Weekend Cooking: One-Pan Wonders by America's Test Kitchen

As you well know, I'm an America's Test Kitchen (ATK) junkie, so it's no surprise that I bought their newest cookbook, One-Pan Wonders, which comes from their Cook's Country division.

I love the concept of this cookbook: 138 recipes that truly use just a single pan. I also love that the recipes use different kinds of pans, which are listed in the book's subtitle: sheet pan, Dutch oven, skillet, roasting pan, casserole, and slow cooker. I'm only sad that the book doesn't include pressure cooker recipes.

I'll start my review of One Pan Wonders with some comments on the design and organization. I'm happy to report that each recipe is accompanied by a full-color photograph of the finished dish and includes the approximate amount of time the recipe takes from start to finish. Dishes that can be cooked and served in an hour or less are flagged with a "Weeknight Friendly" icon, which is a big help for those of us who are in the kitchen pretty much every night.

The ingredients are generally readily available, and the amounts and preperation instructions are clear. The step-by step recipe directions are straightforward and include donesness tests, tips, and helpful information (such as how to reheat and serving ideas). Thank you, ATK.

In addition, each recipe is introduced with an explanation of why it works, which both makes us smarter and better informed cooks and helps guarantee success. In fact, this is one of my favorite things about ATK--they do the research and gladly share their results.

The chapters are divided by pan type, which I think makes sense. If you're looking for a sheet pan recipe or you want to use your slow cooker, you can turn right to those chapters. But if you have some chicken breasts to cook, then you'll have to check the index. The good news is that the index seems to be well thought out.

So what about the recipes? There are so many flavorful choices in One-Pan Wonders--from curries to skillet lasagna (in one pan!) to amazing roasted meats and veggies--that you'll find a lot of new dinner recipes to try. Yes, you'll see the expected beef stew and pulled pork, but one-pan huevos rancheros, Korean short ribs, shrimp and orzo, and stuffed eggplant? These are recipes you'll not likely find in other books. And if you take the time to read the "why this recipe works" sections, you may figure out ways to make your own family favorites into one-pan wonders.

I admit that so far I've used the cookbook more for the information and for inspiration than I have for actually re-creating recipes. Last night, for example, I started with the Roasted Pork Chops and Vegetables with Parsley Vinaigrette recipe (shown in the first scan), but used boneless pork chops, my own array of vegetables, and skipped the vinaigrette because I used a barbecue spice rub on the pork (and sprinkled some on the veggies). But I learned that one avenue to success for a dish like this was to give the vegetables a head start so they and the meat would be finished at the same time. The dinner was delicious and the colorful vegetables were pretty (and, sadly, I forgot to take a photo).

Recommendations: America's Test Kitchen One-Pan Wonders is perfect for anyone looking to save a little time and cleanup in the kitchen. It's also great for those who want to learn about cooking techniques. You'll find a lot of tempting and flavorful recipes for weeknight and weekend cooking and will appreciate the beautiful photographs and clear instructions. Vegetarians, especially, will want to borrow before buying because there aren't a lot of choices for you. I, on the other hand, will be turning to this book again and again.

For more information about One-Pan Wonders and for eight recipes (including two vegetarian ones), visit the America's Test Kitchen website.

Note: The scans come from One-Pan Wonders and were used in the context of a review. All rights remain with the original copyright holders, The America's Test Kitchen.

Published by America's Test Kitchen, 2016
ISBN-13: 9781940352848
Source: bought (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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