The Best Simple Recipes: More Than 200 Flavorful, Foolproof Recipes That Cook in 30 Minutes or Less

by America's Test Kitchen, Daniel J. Van Ackere (Photographer), Keller + Keller (Photographer)

The team at America's Test Kitchen has created more than 200 easy-to-make 30-minute recipes that guarantee impressive results from a minimum of effort. With a little test kitchen know-how (and relentless testing and re-testing), we found ways to make naturally fast dishes even faster, and traditionally slow-cooked dinners a weeknight option. But one thing we never did was settle on shortcuts that shortchanged flavor. Some compromises simply aren't worth making and a few minutes of cooking translates into time well spent. No matter the path taken, every recipe in this book is foolproof, full-flavored, and fast. It's time to make weeknight dinner interesting again!

Chapters:
Introduction, Soups & Stews, Salads, Poultry, Beef, Pork, Seafood, Vegetarian Entrées, Hot off the Grill, Pasta, Pizza & Sandwiches, Stir-Fries & Curries, Index

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Food and Wine

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2010

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

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The recipes really ARE simple (I hate when a recipe claims to be “easy” but has tons of ingredients and a zillion steps) and taste delicious! Because every recipe is tested many times, you know that the version that makes it into the recipe book is absolutely the best of the best. I also love that each recipe has a little paragraph at the top that explains “why this recipe works.” Highly recommend both this cookbook and ATK in general. I’m at the point where the only recipes I want to make are recipes from America’s Test Kitchen.

[Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must be a keeper, I just took this book to Staples to have it wire-bound. This is always a sure sign that the book will get a lot of use by me! I don't know if I can ever mark this book as "read." It seems that I am checking recipes in it every day. I do love those folks at America's Test Kitchen. Their recipes ALWAYS work.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really really like Americas Test Kitchen recipes, and this book in particular is helping me put some good meals on the table. The ingredient list isn't too long & directions are clear and short. Occasionally a few pre-made ingredients are included, but this is mainly simple, flavorful food. Many recipes do include an unusual ingredient such as hoisin sauce. What is nice is that the editors seem to realize we might tend to shy away from such things. They explain what the ingredient does and recommend a brand they approve of. Good eating at our house these days.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My southern Cali friend had this on her shelf and made a dinner out of it one night and said she really liked the book. Well the recipe she made was delicious! I thumbed through the book while I was there and when I got back home I went and purchased the book myself and made that same recipe. This recipe was simple enough but there were some ingredients that I didn't have on hand, which I'm fine with. But not so simple that I'm just dumping cans together to make a meal. The meal tasted like something you would have ordered off of a menu. I was highly impressed.

[Annie Bjustrom · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best cookbooks I have found. If you want some flavorful recipes that are simple to make this is the ticket!

[Sophie Myst · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are stories from my teenage years that involve the phrase "mousse flambe." I can make a mean bowl of cereal, and for years, I've let other people do the cooking or I've settled for something easy (sandwiches, frozen things, etc).

This book? Freaking stellar for someone like me. It's got sections that tell you about different cuts of beef or chicken (taste vs tenderness, what cut is from what part, that sort of thing). I've tried a handful of recipes, and they're all fantastic. So far, the best one was the Crab Cakes and Herb Salad. My stepmum swore that if she ordered that in a restaurant, she would easily expect to pay top dollar for it.

Excellent cookbook for beginners and experienced cooks alike.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are huge America's Test Kitchen fans, and this particular cookbook is my personal favorite. The recipes match my skill level and motivation, and they have great flavor profiles. I've made so many of the recipes in this book, and I've loved almost all of them! I also enjoy the variety of cuisines on offer in here. We've had fun trying different foods that we otherwise might not have considered. Some of my favorite recipes are the Spicy Pasta and Sausage Bake (which could easily be swapped out to become an Italian sausage bake) and the Kung Pao Shrimp. In fact, their Kung Pao is better than what I get at our local Chinese restaurants, and it's easy to make too. This cookbook is definitely worth the buy!

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one. Lots of recipes I would love to try and great pictures to get me inspired. I think I may have to buy this one as there were too many recipes that I want to try to copy them all!

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty much every recipe in this book takes less than forty-five minutes to make, and is crazy-delicious.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike several other cookbooks by America's Test Kitchen, this one is full of delicious-looking recipes with fairly simple ingredients and directions. I can't wait to try out some of these!

[Amaryca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not sure what they mean by “simple”. These recipes require a lot of prep work. Yes, it might only take 30 mins to cook a given recipe... but what about the 30-45 mins you have to spend prepping and chopping ingredients? My version of simple isn’t paying someone else to prep my ingredients or spending 30-45 prepping them myself.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost a perfect cookbook. I have almost all of the ATK cookbooks and this one rates highest.

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook is true to its title: tasty and simple recipes for anyone's schedule! There are soup, salad, vegetarian, meat, pasta, and even stir fry and curries recipes, as well as recipes fit for any grill. Everyone is sure to find ideas in here that won't overwhelm your busy schedule.

Sarah M. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I made a few good recipes, and a few not-so-good ones, from this book. The cover says 30 minutes or less, but at least one of the meals I made called for more than 30 minutes of cooking time, not even counting all the prep, so that was annoying. I also didn't like all the convenience food ingredients (having just read In Defense of Food), but that's not the book's fault, especially since the emphasis is on meals coming together quickly.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best cookbook I've ever had. I've tried a good number of the recipes, and have not found any that I didn't like. Of course, I like some more than others, but I have yet to find one that was just bad. Perfect for busy homes that still want to eat delicious meals; I've started giving this book as a wedding gift quite often.

[Shannon Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cooking book is simply adorable with its recipe that are easy to follow and the results of your cooking is just marvelous with the taste coming out from every ingredients for it. Some of the recipe are manageable to prepare taking me 30-45 minutes in preparation and cooking but the finished product are so worth it. Thanks to this cookbook an additional to my digital library.

[Bear · Rating 3 out of 5]

The vegetarian recipes I tried were really good.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh delicious. Not vegan by any stretch ;) It does have a vegetarian section. I love these cookbooks. I have a BUNCH that I have to try.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of quick weeknight dinner ideas, but not your everyday pasta and red sauce. Seems like a very handy book for all us busy people. will be getting my brother a copy for his birthday.

[Doan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great as always. I found a lot of new recipes to try.

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recipes that look good, are quick, and can be made with lots of pantry ingredients? Sign me up.

[Noah Goats · Rating 5 out of 5]

I work all day and then come home and immediately start cooking dinner for the family, and on weeknights there always seems to be so much going on that letting anything simmer for a couple hours is just not an option. (About the only thing I miss from the covid era is how it permitted me to cook slow stuff on any given day.) So, I'm a sucker for 30 minute cookbooks. I've been using this one for a few weeks and I like it quite a bit.

First of all, the food is good. I've cooked seven or eight things in here so far and I have liked every one of them. Second of all, they have all actually come together in 30 minutes or less. There are a lot of 30 minute recipes out there that are simply not realistic. So far, these ones work.

Also, I love how straight forward this is. I have a few cookbooks where the actual recipes are buried under piles of unnecessary verbiage. There's no nonsense in this cookbook. You have the recipe, and some helpful hints and tips, but no stories about the author's cousin who used to make this green bean recipe every thanksgiving. (I do have a couple cookbooks that have extra verbiage I enjoy, but we are talking about a 30 minute recipe book here. No time for nonsense! America's Test Kitchen gets it!)

[Jonathan H. MONTES · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had this book loaded in my phone long ago, and finally got to it, but wish I hadn't.

The book is overfilled with recipes that call for meat. About 90 percent of the recipes fall in this way. There are two categories of which you can get some vegetarian options. But that's it.

I'll say this though, the recipes are easy to follow, but little is there for you to imagine as pictures are minimal.

I skipped a lot in this book because I couldn't eat it. No problem. However, if you like easy recipes and are a meat eater, got for this book. There are a lot of tasty sounding recipes that I wish I could make, but just can't because I no longer fall in that spectrum. That's my choice, but this should not affect everyone else. I would recommend if you like easy cooking.

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really nice collection of easy to make recipes including some nice photos and good directions plus some helpful hints. Uses a some store bought ingredients such as rotisserie chicken to aid in cutting down preparation time for some of the recipes. Discusses the differences in some some brands of the same ingredient.
Planning on trying quite a few of the recipes.

[Catie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did find a few recipes to add to my to-try list. I appreciate that they add tips at the bottom of the pages, I just found they aren't super adaptable. Most of the recipes make both a main and a side of veggies and/or sauce, so it is a complete meal, make in one pan, kind of things. But I thought it was an interesting take on the easy recipe cookbook.

[Heydi Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always American Test Kitchen provides the best recipes with a thorough explanation of why it works. I want to make everything in this book.

[Mills College Library]

641.555 B5617 2010

[Joey · Rating 3 out of 5]

i generally love the Test Kitchen books, and I have very many of them, i go to them all the time. But, to me, these recipes did not seem easy.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of the recipes sound good, and they seem to be simple to make.

[Weatherly Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of cookbooks and rarely want to make more than a few recipes per cookbook. There were so many I want to try from this book.