One-Pan Wonders: Fuss-Free Meals for Your Sheet Pan, Dutch Oven, Skillet, Roasting Pan, Casserole, and Slow Cooker by the Editors at America’s Test Kitchen

Reviewed by Kristin

Am I the only person who feels like dinner is always the same old boring food, week in and week out?  I am always excited to see a new cookbook and hope to find at least one or two new things to try, then possibly throw them into my family’s cooking rotation.  Cookbooks promising recipes that fit all into one pan, fix it and forget it, or otherwise simplify the planning, cooking, and serving process—well, I’m sold.  When I saw the new One-Pan Wonders, I knew I had to take a look.

First off, this collection of “one-pan” recipes is not just limited to the slow cooker.  Of course I love using a slow cooker, but it’s nice to have a little variety.  Some recipes call for using an oven proof skillet so that you can stir fry vegetables, simmer sauces, then add a topping and finish it off in the oven.  Some involve layering or simply combining ingredients in a casserole dish, popping it into the oven, then serving it straight to the table.

With ideas like “Keep the ingredient list short but flavorful” and “Bring your flavors to life”, and “Create two cooking environments in one vessel”, this cookbook made me consider single dish cooking in a whole new light.

Favorite recipes include:

Shakshuka—a northern African dish made by poaching eggs in a spicy
tomato sauce.  A variety of spices can be used to suit the tastes of those
sitting down to your table.

Pesto Chicken with Fennel and Tomato Couscous—Just what it sounds
like, and if couscous is in the recipe, I’m all for it.

Beef and Three-Bean Chili—using canned beans, tomatoes, lean ground
beef and a few spices, this sounds like the perfect meal for a cool spring
evening.

One-Pan Wonders certainly gave me a few ideas to try different things.  I am not one to copy down an exact recipe and follow it to the letter, but some of the techniques in this volume were inspiring.  Give it a try, or just browse the 641.5 area for other new cookbooks at the Bristol Public Library.

Note:  In honor of picnic season, we will be running reviews of fiction and non-fiction books about food all this week.