Dinner Illustrated: 175 Meals Ready in 1 Hour or Less

by America's Test Kitchen (editor)

Dinner Illustrated is a meal kit in book form, perfect for busy people who love to cook but are short on time and inspiration.In a revolutionary new layout, each recipe appears as a visual walkthrough of preparing a complete meal, including any sides and salads. Yes, a complete meal, so there's no worrying about whether this will go with that. All in an hour or less. There's no advance prep Just gather your ingredients, pick up your knife, and follow the step-by-step photos until dinner is ready. You'll become a faster cook as we show you when to prepare each ingredient during the cooking process for maximum efficiency (this is the way many seasoned pros cook at home). Break out of your dinner rut with 175 globally inspired ideas. Try the Za'atar Chicken with Pistachios, Brussels Sprouts, and Pomegranate; it achieves incredible flavor thanks to two popular Mediterranean seasonings. Or Garlicky Spaghetti with Basil and Broiled Tomatoes, a fresh update on aglio e olio, the classic Italian pantry dinner. To make this book even more helpful, we included nutritional information for recipes, and list the gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options. So open Dinner Illustrated on any busy weeknight and expand your repertoire of dinner standbys (and pocket the money you'd spend on meal kits or takeout).

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference

408 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 17, 2018

About the author

America's Test Kitchen, based in a brand new state-of-the-art 60,000 sq. ft. facility with over 15,000 sq. ft. of test kitchens and studio space, in Boston's Seaport District, is dedicated to finding the very best recipes for home cooks. Over 50 full-time (admittedly obsessive) test cooks spend their days testing recipes 30, 40, up to 100 times, tweaking every variable until they understand how and why recipes work. They also test cookware and supermarket ingredients so viewers can bypass marketing hype and buy the best quality products. As the home of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines, and publisher of more than one dozen cookbooks each year, America's Test Kitchen has earned the respect of the publishing industry, the culinary world, and millions of home cooks. America's Test Kitchen the television show launched in 2001, and the company added a second television program, Cook's Country, in 2008.

Discover, learn, and expand your cooking repertoire with Julia Collin Davison, Bridget Lancaster, Jack Bishop, Dan Souza, Lisa McManus, Tucker Shaw, Bryan Roof, and our fabulous team of test cooks!

Learn more at https://www.americastestkitchen.com/.

Reviews

[Eric Mesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again America's Test Kitchen knocks it out of the park. I've already made a few recipes from this book and they've been hits with the wife and kids. I bought the book because most nights can't take the 2+ hours that, say, America's Test Kitchen Beef Enchiladas takes. This book claims that they tested with home cooks to make sure their times for the recipes were accurate. So far, they've been pretty darned accurate for me. Almost taking exactly 45 minutes or 1 hour. The photos and the way they've structured the book really helps. They tell you when to prep ingredients while others cook. That saves me 5-10 minutes of trying to figure that out on my own as well as the mental energy that sometimes isn't there and that I think prevents a lot of people from cooking on a regular basis. The book claims to be "A meal kit in book form" and I think it meets that goal very well. I also bought Milk Street Tuesday night for the same purpose with a slightly different goal. While this book is pretty international in its recipes, it's definitely more all-American. MS Tuesday Night is, on the other hand, very focused on international recipes and flavors. Depending on your kids and their open-ness to strongly spiced meals, I'd say Dinner Illustrated is probably the more family-friendly of the two. (But I've only begun to read through MS TN)

[Laura McLoughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have now tried 3 recipes in this book (I want to try lots of them) and they have been delicious. I like that an entire recipe fits on a 2 page spread so you don't have flip around. Also, each contains multiple full color pictures so it is easy to see what steps are supposed to look like. And, the 3 recipes I tried said that they should be ready in 45 minutes - 1 hour and I managed to finish them in that time (in one case, even less time)! The recipes are for whole meals (main protein + side dishes) so meal planning is a snap. The only downside is that some recipes call for some hard-to-find (at least for me) ingredients (chicken leg quarters are almost impossible for me to find for some reason). Some of the veggies are usually included in our farm co-op so I will revisit them when they arrive. I checked this cookbook out from the library but plan on ordering it soon. Definitely a keeper!

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the April selection for Try Something New - the library cookbook club - and it was very well received. There are no dessert recipes, something that really bothered some of the members who went off book to provide scrumptious desserts, but back to Dinner Illustrated. There was a decent assortment for all concerned (except the dessert people) - vegan, vegetarian, and omnivores. The food was very good and not many weird items in the recipes. The small illustrations indicating what the food should look like along the way were very helpful. The index is a little clunky and with no dessert recipes that takes this one to 4 stars but I would recommend it to beginning and advanced cooks alike.

[Chinchilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really, really, really like this book. In fact, this might be one of the best cookbooks I have read this year (and I have browsed through quite a few in 2018!).

This book is designed for people who want to learn to cook fancy-looking and yet easy to prepare dishes. Every single recipe in this book begins with the finished product beautifully photographed, and then it's broken down into 4-6 big steps, each with its own photograph. Directions provided are in sequence as well. They are meant to be followed by the numbers. I have yet seen another cookbook with such easy-to-follow instructions that does not compromise the quality of the dishes.

Another attribute I really like about the recipes in this book is that each one of them is a meal by itself. Most (if not all) recipes have a healthy portion of protein, fat, and carbs, paired with salad/vegetable of some sort. One need not to worry about preparing a multiple course of meal to feel satisfied in one sitting.

Simple as these recipes might be, they are not mundane at all. These dishes look hearty, colourful, and oh so appetizing. I also noticed that they use common condiments to boost flavours. Condiments such as za'atar, pomegranate molasses, tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, mirin, harissa, chipotle chiles in adobo are the reoccurring ones on top of salt and pepper. Other than the list above, these recipes don't call for any rare or expensive ingredients, making them easily accessible to everyone. The book even provide recipes for making za'atar, pomegranate molasses, and tahini!

Without a question this is a 5-star book for me!!!

There are so many dishes I want to try in this book, I'm listing them by category here.

Dinner Salad
- Chicken and Arugula Salad with Figs and Warm Spices
- Beet and Carrot Noddle Salad with Pan-Seared Chicken
- Wedge Salad with Steak Tips
- Salmon, Avocado, Grapefruit, and Watercress Salad
- Mediterranean Couscous Salad with Smoke Trout
- Shrimp and Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon-Pecan Vinaigrette
- Shrimp and White Bean Salad with Garlic Toasts
- Farro Salad with Sugar Snap Peas and White Beans
- Bistro Salad with Fried Egg
- Marinated Tofu and Vegetable Salad

Red Meat
- Sichuan-Style Orange Beef with Sugar Snap Peas and Rice
- Skirt Steak with Pinto Bean Salad
- Skillet Steak Tips with Roasted Feta Potatoes and Mesclun Salad
- Perfect Cheeseburgers with Easy Coleslaw
- Fennel-Crusted Port Chops with Apples, Shallots, and Brown Rice
- Pan-Seared Think-Cut Boneless Pork Chops with Peaches and Spinach
- Stir-Fried Pork with Green Beans and Cashews
- Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Green Beans and Potatoes
- Thai-Style Pork Burgers with Sesame Green Beans
- Chorizo, Corn, and Tomato Tostadas withLime Crema

Poultry
- Chicken Katsu with Tonkatsu Sauce, Cabbage Salad, and Rice
- Pan-Seared Chicken with Warm Mediterranean Bulgur Pilaf
- Stir-Fried Chicken and Broccoli with Herbs and Scallion Rice
- Chicken and Cauliflower Tikka Masala with Basmati Rice
- Crispy Chicken with Moroccan Carrot Salad
- Chicken with Creamy Butternut Squash Orzo
- Chicken Leg Quarters with Cauliflower and Shallots
- Honey-and-Garlic Roasted Chicken with Pearl Couscous Salad
- Mustard-Roasted Chicken with Warm Green Bean and Potato Salad
- Turkey Cutlets with Barley and Swiss Chard

Fish and Seafood
- Roasted Salmon and Broccoli Rabe with Pistachio Gremolata
- Sesame Salmon with Grapefruit Slaw
- Black Rice Bowls with Roasted Salmon and Miso Dressing
- Salmon Burgers with Asparagus and Lemon-Herb Sauce
- Thai Curry Rice with Cod
- Seared Tuna Steaks with Wilted Frisee and Mushroom Salad
- Pan-Seared Scallops with Sugar Snap Pea Slow
- Seared Shrimp with Tomato, Avocado, and Lime Quinoa
- Garlicky Roasted Shrimp with Napa Cabbage and Orange Salad
- Quick Paella

Pasta and Noodles
- Spaghetti with Spring Vegetables
- Garlicky Shrimp Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Tarragon
- Soba Noodles with Roasted Eggplant and Sesame
- Sesame Noodles with Snow Peas, Radishes, and Bell Peppers
- Japanese-Style Yakisoba Noodles with Beef
- Rice Noodles with Crisp Tofu and Cabbage
- One-Pan Shrimp Pad Thai
- Pad Kee Mao with Pork (Drunken Noodles)
- Vietnamese Lemon Grass Beef and Rice Noodles
Rice Noodle Bowl with Pork and Scallions

Vegetarian Dinner
- Farro Bowl with Tofu, Mushrooms, and Spinach
- Hearty Pearl Couscous Bowl with Eggplant, Spinach, and Beans
- Quinoa Bowl with Mushrooms, Swiss Chard, and Tahini-Lemon Dressing
- Spiced Red Lentils with Cauliflower and Cilantro
- Lentils with Roasted Broccoli, Goat Cheese, and Pine Nuts
- Vegetable and Orzo Tian with Garlic Toasts
- Chickpea Cakes with Endive and Orange Salad
- Black Bean Burgers with Roasted Carrots and Jalapeno Mayo
- Zucchini Noodles with Roasted Tomatoes and Cream Sauce
- Broccoli and Feta Frittata with Watercress Salad
- Cauliflower Tacos with Mango-Cabbage Slaw
- Stir-Fried Eggplant with Garlic-Basil Sauce
- Sichuan Braised Tofu with Rice (Mapo Tofu)

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are genius everyone wants to know what it looks like while you're cooking. I can give these recipes to my husband and he can fly solo cooking dinner and that is awesome! We've cleaned on our plates on everything we've made so far. I once read a critical review of americas test kitchen because their over testing took all the character of of cooking. I totally see that as valid but if thats your critique then this obviously isnt the cookbook for you. But for new folks or folks who use recipes as guidelines and not grails these recipes are great!

[Jodi Geever · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never encountered an America's Test Kitchen cookbook I didn't like, and this is no exception. The recipes are divided by protein, (chicken, tofu, seafood, etc.) and the photos included with the recipes are mouthwatering. All of the ingredients should be easy for the home cook to procure. I'm excited to eat at home again! Thank you, America's Test Kitchen!

[Thebestdogmom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok, nothing I’d make out of this cookbook.

[Bonnie Brzozowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have tried a few recipes and they have been simple but delicious. I like the layout that shows each step with lots of visuals and the effort to make the recipes as simple and straightforward as possible. Some of the recipes are very basic so I have embellished or added to some of them.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have cooked from this cookbook all summer. The layout and instructions are great. I was hoping to help my teens learn to cook dinner and this book has exceeded my expectations. It is a better version of dinner making mail-order services: all of the ease without the extra cost and waste (packaging).

[Justus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would like this more than I did, since it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for and I generally like America's Test Kitchen -- though this is missing the "why this recipe works" and "these are the variations we tried and why we think our version is better" that ATK's best cookbooks have. But now I'm not quite sure who this is for or whether it succeeds at what it sets out to do.

It says it is a kind of meal-kit for people who love to be in the kitchen but need help with inspiration and timing. The layout & presentation is very nicely done. Each recipe is for a full meal -- main & side. I get slightly annoyed at dinner cookbooks that don't include any sides. But sides are usually included in a separate section. Sometimes, in better cookbooks, a dish will have some suggested sides. This approach has upsides: you don't need inspiration for a side; the ingredients are all in one place making building a shopping list easier; the instructions include how & when to prep the sides so the flow & timing works. The goal is to make it super easy with virtually no thinking and I think they've succeeded at that.

The downside is if you happen to not like that particular pairing of main & side ... then you're losing most of the value of the book. Pan-seared porkchops with peaches & spinach? Sounds good unless you don't like spinach, in which case that entire recipe is kind of dead to you. Sure, you can mix & match ... just like in any other cookbook. But you bought this cookbook because you didn't want to mix & match.

These recipes are all reasonably quick to put together ... but many of them aren't using things you'll just happen to have laying around. Nothing wrong with that. But it also means it isn't quite as "meal-kit" as some might like. You still need to browse the book, pick out a few recipes for the week ahead, put together a shopping list. Remember you need to pick up sumac, white miso, pancetta, and apricot preserves. Unless you have a very stocked pantry a lot of recipes will have one or two things you won't have.

On a related note, these are all clearly targeted at a family: most recipes serve 4 and the undertone is generally "busy family needs weeknight dinner in 60 minutes or less". But many of the recipes feel like they've got a bit more going on that most small kids are going to be happy with. They include a mac & cheese recipe but it is a "grown up mac & cheese" with kale. Even though I'm grown up, I'm not sure I'm excited about kale in my mac & cheese...and I'm not sure many kids anywhere would be.

I'd say maybe ages 10+ or so you might start having a palate that would like most of these? Do your kids each spinach, asparagus, swiss chard, barley, quinoa, roasted polano tacos? If not, you might want something a bit more vanilla than this.

All of which brings me back to "who is this for". Because the recipes -- in terms of ingredients if not technique -- are geared towards reasonably experienced home cooks. Nothing in here is complicated but if you have sumac and white miso in your cupboard already, is this the kind of book you need? But a lot of the instructions -- including multiple pictures of the steps while cooking -- feels targeted at a much more novice audience.

Like they say in the intro: they are targeting reasonably experienced home cooks who feel they need some inspiration for weeknight dinners (hence lots of pictures, including the sides). It does help with that. But I'm also not sure it helps that much compared to a more regular style cookbook simply giving you recommended sides and (realistic) cooking times.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The food was OK, what earned this book 4 stars was the awesome set up. Everything was divided into sections, divided into steps with a picture to go along. This was good because sometimes seeing the picture is easier to understand than a direction. I love having pictures to along with recipes, to see how it is supposed to look like as opposed to what I make it look like. This book would be great for a beginner or a novice cook. The beginning of the book even went over techniques such as how to chop an onion. This was awesome.

[Sherry Monger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the Cook's Illustrated series of TV lessons and cookbooks. The Test Kitchen approaches recipes, even standard ones, from a scientific viewpoint - which particular ingredient, method of cooking, add ins - will make the recipe as successful as possible. This book has beautiful pictures and explicit methodology to help dinner be delicious, healthy and visually appealing. I plan on attempting several of these recipes.

[RUSA CODES · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect book for the fledgling cook, this super-well organized volume provides complete menus for 175 meals, including sides. Much like the popular meal kits, every step is broken down and photographed. This global collection of recipes also includes many vegetarian options. Try the black bean and sweet potato tacos.

2019 CODES List Winners Announced

[Nichola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I keep requesting this one from the library, because it has a good variety of new ideas. The reason I am including it here for a review is because it is written differently than most other cook books, with the instructions organized by how you would actually sequence things and many cooking photos showing important steps for each recipe, which is really helpful for learning how to cook. It seems inspired by the meal in a box kits that people often order to simplify cooking at home.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've tried a week's worth of meals and it's just ok. I really like the ingredients and the sound of most recipes so I had high hopes. It's a great visual resource and it does teach you how to balance meats with grains and vegetables. So many vegetarian recipes. Yum! However... every recipe came out SO bland.... there is just no flavor. I like foods prepared simply, but I need more flavor especially with the pan Asian inspired recipes and veggie stews.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good: Nice color pictures of the preparation steps and each finished dish.

So so: Nutritional information available for each dish - would be more convenient to have this information on the same page as the recipe instead of in the back of the book.

The not so good: Only a couple of recipes that I would consider trying.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've made so many recipes from this book lately! Delicious! The only negative thing is the America's Test Kitchen often repeats recipes in several other books I own - come on folks!! Don't fill up book with fodder from other cookbooks - make them all unique.

But still 5 stars because the meals are so tasty, LOL.

[Beate · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual I read cookbooks mostly to get inspired and not so much to cook.
I love that this book is mainly picture, that every recipe can be completed in 6 steps and that there's tips and tricks at the top.
Personally I don't cook for 4-6 people regularly so I don't know when I'll use the recipes as a whole.

Will definitely come back to this one.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though the meat recipes and pasta were somewhat lackluster looking, another solid offering by America’s Test Kitchen. Relatively easy recipes with step by step photos and mostly ingredients that are somewhat easy to source and purchase (but not across the board). Between the lackluster sections and several recipes call for potentially difficult to source ingredients, 1 star knocked off.

[Kym · Rating 4 out of 5]

These really are entire meals (as in protein, veggie and maybe a starch) that can be made in under an hour. There are step-by-step photos and all of the recipes are in their entirety on a two-page spread! Yay! No turning pages! The recipes use common, real-food ingredients. Win!

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this cookbook! The pictures are great, the steps are so helpful. The first step is always meal prep. I could make every recipe. They all look awesome and not your basic American recipes. Highly recommend

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again, this cookbook was disappointing to me. These meals were unrealistic and had ingredients that aren't in a common household. There were some interesting recipes that looked good, but not my kind of cookbook or style of cooking.

[Lynnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some good ideas in this book & everything looks pretty easy and straight-forward. I’m not sure some of the recipes will come together as quickly as they suggest, but there are still a lot of great ideas for pulling together a healthy dinner when you’re in a hurry.

[Brian Kramp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually rate these types of books here, but I absolutely love the format of this one. Instead of just a single course, it outlines a whole meal, including step-by-step, in-order instructions with pictures. The format is fantastic. And we found many meals that we really enjoy.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visual recipes with practical, easy to follow steps. But not the types of meals/flavors I was looking for with young children.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked some of the basic cooking tips and the quick meals.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

More recipes that I want to try than usual. really hope they work out.

[Margaret Gerberding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another lovely book by America's Test Kitchen!

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has many recipes that I would like to try someday.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great cooking book!