressure cookers, slow cookers, and instant pots that accommodate either all-day or efficient, speedy pre-meal preparation. Moreover, the recipes they have devised must also freeze well so that putting each meal on the table doesn't demand starting from square one. From breakfast cereals to burritos to sandwich fillings and short ribs, there are ideas aplenty here for every meal. Flavors arise out of Italian, French, Chinese, Greek, and Mexican traditions. Icons with each recipe classify dishes for dietary restrictions, kid-friendliness, and crowd-sizing volume. Color photographs.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)