The Pleasures of Cooking for One: A Cookbook

by Judith Jones

From the legendary editor of some of the world’s greatest cooks—including Julia Child and James Beard—a passionate and practical book about the joys of cooking for one.

Here, in convincing fashion, Judith Jones demonstrates that cooking for yourself presents unparalleled possibilities for both pleasure and experimentation: you can utilize whatever ingredients appeal, using farmers’ markets and specialty shops to enrich your palate and improve your health; you can feel free to fail, since a meal for one doesn’t have to be perfect; and you can use leftovers to innovate—in the course of a week, the remains of beef bourguignon might be reimagined as a ragù, pork tenderloin may become a stir-fry, a cup or two of wild rice produces both a refreshing pilaf and a rich pancake, and red snapper can be reinvented as a summery salad. It’s a fulfilling and immensely economical process, one perfectly suited for our times—although, as Jones points out, cooking for one also means we can occasionally indulge ourselves in a favorite treat.

Throughout, Jones is both our instructor and our mentor, suggesting basic recipes—such as tomato sauce, preserved lemons, pesto, and homemade stock—that all cooks should have on hand; teaching us how to improvise using an ingenious strategy of building meals through the week; and supplying us with a lifetime’s worth of tips and shortcuts. From Child’s advice for buying fresh meat to Beard’s challenge to beginning crêpe-makers and Lidia Bastianich’s tips for cooking perfectly sauced pasta, Jones’s book presents a wealth of acquired knowledge from our finest cooks.

The Pleasures of Cooking for One is a vibrant, wise celebration of food and enjoying our own company from one of our most treasured cooking experts.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Foodie, Culinary, Food Writing

273 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 2009

About the author

Judith B. Jones retired as senior editor and vice president at Knopf in 2011. In 1950 she rescued The Diary of Anne Frank from the reject pile. In 1960, she championed a cookbook no other publisher would touch, named it Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and became Julia Child's editor from then on. She ushered all of John Updike's books into print, including the posthumous titles, and edited many other important works both culinary and literary.

Jones has written a number of cookbooks herself, as well as a cookbook/memoir, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food. Raised in New England, she lived in New York City and summered in Northern Vermont, where she also raised grass-fed cattle on the Bryn Teg farm.

Her husband and collaborator Evan Jones died in 1996. The couple had no children.

Jones joined Knopf in 1957 as an assistant to Blanche Knopf and editor working mainly on translations of French writers such as Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Before that she worked for Doubleday, first in New York and then in Paris, where she read and recommended The Diary of Anne Frank, pulling it out of the rejection pile.

Major culinary authors Jones has brought into print include Lidia Bastianich, James Beard, Julia Child, Marion Cunningham, Rosie Daley, Edward Giobbi, Marcella Hazan, Madhur Jaffrey, Edna Lewis, Joan Nathan, Scott Peacock, Jacques Pépin, Claudia Roden, and Nina Simonds. The 18-book Knopf Cooks American series was Jones' creation. She is also the longtime editor of John Updike, Anne Tyler, John Hersey, Elizabeth Bowen, Peter Taylor and William Maxwell.

Jones wrote three books with her husband Evan, and has written two on her own since his death, one on cooking for one person, as well as a memoir of her life and food.

Jones has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.

She was portrayed by American actress Erin Dilly in the 2009 film, Julie & Julia.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely cookbook. I read it in honor of Judith Jones, who died this week.

If you aren't familiar with Judith, she was a legendary editor in New York, famous for discovering Julia Child's manuscript that became the bestselling Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Judith also found a diary by Anne Frank and pushed to get it published in America. When I saw that, I marveled at the idea that if it weren't for Judith, we might never have learned about Anne. That book is assigned reading in many American schools, and I think for a lot students it was the first time we understood how devastating the war was for so many families.

Back to this cookbook, which Judith wrote after after her husband died. The two had always enjoyed cooking together, and now a widow, Judith wrote: "I was not sure that I would ever enjoy preparing a meal for myself and eating it alone."

Fortunately, Judith learned she did still enjoy cooking and "found myself at the end of the day looking forward to cooking, making recipes that work for one, and then sitting down and savoring a good meal."

This cookbook has a good variety of recipes, including meat entrees, soups, eggs, vegetables, rice, pasta, and sweets. There is also a nice section in the beginning with Judith's recommendations for necessary cooking equipment, utensils and what to stock in your pantry and refrigerator. In all, it is a useful and compact cookbook. There are also some pretty photographs, which I confess I love in a cookbook. (Why is it so comforting to see pictures of country kitchens, neat pantry shelves and colorful spice racks?) While I'm happily married and cooking for two, I would recommend this book to my single friends who enjoy good food.

Cheers to you, Judith. Thank you for all of your efforts in writing, editing and cooking.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvelous little book. My husband asked why I wanted to read a cookbook by a woman whose husband had died, implying her cooking may have played a role in it. (He also is the one who looked at the cover of Pat Conroy's cookbook and said, "Would you want to eat food that made you look like that?")

So I googled Evan Jones' obituary. He died at age 80, from complications after a fall in his New York apartment.

End of discussion.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I bought this on a whim and totally love it. Jones is the discoverer and publisher of Julia Child and many other chefs who have transformed cooking in America. I love the layout, the personable tone, the occasional beautiful pictures. It is interesting reading and not just as a cookbook. But the best aspect is her ability to move a recipe through several incarnations: a pork tenderloin's leftovers morph into a Red Flannel Pork Hash, Broiled Lamb Chop becomes Lamb and Lentils, and the goal is teaching a technique, teaching you how to work with what you have on hand, so that you can adjust to your own taste, not be forever dependent on a cookbook telling you what to do. I also love that she is not bending quality for the current market of quick and easy, but wants her readers to learn to love cooking because cooking is "one of the great satisfactions of life." Her satisfaction in cooking is pervasive in this book, and it is hard to not be inspired by her love.

Just as a general heads up, as she is dedicated to quality cooking, there are several recipes in the book which ask for atypical ingredients (veal kidneys, chicken livers, beef tongue, etc). She was based in France for many years, and her tastes are obviously influenced. So I would recommend sitting down with it at a bookstore and reading through a few sections so you get a feel for her tone and ideas.

[Margo Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never enjoyed reading a cookbook like I have enjoyed this one. The text is written with great simplicity, sincerity, and directness. I felt as if I were having a conversation with Judith Jones, Julia Child's editor, as I read about and then cooked and ate her creations.

This type of book is long overdue. The portions are sized right for one and easily increased for two--it is so much easier to increase a tiny bit than to try to decrease a recipe for 4 or 6 to one. I have especially enjoyed the fact that the recipes are divided into first, second and third rounds so that you don't have to eat the same thing day after day. Even better, the french inspired recipes are easy and delicious.

So far, I've tried Skirt Steak and its third round Gratin of Beef Mushrooms and Breadcrumbs, A Potato Dish for Julia, and Steamed Egg Nestled in a Bed of Greens. The recipes were easy to follow. The potatos were a little too rich. Jones subscribes to Julia Child's montra that you can never have too much butter, but I think you can.

Some of the recipes are better for when you want a treat because, but they are simple enough to cook everyday and taste like you've slaved for hours. Her tips for thinking about cooking for one can be applied to any set of recipes and have made me think differently about how I will be cooking in the future.

Jones has a particular fondness for liver in all its varieties. Having never had liver, it is a little intimidating, but she writes so compellingly about it, that I have some in my refridgerator now. She makes me want to experiment with cooking and food and I think that is the point.

My next stop is to get her memoir and read that. A person who can make a recipe for liver so compelling is a person whose works I want to read more of.

[Catherine Woodman]

This is a lovely book--it has two uses. The first is that the author, who clearly loves to cook, talks about losing her husband, and how she thought she would never cook again, or at least not enjoy it because it was so wrapped up in their relationship, and discovering that indeed it was possible to do that--and to do it with elan--not just to cut recipes in a quarter and go forward, but to actually cook as if treating yourself to something. She is the woman who edited the Julia Child cookbook, so she has a place in the cooking hall of fame, which would be more widely realized because of Nora Ephron's movie. I enjoyed the part where she talks about food as much as the recipes, and would give it as a gift for those I know who cook for one with some frequency.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this cook book but I wish there had been more photos to know what the finished dishes look like.

There is a pretty extensive list that has a lot of recipes tailored down to cooking for a single person. While some of them are a bit complicated there are some good day-to-day recipes that sound good.

[MaryAnn · Rating 2 out of 5]

After watching Julie & Julia last spring I wanted to go home and cook through Julia Child's cookbook. I checked it out from the library and was first overwhelmed by the textbook-like nature of it and second overwhelmed by the large amounts of food that each recipe makes. This book by Judith Jones, the editor of most of Julia Child's cookbooks, is simplified French cuisine scaled for one - perfect for me. My favorite recipe I've tried so far is the crepes. I love flipping them over by flicking the pan and catching them. It makes me feel like I'm a T.V. chef.

However, the book is also sprinkled with many recipes that I would never ever cook - like veal kidneys in mustard sauce, beef and kidney pie,and fresh veal tongue. The format of the book is difficult, splitting some recipes so that you have to turn a page mid-recipe

[Dori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not exactly what I had in mind when I went searching for a cookbook with recipes for 1 or 2. With recipes like "Veal Kidneys in Mustard Sauce", "Beef Shank and Oxtail Ragu", "Fresh Veal Tongue", and "Calf's Liver with Shallot and Wine Pan Sauce", this cookbook was a bit too heavy-handed for me; not at all what I'm looking to cook up in my kitchen! I found a couple of recipes I may want to try, but all in all I found this cookbook quite disappointing.

[Odoublegood · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is also a fine book about cooking for two; it would be good for a beginning cook, with its simple recipies and advice about stocking a beginner's kitchen in a bare-bones way, with ingredients, pots, utensils; great ideas about leftovers; very New England-y (popovers, plenty of parsnips, e.g.); thanks you, library, for some fresh ideas

[Mickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook is different. Not just filled with recipes, it is filled with a lifestyle of kindness, time and wisdom in the kitchen. As a single person who is tired of consuming plain cooked foods that wants a bit more spice in life. This is a small book that I will return to on those grey filled days looking for the small personal pleasures of life.

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly comforting depiction of a single life full of cheese drawers, homegrown purslane, and dinners with Julia Child, where "if your pancake doesn't hold together perfectly, only you will notice it."

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can easily use this book as a jumping off point when cooking for 2. I go back to this book time and again.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am more of a mess hall cook. I get it done. If I am not cooking for someone else, why bother. After reading Jones' book, I think more about the table I set for myself and the food I choose to eat. There are meat dishes I won't prepare but reading the recipes has increased my culinary IQ. All the remaining recipes are slowly making an appearance in my "test kitchen." Favorites to date include Schrafft's oatmeal raisin cookies, quiche for one, baked polenta with vegetables (try beet greens for a different flavor) and the individual apple tart. Usually, I struggle to adjust recipes for one so there isn't a ton of leftover for my small refrigerator. These recipes are just right. Here's to sharing thoughtfully prepared and delicious food with your most important guest - YOU!

[Glennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I should check this out since I need to cook more instead of doing frozen when hubby is out of town so much. There were things I liked and disliked about the book. The good things were day 2 and day 3 recipes to handle the leftovers. The down side was several recipes were things that were more labor intensive than I wanted or used foods that I wouldn't normally buy. But hands down I think having soup recipes for one was the neatest thing in the book. I'm on the fence about getting my own copy, I might have to check it out again and actually use some of the recipes instead of just reading it.

[Bevin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure who Judith Jones is cooking for, but it sure isn't me. Her penchent for ofal (gizzards, liver, etc) really turns me off. I know many people like it, but is that really what you want to cook at home alone? I was hoping for pared down dishes of standards and how to make many meals out of one. There is nothing like that in the book.

I first added this to my list about a year ago and have since become vegetarian. There are NO vegetarian dishes in this book. Even the veggie sides are slathered in bacon or gizzards. No thank you.

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.It's hard to find decent recipes for a single person, and not only that but these are budget-friendly if you plan accordingly.
Her writing style is friendly and easy to follow. Her recipes are written with a balance between measurement and "feel" cooking. What I mean by that is, she gives you amounts but also encourages you to taste and choose according to your preference and appetite. I find many recipes in general are rigid and exact, or extremely vague whereas she strikes a balance between the two.

[Jensownzoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some sample recipes I copied from this book.

Fennel, Apple, and Walnut Salad
Cream Sauce
Baked Polenta with Vegetables
Lentil Salad with Roasted Garlic
Apple Maple Bread Pudding

[pearl_seeker · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book for single people! Jones has recipes for meats, poultry, vegetables, pasta, eggs and those recipes cover main dishes, salads, desserts, side dishes. The recipes are delicious, almost all of the ingredients are easy to access. She has lots of good ideas for using up leftovers, improving an old favorite dish, making your own sauces, spreads, seasonings. This book has single-handedly gotten me out of my can't-be-bothered-to-cook-for-myself slump!

I ENTHUSIASTICALLY recommend this book!

[Carissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who enjoys cooking, especially those often alone, this is a great little book to have with you. Mind you, even if it's more than you, it's perfect for helping figure out leftovers, variation, and new recipes. It was also just fun to read those little stories and tidbits from an author who has known some very famous culinary figures. The only downside is the focus seems more on French cuisine with a touch of Asian, but it's still a good book for any cook, especially singular ones wanting to enjoy cooking again.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this at a time when I was trying desperately to figure out how to cook effectively for just myself. I can’t say it helped much with that, but it was delightful to read. If you’re a weirdo like me who likes reading cookbooks without actually cooking anything in them, or if you like reading classic Julia Child just to see what was up with French cooking, this is a great choice. But she is very hung up on that old school french cooking style, so if you actually want to eat these recipes, I hope you like innards and sauce gribiche and can afford some tiny Le Creuset pots.

[Deb Holden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think you need to live in NYC to truly enjoy this book. Lots of strange ingredients. I read the other reviews and it wasn't the unusual recipes. It was things like veal stock that should be in your pantry or freezer. I have had to cook for one in my life a fair amount and the basic idea that you are worth the trouble to eat great food is so true. I have always found cooking relaxing but I know not everyone does.

[Susan Wieck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to cook, but have rarely felt compelled to go all out when I’m cooking for only myself. Judith Jones has made it a piece of cake (pardon them pun!). I think part of what made me reluctant to “put on the Ritz” was the mountain of leftovers. This book solved that problem, so I’ve made my list of recipes that I’m going to indulge in over the 2020 Coronavirus quarantine. I’ve had my first 3 meals and I’m looking forward to preparing the rest. The first ones were fantastic! Bob Appetit!

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good recipes and well-written, but when I picked it up, I wasn't expecting it to be so French focused. The recipes are good, but for the average American not living somewhere like NYC, several recipes involve items that would take extra effort to obtain. It's good read, and I absolutely support the idea that people eating alone still deserve quality food, but I don't see it become a go-to for me.

[Kathy Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who loves to cook and is now facing the challenge of cooking for one -- this book was awesome. I know there are 50 things I can do with chicken after I have roasted it or purchased one -- when faced with one, I can usually only think of one more thing to do with it. She has dozens in this book as well as multiple ways to use skirt steak, seafoods, etc. I haven't purchased a cookbook in years -- have already ordered a copy.

[Maria Cloos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I borrowed this from the library. I don’t live alone, and even when I did, I didn’t usually have difficulty eating leftovers or utilizing the freezer to use them later. But I was intrigued. And in the end, the book proved to be a marvelous gem for what to do with scraps and leftover bits and pieces, which I find endlessly useful. Recipes are well-written, interesting and approachable. The prose is enjoyable and engaging. Highly recommend.

[Denise :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy cooking and you live alone, this book is a must. Classic gourmet cuisine pared down for one, with suggestions for meals to follow to use up leftover ingredients. I have enjoyed both reading and cooking my way through the book. Well worth it. Also of note: the author is also the editor who got Julia Child’s first book published. Some of the classic recipes pared down for one come straight from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, one of my absolute favorites!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this cookbook for years, and still go back to it. Judith Jones reminds you that if your cooking for yourself or a small group you can cook and enjoy a meal at home that is restaurant worthy.
Recipes are easy to follow as well as delicious, as well as enjoyable to reinvent your leftovers..if there is any that is!

[heidi canton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book to inspire myself to cook delicious nutritious meals for myself. The recipes brought back memories, some of which I have eaten in various forms and others of which I’ve only heard tales. Is it inspiring? Yes. Would I try the majority of these recipes as written? Probably not. Although they are quite classic in nature, the majority are a little old fashioned for my taste.

[Amy Borgstrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspired by the series Julia on Max, I read this straight through. No doubt that Judith Jones is a lovely writer, with wonderful crisp and descriptive prose. But the recipes themselves were a little meh, with a strange sameness and lack of ambition. I found myself uninspired to cook from this book and am hoping her memoir is better.

[Maria Kemplin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pleasures of Cooking for One treats solo cooking not as a problem to be solved but as a practice worth taking seriously in its own right. Rather than offering scaled-down recipes as a kind of consolation prize, the book frames cooking for oneself as an opportunity for attentiveness, economy, and pleasure.