Simmer or Sizzle: Cooking with your Slow Cooker or Contact Grill provides new and inventive ways to bring great food to the table. Dinner can be a nightly challenge and most families are desperately in need of a realistic, creative guide that allows them to win this culinary battle. This book is unique in that it combines great cooking and creative recipes with two time saving appliances: the slow cooker and the contact grill. Slow cookers, known for simmering rich stews and comforting soups, strike a flavor balance against the contact grill that sears burgers and creates crisp sandwiches. Most importantly, both of these electric marvels empower you to get dinner on the table. Slow cookers are different from other cooking techniques and far too frequently cookbooks did not address this difference. Many cooks enjoyed the convenience of the slow cooker yet found that foods weren't appealing or flavorful. This book combines the convenience of a slow cooker with great flavor, and demonstrates the tremendous versatility of the contact grill. Each chapter conveniently presents general recipe mainstays like beef, chicken, pork, soups, stews, and burgers. Sometimes a pot roast or slow simmered beef ragout is appropriate but the next day you might enjoy an Asian flavored steak. Each recipe quickly guides you, via a distinctive icon, to a cooking style and appliance that fits the day: slow cooker or contact grill. Just turn to the traditional food category and find the recipe and timing that fits your schedule, and get ready to enjoy great food!