Cooking for One: Scaled Recipes, No-Waste Solutions, and Time-Saving Tips

by America's Test Kitchen (editor)

Discover the joy of cooking for yourself with more than 160 perfectly portioned, easy-to-execute recipes, flexible ingredient lists to accommodate your pantry, and ideas for improvising to your taste.

Taking care to prepare a meal for yourself is a different experience than cooking for others. It can be a fun, casual, and (of course) delicious affair, but there are challenges, from avoiding a fridge full of half-used ingredients to end up with leftovers that become boring after the third reheat.

Cooking for One helps you make cooking for yourself special without becoming a chore with unfussy yet utterly appealing meals that rely on ingredients you already have on hand, like Garam Masala Pork Chop with Couscous and Spinach and Weeknight Chicken Cacciatore. Don't have exactly the right ingredients? Never fear--with a "Kitchen Improv" box on every page, we offer ideas for altering the dish so it works for you.

And for those weeks you didn't make it to the supermarket, we use a "Pantry Recipe" icon to clearly mark recipes that rely entirely on our checklist for a well-stocked pantry.

We show you when it's worth making two servings (but never more) with our "Makes Leftovers" icon, and suggest how to transform those leftovers into a whole new meal. (We love our Spice-Rubbed Flank Steak with Celery Root and Lime Yogurt Sauce served over arugula as a hearty salad the next day.)

Ingredients themselves often lead you to another exciting meal--when you're left with half an eggplant from Simple Ratatouille, we direct you to Broiled Eggplant with Honey-Lemon Vinaigrette as the perfect way to use it up. And if the thought of a sink full of dishes keeps you out of the kitchen, there are plenty of appealing one-pan dinners like Sheet Pan Sausages with Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli Rabe, and Mustard-Chive Butter or Couscous with Shrimp, Cilantro, and Garlic Chips that are here to save the day.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Reference

351 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2020

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

[Christy Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes one has to wonder with the plethora of online recipes and blogs and cookbooks already available if there is room for anything left to be said to be bothered with another one; America's Test Kitchen Cooking for One is worth your time if you often prepare meals for solo consumption. I've reviewed other cooking for one (or sometimes two) cookbooks before and while they do a good job of cutting down the quantity, it can still at times feel as though recipes have been forced down to a single serving size, but don't actually adapt the cooking differences inherent in small scale (yes, the food protein really does cook faster when there is only one in the pan vs. two to four servings). America's Test Kitchen not only highlights these differences, they offer tips on how to liven up the taste of more simple fare, substitute to use what you have on hand or adapt to your taste with alternate suggestions.

One of the things I love about cookbooks, in addition to the recipes, is having good introductions to the topic at hand with a lot of helpful charts, references, guides and illustrations. If I just wanted a recipe, I could do an internet search for an item. With a good cookbook, there should be added value. In Cooking for One, there is foundational information on pantry stocking and tools, charts for the different cooking times of a variety of grains, small scale measurements for pastas and how to eyeball them. Tips on freezing, using up or re-using food items in different ways are suggested so that you aren't dealing with excess waste or rot or having to eat the same thing for days on end to avoid such. I'm particularly fond of the Make It a Meal ideas that add on to a recipe by pairing it with other recipes or suggestions from items you likely have on hand. It's the flexibility and a way of thinking that opens up the book to be valuable to a wide variety of readers.

So...why four instead of five stars? As a vegetarian, they have a LOT more recipes and ways I can adapt items than most non-vegetarian cookbooks, but there is only 3 items in the main event section I could make without adaptation and if I was vegan, that would be down to one. That said, there is ample recipes in other sections that could stand on their own as mains or be easily adapted to be such. And the desserts are nice too!

While I evaluated this copy from the library, I like it enough that I'll keep on the lookout for a copy of this to have on hand.

[Mickey · Rating 3 out of 5]

If your only looking for recipes scaled for one person, then this is your book.

If your looking for cooking techniques or a cooking lifestyle that helps the single person in the kitchen, then you will be disappointed with this book.

I doubt anyone involved with this book lives a single lifestyle. This book also assumes a minimal kitchen gadget lifestyle, all you need is a skillet and wisp. There are many ways to fry a chicken and cakes in a cup in this book.

In this modern age, as a single person, I do buy in bulk, I do roast a small chicken once in a while, make my own stock, rustic pies and sometimes a single layer cake.

I will throw in my own advice: I do have a well stocked kitchen. As a single person in the kitchen, a Food Saver vacuum sealer and a small freezer are very useful for the single cook. I do buy in bulk and a break them them into single serving packages and store them in the freezer that can last for a long time. A large and small salad spinner and keep them in fridge that can extend the life of some lettuces and herbs. A small 3 quart mini instant pot has many uses, that I also use to make stocks. I also like my Vitamix blender with the 48oz and smaller jars. Plus a good set of knives and sharpening tools.

Although, none of these “Cooking for One” books truly fit my lifestyle. Still searching though.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cooked a lot of recipes from this book. Easy mid-week, work weary, healthy and just for me dinners. Sometimes I had leftovers, usually I didn’t. Excellent portion sizes with easy to follow directions and pretty pictures. I like the size and weight of the book too.

[Anna Catherman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, light ATK read which I'd highly recommend to those cooking for a one-person household for the first time. Note, there are a lot of recipes that aren't for precisely one serving, so this might not be the best choice for those who aren't a fan of having any leftovers.

[Steve Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a Best of the Best for the month of October 2020, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet / Stevo's Novel Ideas. You can find me at http://forums.delphiforums.com/stevo1, on my Stevo's Novel Ideas Amazon Influencer page (https://www.amazon.com/shop/stevo4747), on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Stevo4747), on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brocksteve/) or search for me on Google for many more reviews and recommendations.

[Denise McQuillen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in the midst of going through this book right now, and I do believe I will purchase it. I love the tips & tricks for shopping, pantry staples, and food storage when cooking for one, and I love the little microwave desserts in a cup (that way I get a little "sweet" without having to bake and "eat the whole thing"). I can't wait to try one of these this weekend!

Most of the recipes are fairly healthy and for the ones that are not "highly" healthy, I can definitely make some healthy substitutions on them.

I'm liking it so far, and after I try some of the recipes and tips, I'll let you know if I love it!

This cookbook has a lot of basic recipes that have a variety of ideas for more options adding spice, sauces, and other flavors. The few recipes I've tried have worked well. America's Test Kitchen does a great job on their cookbooks!

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The recipes are pretty simple; I'd say overly so with multiple variations on straightforward things (haven't got the book in front of me but right off the bat there were multiple recipes for different ways to cook chicken breasts, but there were separate recipes for things like, as an example: plain pan-fried, breaded pan-fried, pan-fried with a splash of lemon, etc.). But what really killed it for me was that several recipes had a note that said that it made leftovers. You'd assume those recipes made two servings, then, but no where in the recipes or in the book as a whole does it say how many portions those recipes actually make.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cookbook filled with various recipes perfect for one person. I've made quiet a few things from this cookbook and they've all turned out well. I love how many options for recipes there are in this cookbook and that I won't be eating it for the next 4 days because I didn't know how to scale it down.

[Rocklee · Rating 3 out of 5]

What can I say ... it's a cookbook. I learned some stuff.

[Artina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great little starter cookbook for one. Very basic recipes. Easy to follow.

[Dani]

Another quality publication from America's Test Kitchen (ATK).

There are many reasons why you might be cooking for one.  Maybe you live alone, but also "maybe your partner works nights, or your kids refuse to eat anything other than grilled cheese sandwiches, or you're looking for respite from your roommates."  No matter your reason, this book assures you that cooking for one should be "fun, low-pressure, and delicious."

If you're looking for a book to make complex dishes or extensive project pieces, this is not the book for you (also, if you're doing that when cooking for one, I'm impressed!)  If you want a book with recipes with several serving sizes (either because you freeze a lot of food, or because you're chill with making one giant batch of something to eat all week), this is also not the book for you.  This book doesn't focus on making time-intensive dishes or weekly meal-prepping using giant batches.  Most recipes make literally one serving, and the ones that make leftovers are clearly marked as such (and the book promises that those recipes actually do keep well enough to make good leftovers).  It's the kind of book you'd like if you're cooking for one but need variety; there's leftovers but not over-reliance on leftovers.  There are tips and guides on how to use up spare ingredients or extras of something, but the book really tries to keep that from happening so that you don't have to juggle a variety of loose items slowly expiring in your fridge.

The first couple chapters I found to be rather simplistic, but actually that's the beauty of it: they're chapters on how to prepare straightforward (but not boring) main proteins and "sides to match or eat on their own".  This book has quality recipes that leave room for flexibility in cooking.  It focuses less on substitution and more on customization to enhance and vary the dish.  Each recipe has a "kitchen improv" sidebar with tips on how to customize using sauces or spices, or how to "level up" the dish and drizzle, sprinkle, garnish and more, and sometimes there are tips on how to easily turn a dish vegetarian, make the dish heartier, or change the flavor profile and cuisine of the dish.


The chapters are as follows:

The Main Event
Sides to Match or Eat on Their Own
Simple Soups and Stews
Sandwiches and Salads
One-pan Dinners
Something Sweet

And of course, like all ATK books, there is a robust introduction covering topics such as how to stock your pantry ("the basic pantry" and "the turbo-charged pantry"), recommended equipment, how to make the most of your microwave, how to shop (and store) smarter, tips for using up leftovers and extra ingredients, and a sample menu for the week and accompanying shopping list.  There are useful tips and explanations throughout the book as well, put into their relevant sections.  For example, at the end of the soup chapter is a guide on how to make "clean-out-your-fridge soup", with a flow chart on how to build a balanced and full soup, as well as pitfalls to avoid.

Some cookbooks are very specific with what to make and how to make it.  Some books and guides (especially for cooking for one) I find to be too generic and don't offer enough guidance.  It's almost like they say "Buy food and cook it how you want!"  What food?  Which way should I cook it?  Some people are skilled at peering into their pantry or just pulling ideas out of their head to make a meal, no guidance necessary (and some people want to be good at this but they don't yet know how to balance flavors).  Personally, I do best when I have enough structure and can be creative within the structure.  I feel like this book offers the best of both worlds by telling you how to cook something while still offering customization options.  And, it's easy enough to still look in your fridge, see that you have some chicken you need to cook up, and look at the "chicken" recipes to get you going.  There are enough pantry-friendly recipes and customizations within a recipe to make that kind of thing accessible.

If this sounds like a book for you, I'd definitely recommend that you check it out!  It has tasty recipes, a variety of options and flavors, and it has everything from savory to sweet.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook is over 300 pages, you are definitely going to find recipes to enjoy in a variety of categories mains, sides, salads, soups, sandwiches, pasta, desserts and more. Each recipe has a photo of the finished recipe yeah! as well as something they are calling 'Kitchen Improve' Provides suggestions on 'use what you've got' or 'level up' or 'make it vegetarian' and more depending on the recipe these tips come in handy. The book also includes tips throughout and nutritional information for all the recipes can be found in the back. The recipes are simple which is great for new cooks or for those who want a break from complicated recipes. Easy enough to double recipes to make for 2 people as well.

[Tububa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am a big fan of ATK books usually; I've liked almost everything I've made from the Mediterranean Diet one, and from the Meat one, and from Cooking for Two. Now, I've been "Cooking for One" since my late teens. Not new to cooking, not new to living alone. But I found the recipes here to be kind of lame. I've made a couple of things following the recipes to the letter, and they came out quite flavorless or tough. I am also mystified by the recipes that "make leftovers" but have no specified number of servings. Sure, I can eyeball it, but cookbooks usually give you some indication how many meals you'll get out of one cooking event.

My advice would be, get the Cooking for Two book, and just count on having an extra night of leftovers. There's no point in these recipes of sadness.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great cook book!

America's Test Kitchen focuses on what I'd consider traditional American foods - porkchops, salads, cookies. There's not as much variety as I'd hoped for but was still pleasantly surprised. The book has pictures for each recipe which I love and they are gorgeous!

There's main dishes, sides, and desserts in this book. There's not bowls or tofu or things I'd consider more contemporary in the American diet but the recipes look solid. Overall this is a great cook book with meal planning suggestions and time saving tips.

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

America's Test Kitchen books are all well written and informative and they have produced so many you can find almost exactly the type of food you want. here the emphasis is on solid recipes but for one person, which is actually pretty handy. The menu is wide ranging and kind of urban chic, many classic items but often with a flair. I recommend this book, even if you do not often cook for one. The recipes are scalable.

[Tyson Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this Cooking for One cookbook was very practical, which is something I appreciate in cookbooks. The book includes are a variety of recipes, which also provide substitution suggestions and ideas how to improve the dishes. I mainly cook for myself, so this book appealed to me; plus I thought it might help me save money to cook ahead for lunches. Overall I would highly recommend this cookbook for those who need or want to cook for one.

[Tera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those few cookbooks from which I actually made a few recipes. I also liked how the recipes gave ingredient substitutions so that I didn't have to run out and buy ingredients I didn't already have on hand. When cooking for one or two people, going out to buy novel ingredients is the last thing one wants to do and this cookbook accommodates that.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why would the primary meal provider of a family of four be interested in the cookbook?
This book offers great ideas and solutions for the dilemma of how to prepare meat for one family member while the others enjoy a vegetarian dinner.
The tips for "use what you've got," "level up," and "make it heartier" ha e great ideas that can be used the way I normally cook - sans recipe book.

[Jaxadoodle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has more than just recipes, it has ample suggestions on how to stock your pantry, how to place things in the fridge, and offers a list of the most important tools to have in the kitchen. I’m only cooking for one so this is a book that I’ve been meaning to read. I flagged so many recipes that I want to try. I’ll be eating like a queen in no time!

[Carolyn J Pitzer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Old fashioned American food?

I was so disappointed in your book that I feel like writing what I was hoping for myself! I don't want foreign recipes or not flavorings I want a book with good old fashioned southern American recipes cut down fr one person

[Eileen Ptacek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m recently widowed and this was suggested. I’m not yet ready to cook 1 chicken breast, but hope to use the book more in the future. Recipes are clearly written as one would expect from America’s test kitchen.

[Mskychick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of great recipes here!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Their recipes are very reliable and oars very approachable.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easier to double a recipe than to halve sometimes!

[Carol C Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the kitchen tips, especially on how to stock pantry. I think recipes for two are more my style.

[Anne Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting recipes, good tips.

[Lena Phealan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The recipes are excellent. It would be nice to have nutritional info included.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I need for those nights I’m on my own for dinner and just need quick and simple solo meal ideas!

[Melinda Keen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish everything wasn't so healthy. Had some good things.. but it seems like it was trying to hard to be so perfectly healthy.

[Cris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simpler recipes & preparation than other recipes I've seen from America's Test Kitchen. A nice repertoire containing entrees, sides, soups & salads and finishing off with some desserts.