Who doesn’t love Melissa Clark?! This woman has written approximately 10,000 cookbooks, and it shows in her recipes, which always turn out for me. She is such an asset to @nytcooking, and she’s fun to listen to on food podcasts as well.
Clark says this book is the culmination of her decades of recipe development. Each recipe is designed to be cooked in/on one vessel – pot, sheet pan, Dutch oven, etc. – to streamline cooking and reduce dishes. I think the stereotype of one-vessel meals is that they’re basic or boring or like “dump a bunch of packaged shiz in a Crock-Pot” (no shade, some of those recipes are incredible) anti-cooking. The recipes in this book definitely have more of a foodie bent, with lots of international flavors and ingredients that bump up the flavor to save you time and effort.
And yet I also think this cookbook is more family-friendly than the comparable I Dream of Dinner by Ali Slagle, which I also loved. Slagle’s dishes struck me as better suited to singles and couples, in portion and vibe – snacky dishes, barebones meals, open-to-interpretation ingredient lists, etc. Dinner in One’s recipes feel more like “square” meals for a whole family, with an intentional balance of proteins, produce, and carbs. (A note for veg friends: Half the recipes in this are vegetarian, and most of the non-veg ones have “spin it” ideas to veganize them.)
The recipes are easy, straightforward, and have all been tasty. I also love that she includes methods for basics like rice and polenta, and that she has a chapter devoted to one-bowl cakes! The latter have been perfect for my casual, often last-minute baking style.