Detailed instructions and step-by-step photographs explain the basic techniques of slow cooking and braising such as browning ingredients, carving large cuts of meat, and preparing delicious side dishes.

For cooks with busy schedules, minimize hands-on time while maximizing flavor with 125 main dish recipes for the slow cooker. Slow cooker recipes are a boon to the busy cook, but many call for long ingredient lists and complex preparation steps that just aren’t realistic for cooks on the go. In this fresh take on slow cooking, the recipes are developed with hectic schedules in mind, with streamlined ingredient lists and a minimum of recipe steps. Each recipe is a one-pot dish or a main course that can be easily augmented by a simple salad or side dish. In addition to the more than 125 delicious recipes, there are tips for choosing a slow cooker, how to build flavor into your dishes, how to stock your freezer and fridge, and tips for busy cooks on how to get weeknight dinners on the table.

Takes a broad look at cooking healthfully, focusing not on excluding ingredients, but using them creatively for maximum freshness, flavor, and nutrition in over 130 recipes.

Expanding on the success of the Williams-Sonoma Essentials series, Essentials of Italian is the series' first foray into the realm of international cuisine. The book reveals the secrets that regional Italian cooks have known for ages for preparing simple, flavorful meals. The book opens with a thorough discussion of the culinary traditions for which Italy is famous, with information on ingredients and dishes that define each region. Beautifully photographed recipes rely on only the best ingredients. Features: Over 130 delicious classic Italian recipes; full-color photography Suggestions for alternative ingredients, recipe variations, and accompaniments Comprehensive glossary of ingredients and culinary terminology

Long before anyone on this side of the Atlantic was devoted to eating seasonally and locally, the French were doing precisely that, just as they had been for centuries. Although the high-end haute cuisine of Paris exported itself far and wide many decades ago, the varied regional cooking styles of France continue to reveal themselves to the world and dazzle those fortunate enough to experience them firsthand. Williams-Sonoma's Essentials of French Cooking takes you on a meandering food lover's tour of France, from the windswept coastline of Brittany, where the lamb tastes of the salty fields on which it grazes, southward through Gascony, with its bracing Armagnac and rib-sticking cassoulet, to the delicious fish stews of Marseilles and the Mediterranean, and back up through Burgundy, where the wine flows from some of the world's greatest vineyards and the local Dijon mustard makes a perfect sauce for the local rabbit. In these pages you'll also explore the fascinating intersections of culture and gastronomy in Alsace, where potatoes, cabbage, and beer lend a Germanic heft to the traditional menu; sunny Provence, where dishes made with tomatoes, garlic, olives, and basil link its cooking to that of neighboring Italy; and the Basque country, where Spanish flavors and Moorish spices like saffron and cumin have seeped over the Pyrenees. In addition to presenting a wide range of traditional, regional main dishes to build meals around, this collection of more than 140 carefully selected recipes covers a full range of courses and techniques, from silky baked farm-fresh eggs to brilliantly simple preparations for every season's vegetables through the most luxurious chocolate creams and satisfying rustic fruit tarts. And while terroir plays an undeniable role in this cuisine, true French cooking is comfort food for family and friends, which translates everywhere. A comprehensive glossary and a section on basic stocks and sauces help you fill your pantry with the authentic elements and bring one of the world's most admired cuisines home to your table.

Fresh flavors, ethnic influences, and seasonal ingredients take slow cooking to a new level, while keeping prep easy and delivering delicious results. Everyday Slow Cooking focuses on contemporary slow cooker favorites without forgetting some of the best slow cooker classics. A broad range of modern recipes take their cues from global influences, seasonal ingredients, and the richly layered, fresh flavors of today, while the classics continue to offer comfort, satisfaction, and make-ahead ease. Beautiful, full-color photography, easy-to-follow recipes, and a comprehensive introduction offer all the inspiration and explanation needed to turn out delicious slow cooker meals. Features spotlight essential slow-cooker ingredients (beef short-ribs, chicken thighs) and offer four easy preparations. Recipes include: Korean-Style Short Rib Tacos with Napa Slaw; Bell Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa, Black Beans & Corn; Lasagna with Beef Ragù, Kabocha Squash & Crème Fra?ch; Beer-Braised Corn Beef & Winter Vegetables; Hawaiian-Style Kalua Pork Rice Bowls with Pineapple; Five-Spice Chicken Pho; Vietnamese-Style Caramelized Fish with Ginger; and Gingersnap-Brandy Cheesecake

Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Roasting includes everything you need to know to roast successfully, from how to season food before cooking to how to test when food is perfectly done. More than 130 delicious recipes for starters and small plates, a variety of meats and poultry, fish and shellfish, and vegetables and fruit, all with clear directions, encourage you to put your newfound knowledge to work. Beautifully photographed, this comprehensive teaching volume and recipe collection will be an "essential" addition to your cookbook shelf. A chestnut-brown turkey with garlic and herbs hidden beneath its crisp skin. A whole sea bass perfectly cooked inside a coarse-salt crust. Thick, Caribbean-inspired pork chops basted with a tropical blend of lime, brown sugar, and dark rum. Slender fingerling potatoes shiny with olive oil and flecked with fresh herbs. Warm, tart apples spiced with cinnamon and served with a silky creme anglaise. The secrets behind roasting these tantalizing dishes and dozens more can be found in Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Roasting. This information-packed volume opens with a brief history of roasting and a discussion of the many ways that this technique transforms and enhances food. Comprehensive descriptions cover the types of roasting and explain every stage of the roasting process, from preparing the food to properly testing the food for optimum doneness, providing all the knowledge you need to roast even without a recipe. Detailed instructions and step-by-step photographs show how to make accompanying sauces and gravies. Roasting pans, thermometers, and other equipment and tools are clearly described and pictured. Five chapters, with more than 130 traditional and innovative recipes, offer a broad range of irresistible ideas for preparing starters and small plates and for roasting fish and shellfish, poultry, meats, and vegetables and fruits. The chapters begin with advice on buying and preparing their subjects, and the recipes, each handsomely photographed, balance everyday fare, such as winter squash soup, meat loaf, and spareribs, with special-occasion dishes, including Christmas goose and standing rib roast with Yorkshire pudding. Delicious recipes for seasonings, sauces, and both savory and sweet accompaniments to roasted foods; illustrations and descriptions of beef, pork, and lamb cuts; instructions on trussing and carving; and an informative glossary complete this indispensable volume, leaving you fully prepared to turn on the oven and start roasting. Book jacket.

Awaken your tastebuds with a whole new approach to slow cooking. The more than 100 succulent, comforting dishes found in this book are bursting with bright fresh flavors. A fresh twist on slow-cooked comfort. Layered with bright flavors and crunchy textures, classic slow-cooked recipes are updated for today's cook, with delicious results. Dishes that satisfy the whole family. From succulent beef to melt-in-your-mouth chicken to hearty legumes, this book contains an irresistible array of easy-to-prepare recipes your family will love. From simple ingredients to mouthwatering meals. Whether preparing a weeknight meal or an elegant dinner, this book will show you how to transform wholesome, easy-to-find ingredients into tantalizing dishes. In this book, you will discover a whole new way to use your slow cooker to make more than 100 succulent dishes by enhancing them with bright fresh flavors: Tender short ribs in a sweet and spicy sauce are elevated with a crunchy daikon, carrot, and fresh herb salad; zesty chicken-tortilla soup is layered with sweet corn, creamy avocado, and earthy cilantro; and sliced brisket is perked up with a verdant, herb-laden chimichurri strewn with sweet cherry tomatoes. The slow cooker has become one of the most popular kitchen appliances for today’s busy home cook, and it is easy to see why: comfort has met convenience, with delicious results. The best slow cooking, however, is an art that is only achieved with a little finesse. This book reimagines what the slow cooker is capable of, bringing freshness, color, and texture to the flavorful stews and braises of slow cooking and creating a road map for the modern cook. Rounding out the book, the lush, tempting photography is not only mouthwatering but also inspirational, with visual ideas for textural and flavorful garnishes. Welcome to a whole new way with slow cooking.

What's not to love about the pressure cooker? Using pressure created by super-heated steam, the pressure cooker can cut cook times by 70 percent, meaning dinner is on the table faster, and with significantly less energy use. Your dinner will be more nutrient-rich because vitamins and other good things won't be lost in evaporating steam. And it will taste delicious and succulent because none of the food's moisture has been allowed to escape. Finally, today's modern pressure cooker has been re-engineered for safety and ease of use, including the development of the electric pressure cooker.

wickedly funny, girlfriend-to-girlfriend survival guide for working mothers who want real answers, not mommy manifestos or sappy crap on finding "balance" Most books for working mothers are earnest, serious guides with some usefull information, but lack the snark and praticality that today's overworked moms relate to. Marketing veterans Amy Eschliman and Leigh Oshirak know firsthand what a struggle it can be to hold down a stressful job while raising a family-and that sometimes the only way to preserve your sanity is with laughter. A survival guide for the rest of us, Balance is a Crock, Sleep is for the Weak is filled with bitterly funny topics like: • Congratulations. Now, where do I slot "baby" in Outlook? • Maternity Leave: Vacation or Hell? • The Breastaurant is Open for Business: The pump and grind of nursing after you return to work. • You Are Not Your Husband's Mother! and other time-sucking obligations. • And more day-to-day advice for surviving the working-mommy trenches Balance is a Crock, Sleep is for the Weak is the indispensable "what to expect when you're expected back at work" guide for working mothers or any woman considering returning to work after baby. Watch a Video