Chicken, Kale & Feta Dumplings with Sicilian Olives, Slow Victories: A Food Lover’s Guide to Slow Cooker Glory by Katrina Meynink. Photography by Katrina Meynink, Kait Barker.

Slow Victories removes the angst from the dinner rut with creative ways to use slow cookers for surprising results. It throws off the idea that cookbooks directed by convenience are necessarily virtuous or bland, instead of delivering ideas for across the week that readers may not have associated with this indispensable kitchen appliance. (And in doing so, does away with the antiquated view that slow cookers are exclusively for time-poor or lazy cooks.)

Mother of three Katrina Meynink embraces the chaos and sometimes hilarity of life with a line-up of 90-plus recipes that suit in all the moments, with chapters dedicated, individually, to grains, soups, condiments, batch cooking, vegetables, weekend cooking, sweets, fancy things, and the dreaded end-of-week what’s-for-dinner-dilemma—so-called Fragile Fridays at her house. Highlights are hard to pick and include: Spiced lamb burghul; Old school tomato soup; Fenugreek cauliflower curry; Wild rice with mushrooms, rosemary and cranberries; Strawberry and pink peppercorn crumble bars; and Yuzu lemon pudding with lemon crumble.

Slow Victories also offers advice on stocking pantries and fridges for slow cooking greatness, and insider tips on hacks that are a further reminder of how the slow cooker can be every food lover’s friend. Because it’s not about getting out of the kitchen, it is about using time there efficiently and with maximum creativity and flavour. (more…)