The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook, Gift Edition: 650 Rec…

Reviews

1. 

   RLS – July 20, 2024

   UPDATE! Efficient but also adventurous cooking for two
   UPDATE***As of now, I have had this book over a year and is now my go-to!As you can see from the attached picture, I’ve used it so much pages are coming out! It just amazes me how well these recipes come out (how many times did someone test the glazes and determine what to use to make them perfect??).New favorites include Salmon Fillets with Soy-Mustard Glaze, Skillet Tortellini with Crispy Prosciutto and Spring Vegetables, Lemon Pudding Cake, Ice Box Strawberry Pie, Teriyaki Chicken, Grilled Glazed Pork Chops. Other great recipes are Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken, Chicken and Rice, Skillet Pizza (Basic Pizza Dough is so easy), Weeknight Baked Chicken with Lemon and Thyme, Barbecued Dry-Rubbed Chicken.I’m also learning to read the recipes carefully (read the recipe, not the ingredients once you have everything) and why certain procedures are used. I have definitely become more confident in cooking (hello, grill!) and am doing something almost everynight (I try to alternate between heavy and light, easy recipes).Some recipes that I have really enjoyed (like the Skillet Tortellini with Crispy Prosciutto and Spring Vegetables, Icebox Strawberry Pie and Lemon Pudding Cake) I have found the full-sized version to make for a larger group.I have barely touched the sides and vegetarian mains, which will be on my radar next and may be my next update!Original Review***As of this review, I have tried around 20 of the recipes in the book and pretty much followed the recipe as is (unless there was a reader error, which happened frequently). I get most of my other recipes from Epicurious.com and Food Network and, as with other reviews, I was looking for smaller portions for my boyfriend and I which helps with the waistline and if a recipe is a dud, no major loss and unwanted leftovers (I’m the one who ends up eating them). Overall, the recipes have been good and fun to put together – I have used techniques and dishes I would not normally have known about or considered. My finest achievements were maple glazing a porkchop, serving two delicious lava style cakes (so easy) and preparing sole meuniere – all restaurant quality if directions are followed.One of the major challenges I had, though, is salt. I find most of the dishes do not add enough for me (which might be their intention). In October, I also followed Bon Appetit’s 10 week Basically challenge, and they definitely emphasize salt, and I am doing my best to apply that to these recipes especially for red meat and pasta. A flat tasting recipe can really be a downer after so much preparation and fancy moves – I know, I know, just add salt afterwards but it isn’t quite the same. I am getting better at taste-testing and seasoning, something I never did before, I just trusted the recipe’s measurements.I found getting meat ‘not’ overcooked a challenge – my boyfriend has a gas oven which I have never used prior and cook times can be all over the place. I try not to check food too much since directions are pretty precise and I don’t want to release heat from the oven if it might impact the final result. I usually end up with something overcooked and tough.Which leads to directions – many times I miss small details which can contribute to a recipe’s success or missing the mark, such as a recipe calling for 2 tbsps of flour but you need to divide up the portion into 1/2 tbsp and 1 1/2 tbsps – which is hidden in a wordy sentence and you don’t see until after you have thrown the whole portion in… I’m sure they can’t bullet all of the steps due to book space and length but maybe they can find an innovative way to a better layout.Which leads to my other challenge is finding recipes with ingredients on hand – this book has a great index that is useful but I do miss being able to search by an ingredient (s) as you can on most websites. For me, trying new recipes is usually led by an ingredient I have leftover from a previous dish in order to reduce waste especially of a perishable food. I also miss reviews of a website, maybe a membership to ATK’s website can be included with book purchase to provide more interaction.With that said, I am very pleased with the book and look forward to trying more recipes in the New Year (I already have some ideas reading other reviews). It’s great having a full-flavored meal without compromises and not overeat. Below are the recipes I have tried, I rated them (1-5) and short comments (yes, I have a spreadsheet keeping track of my attempts, lol).*Warm Chocolate Fudge Cakes (5) — After having a few recipes not quite hitting the mark, this was an incredible winner. I didn’t think it would be sweet enough with 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and bittersweet chocolate but this so delicious – restaurant grade. Don’t ever buy the cake in a cup when you can make this. Make sure a glass of milk is on hand.*Skillet-Glazed Pork Chops (5) — Restaurant quality, boyfriend impressed. I used huge Costco boneless pork chops, I did not brine but did salt and pepper the meat well before cooking.*Sole Meuniere (4.5) — I have tried a few of these recipes, to include Julia Child’s and Ina’s, and I would say perhaps using oil instead of strictly butter gave the fish a nice crust without sacrificing the distinct flavor of this classic. Again, a little more salt next time but otherwise a keeper!*Meaty Skillet Lasagna (4.5) — This was definitely a winner, I should have gotten a proposal out of this one! I did the sausage version.*Wilted Spinach Salad with Radishes, Feta and Pistachios (4) — I have made this twice, easy to throw together, spinach reduces nicely, great sauce.*Slow Cooker Weeknight Chili (4) — Tasted like chili should, boyfriend definitely wanted more.*Garlicky Green Beans (4) — Nice low carb side to just about anything.*Classic Rice Pilaf (pine nuts, basil and lemon) (4) — Another sleeper, made this for fish, used pine nut and herb version, butter makes it a rice you want to eat.*Spinach Calzone (3.75) — This was actually good. The pizza dough was a little tough but the filling inside was delicious and we were able to overlook the crust. A little labor intensive but could be made again.*Singapore noodles with shrimp (3.25) — I have had Singapore noodles, in Singapore and this was good. I would add more curry and salt (or soy sauce), I overcooked the shrimp having to use smaller ones than the recipe calls for. Fun recipe using rice noodles. Portion was also perfect, I thought there would not be enough to fill us up (like the chili) but it definitely made enough for us to go back for seconds but not overstuff.*Crispy Sesame Pork Chops with wilted Napa Cabbage Salad (3.25) — This was pretty good, I may have overcooked the pork and even though I brined it, I should have salt and peppered the exterior as well.*Sweet and Tangy Coleslaw (3) — Ok, a nice, quick side to use up previous Napa cabbage and that can be thrown together with something else and not compete*Smothered Pork Chops (3) — This was labor intense entree (1.5 hours in the oven) that produced overcooked pork chops. This was one instant where my extra salting was too much. I did use boneless pork chops which probably influenced the time and I really need to be better about checking. Plus I am never sure if the cooking time is completely about the sauce or the meat.*Lemon-Herb Cod with Crispy Garlic Potatoes (3) — Passable, the one good thing about this recipe is I finally had a meat not overcooked.*Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (3) — Fine, good to scratch a sweet itch, I would probably just scale down a regular cookie recipe.*Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes (3) — Looked really good, still lacked salt, I would try again.*Balsamic Chicken (3) — This was ok, probably more of a taste thing, I ended up using spinach with no swiss chard around and it was not great. Also another recipe that needed a lot of more salt and I ended up eating the leftovers.*Broccoli Salad (2.5) — I made this quick with an amount of broccoli that needed to be used up (it was already a little wilted) so I didn’t have good distribution of the sauce. May try again.*Campanelle with Roasted Garlic, Shrimp and Feta (2) — My very first recipe, overcooked shrimp, undersalted in general. I almost gave up on the book but glad I didn’t.

2. 

   prisrob – July 20, 2024

   Superb Cooking For Two
   America’s Test Kitchen always provides the best recipes and cooking/baking advice whether in cookbook or on their PBS television series. Their recommendations are true to form, and I have every cookbook they have written. Now, we come to one of the best. This is touted as a Cookbook For Two, and it delivers. I can see this as a wonderful Wedding Shower gift or for anyone who is cooking for one or two.This cookbook has 650 Recipes for everything you might want to make. America’s Test Kitchen has reengineered 650 of their best recipes to serve just two. Over the years they have discovered that scaling down a recipe isn’t as simple as cutting the ingredients in half–cooking times, temperatures, and equipment need to be adapted as well. This cookbook takes the guesswork out of cooking for two so you can be sure that anything you want to make, will come out right every time. 150 recipes can be on the table in 30 minutes or less. For those times when you want healthier fare, there are more than 100 recipes labeled “Light” each with nutritional information listed in an easy-to-read chart in the back of the book. And there are chapters on for-two slow cooking, grilling, and baking pies, quick breads, cakes, and cookies. A 25-page manual teaches the basics of cooking for two, including shopping strategies to reduce waste, smart storage tricks help extend freshness of key ingredients, and our picks for the most useful kitchen equipment for any two-person household.In looking at the recipes, I want to make everyone. We start with Soups and Chowders; Stews, Curries and Chilis; Side Salads and Dinner Salads; Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizza and More; Chicken; Beef, Pork, and Lamb; Fish and Shellfish; Vegetarian Mains; Pasta and Asian Noodle Dishes; Grilling; Slow Cooker Favorites; Vegetable Side Dishes; Rice, Grain, and Beans; Eggs and Breakfasts; Quick Breads; Fruit Desserts, Pies, and Tarts; and ending with Cookies, Cakes and Custards. Nutritional Information for the Light dishes are listed, Conversions and Equivalences, and the Index finishes this 440 page cookbook. With over 500 color photographs, it is very impressive.This may be one of the best cookbooks I have seen.Fudgy Brownies For TwoMakes 8 browniesEveryone loves brownies, but a full pan of brownies for two is way too much for even the most ardent brownie lovers. To scale back our batch of fudgy brownies, we ditched the large baking dish in favor of a loaf pan, which made just eight brownies–perfect for two people to enjoy over a few days. Two types of chocolate–semisweet chocolate and cocoa powder–gave us plenty of fudgy flavor.To make our batter easy to mix by hand, we melted the semisweet chocolate quickly in the microwave. A whole egg plus an extra yolk made our brownies rich, moist, and chewy. The deep sides of the loaf pan made it hard to cut the brownies neatly, so we lined the pan with a foil sling that allowed us to lift the brownies out in one piece before cutting.1. Place 2 sheets of aluminum foil perpendicular to each other in loaf pan, pushing foil into corners. Smooth foil flush to pan.2. Use foil handles to lift baked brownies or bars from pan.Be careful not to overbake these brownies or they will have a very dry, cakey texture. The test kitchen’s preferred loaf pan measures 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches; if you use a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness 5 minutes earlier than advised in the recipe.3 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (4 1/3 ounces) sugar1 large egg plus 1 large yolk1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/4 teaspoon salt1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make foil sling for 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 8 1/2 inches wide and second sheet should be 4 1/2 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease foil.2. Microwave chocolate, butter, and cocoa in bowl at 50 percent power, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth, 1 to 3 minutes; let cool slightly. Whisk sugar, egg and yolk, vanilla, and salt together in medium bowl until combined. Whisk in melted chocolate mixture until combined. Stir in flour with rubber spatula until just combined.3. Transfer batter to prepared pan; spread batter into corners of pan and smooth surface. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 24 to 28 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let brownies cool completely in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan using foil, loosening sides with paring knife, if needed. Cut brownies into 2-inch squares and serve. (Brownies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)Highly Recommended. prisrob 04-04-14

3. 

   Lorena Pomposo – July 20, 2024

   ya tengo suscripcion de ATK aun asi me encanto el libro, muy completo y las recetas super bien explicadas. 10 de 10

4. 

   Roxy – July 20, 2024

   I try not to buy many cookbooks, but this one was totally worth it. Every recipe has clearly been thoroughly tested and comes out great. There’s also lots of educational material about basic cooking principles so it’s a great resource for teaching yourself to cook. Would work well for a single person as well to make a meal for tonight with a leftover portion for another day. Only wish it had a photo for every recipe and that recipes didn’t sometimes break across pages, but it was done to keep it to a manageable size, probably, since it includes many recipes. Highly recommend!

5. 

   Kotti1 – July 20, 2024

   Ausschließlich sehr leckere Klassiker und spannende Spezialitäten unter den Rezepten. Mit den Hintergrund-Infos rund um die Küche ist es ein super Grundkurs Kochen wie Dr. Oetker’s Kochschule. Die Maßeinheiten sind britisch, also ist extra Mühe gefordert für’s umrechnen. Sehr empfehlensert für junge Paare bevor das große Familienkochen dran ist.

6. 

   Katie likes books – July 20, 2024

   Plenty of recipes and additional information regarding all aspects of food and cooking. Its complete in itself for 2 people wanting to stop waste.

7. 

   Cornelia – July 20, 2024

   Wonderful cookbook but cover came torn, so unable to gift it