Going Solo in the Kitchen
by Jane Doerfer
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jane DoerferEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-08-25
ISBN: 0375703934
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Book Reviews of Going Solo in the Kitchen
Book Review: This Book Is My Best Friend...it has helped me a lot!
Summary: 5 Stars
ABOUT THE BOOK IN GENERAL:
Having spent most of my late teen and early young-adult life in a long-term relationship that I thought was leading to marriage, I failed to ever develop any real skills or strategies for cooking for myself or even grocery shopping for myself. After becoming single, at first I ate mostly fast/convenience food. I got sick of that pretty quickly though, and gradually advanced to higher-end forms of take-out. After a couple years I finally got sick of that too, and in my late twenties eventually found myself wandering aimlessly through grocery stores once or twice a week before inevitably settling for the usual: sushi, a box of granola/protein bars, peanut butter, and stacks of frozen dinners.
I asked for and received this book for Christmas last year hoping that it would inspire me to make a positive change in my life, in terms of learning to take time for myself, eating healthier, and just taking better care of myself in general. I actually didn't crack the book until this July (what can I say, change is a process), but since then my attitude towards food, my attitude towards myself, and my attitude regarding my single-ness have all begun to shift in very positive ways.
Why am I sharing all of this stuff about my life with you in a review for a cookbook? To make an important point: this was really a lot more than just a cookbook for me. It IS a great cookbook and if that's all you're looking for, you'll find hoards of unique and delicious recipes-for-one in here. But for me, it was way more than merely a book of recipes. It was actually an important source of inspiration and encouragement for me to finally start embracing my single-ness after all these years. The beginning part of this book was so incredibly helpful. It was like "starting all over from the beginning...for dummies." She even shared insights, tips, and encouragement for how to tackle grocery shopping when you're single.
Then there were all sorts of creative suggestions for ways to store ingredients in single-sized ready to use portions, info about what ingredients will keep and where in the fridge and for how long, suggestions for basic ingredients to always have on hand, all that stuff. And throughout all of this were anecdotes about the single life, pointing out the reasons singles usually give for not wanting to cook, describing what single people tend to do when they go to the grocery store (like run to the frozen food section), and, with an understanding for the reasons why we do what we do, she offers real support for the effort to try and do something differently for yourself. It works because it's coming from the perspective of someone who has been there. There's the voice of a strong independent woman here, who has gone through the transition from functioning in a relationship to functioning as a single, who has gone through the phases and has made these lifestyle changes herself. She heartens her fellow singles not to mope about and settle for eating take out or the same leftovers from a frozen casserole night after night, but to embrace their lives and their bodies in a spirit of self-care, and to have fun creating meals for themselves to savor and enjoy.
ABOUT THE RECIPES:
I have gone into such detail about the encouraging beginning part of the book you would think that's the bulk of it! It's really not at all, it's just something I wanted to say because the little bit she does offer here helped me a lot. Keeping it in perspective though, the Introduction is only 2 pages, and the "Getting Started" section is only 19 pages. The rest of the 300 pages is all recipes. All the ones I've tried make perfectly-sized portions for one person. And they have all been fabulous! I basically went through initially and turned down page corners for all the recipes I thought I would like, and now I go through at the start of each week, and pick out a few to try. I list the ingredients I need and then do my shopping. It's become a really easy system and it is actually kind of fun.
Also, I love the way she introduces recipes with suggestions for when to try them, like "this is a great dinner for a hot summer night" or "try this recipe on a night when you're so tired that even buying take-out is too much effort" (I did try that one and it was true, it really was that easy...and delicious).
I also really like the way she provides "variations" for each recipe. It helps me learn about incorporating different tastes, and it has encouraged me to start thinking outside the box a little bit, helping me to get more experimental with the recipes and not feeling like everything has to be so "by the book."
The variety of recipes is really amazing. Some of my favorite stuff is actually in the last section "Odds & Ends" which has great breakfast suggestions, amazing homemade drinks like a "Lime-Grenadine Cooler" (which I have made to impress friends, it's awesome), and all sorts of treasures that I have started incorporating on a regular basis.
I gave this book 5 stars, because I think it is that good and it deserves all 5 of them for its contribution to my life and to the life of singles everywhere. So far there has only been one recipe I didn't really care for, but that's okay, not everybody has the same tastes and you'll probably run into that with any cookbook. The only thing I had trouble with is that parts of it were actually not quite basic enough for me and sometimes her instructions for what to do in a recipe were a little beyond me...keep in mind though, I knew basically nothing going into this, so other normal people with standard cooking knowledge may not have this problem.
Also, there was one recipe that said it would take 15 minutes to make and it took me an hour. But I don't think she was including the time it took to prepare all the ingredients...or maybe I'm just slow because I have no idea what I'm doing so I'm being overly perfectionistic about it...I spent 15 minutes alone chopping away at the garlic and onions. Anyway, I definitely feel like I need to get another book to cover some more basic cooking 101. But the point is, I never would've even had the motivation or confidence to want to get such a book if it wasn't for this book. This book serves a different purpose, an important one, offering singles the information, tips, recipes, and encouragement to begin to WANT to cook for themselves, treating yourself like as if you are somebody important. You are! I think this is such a positive lifestyle change in term of learning to love and care for ourselves.
Summary of Going Solo in the Kitchen
Designed expressly for solo cooks, this supremely practical cookbook includesmore than 350 recipes for all occasions--plus tips on planning, shopping, andstoring and recycling food.Just because you are your household, don't assume eating solo limits you to having pizza, pancakes, or meat loaf in restaurants; buying them already prepared; or having to file extra portions in the freezer or the dustbin. As Jane Doerfer proves in Going Solo in the Kitchen, with no more effort than when cooking for two or more, one person can eat well and dine beautifully.
Doerfer's main strategies are to use fresh ingredients and to make friends with supermarket staff who can accommodate her needs in the land of large families. She gives detailed advice on storing foods--cooked chicken, for example, tastes better and has better texture when stored in liquid (like a sauce or broth), while potato salads and other prepared dishes keep better longer when left unsalted until just before serving.
Solo cooks do have advantages: you can eat what you want, as often as you want it, and the cost of a steak or lobster dinner is only for one.
Doerfer offers variations for recycling in case of leftovers. Her description of how to cut up a whole chicken is graphically clear (see "Chicken Management") and will save you money.
The recipes and techniques Doerfer offers will brighten the lives of solitary diners who love variety, good food, and home cooking. She provides recipes for everything you might want, from Chicken Noodle Soup to elegant Halibut with Asparagus, Cream Scones, perfectly cooked rice, and fresh, hot berry pie, made in just the right way for one. --Dana Jacobi
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