Going Solo in the Kitchen
by Jane Doerfer
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Book Reviews of Going Solo in the Kitchen
Book Review: New and experienced solo cooks rejoice!
Summary: 5 Stars
Even without a single recipe--and there are more than 350 of them if you didn't notice--this book is a wonderfully enjoyable tutorial for solo shopping in family-sized stores, managing food until it's prepared and served, varying the ingredients to match your tastes (or pantry) and finally, suggestions for leftovers right there at the end of the recipe, where they belong--sort of a thesaurus cooking concept. I love that.Jane is nutritionally aware and savvy, with a good background in both gardening and using the stuff that comes out of one and into the kitchen to taste advantage.
But wait! There's another important dimension to this book: Jane Doerfer was not *always* a solo cook, nor was she wearing the latest in apron and kitchen gadget-fashions when she typed the manuscript (shameless plug for Le Crueuset, aside). Instead, I suspect she found herself "suddenly solo" and needing to make the best of it--which she clearly does.
This book is a good mix of earthy "touchable" and "do-able" meals and ingredients and what I might call evening bistro fare. I also found it uplifting, inspiring, and an excellent reminder of the many silver linings to be found beneath the cloud of finding yourself unexpectedly dining alone--a cloud which drives so many souls to accepting food passed through a rolled-down car-window even though they may know better.
The recipes and ideas are great and they work. The book was so well focused to my interest that I read the entire thing in a couple of sittings, taking pantry-stock notes, and folding page corners as I went along.
The hardcover is already out-of-print I see. If you are a solo cook, buy this book now, while it's still available, in stock, and in print and you will join me in thanking Jane for troubling herself to write these things down.
Book Review: Not in my kitchen, not on my stove!
Summary: 2 Stars
I fancy myself an expert reader, but confess to barely emerging from my novitiate as a chef. I'm busy compiling a library of cookbooks to garnish my newly reacquired bachelor status and freshly cultivated culinary courage. Alas, this particular tome is working its way to dust-gathering status. My most recent experience: I attempted the "Piquant Boneless Chicken Breast," the recipe for which spans pages 132-133. First of all, the split breast at a medium-high heat took far longer than the suggested 4-5 minutes to cook. So perhaps, I thought, the stove was not hot enough. Nevertheless, I allowed some time for the pan to cool to "medium" before adding the garlic and cooking for 30 seconds, as indicated in the recipe. Although the chicken took longer to cook than suggested, allowing me to believe the temperature too low, the cooled pan burned the garlic (and optional added tarragon) almost instantly. Adding the chicken stock and lemon juice produced a scorched brown paste in the pan. Now, I happen to love the taste of burnt garlic and tarragon, and I count lifeless brown among my favorite colors, so I quite enjoyed my dinner, but I'm glad the recipe produced but a single portion. I would never have served this mess to guests.
I've now tried and taken notes on six of the recipes in this book, all with similar experiences. I'd think the problem was my equipment and my incipient dotage were I having similar problems with recipes from other cookbooks. Alas, such is not the case. "The Joy of Cooking," Pepin's books and the stuff the Silver Palate people put out all yield reliably splendid repasts. I note the five star reviews that precede mine and marvel incredulously.
Book Review: excellent cookbook...for most singles
Summary: 4 Stars
I've always disliked cooking, but I finally got fed up with warming up frozen dinners and eating take-out. It was too expensive, unhealthy, and didn't even taste that great. I wanted home-made food. So I bit the bullet and started cooking. I was pleased to find that, at last, the publishing industry has seen the need to cater (heh) to single folks--suddenly, I didn't have to worry about preparing an entree that would feed five people.
Overall I've been very pleased with this cookbook. It suits my needs almost perfectly, although I can see how it would miss some audiences: some of the recipes do require you to keep expensive, perishable ingredients on hand, and some do take a little longer to prepare than the book suggests. But I pick and choose, and I'm pretty good about figuring out which recipes I can handle (like I said, I'm a novice) and which ones are still beyond me. The ones that work, work really well. Suddenly I don't feel like a moron in front of a stove, and I've actually started to look forward to grocery shopping and cooking so I can try new things.
I wish the book had better nutritional information about the recipes, and some more precise instructions on food preparation ("Heat the oil in the skillet and add the meat"? What heat level should I use before everything turns into smoke and char? I'm new at this!). But overall, I'm very pleased. I highly recommend this book to single cooks who aren't exactly geniuses in the kitchen, and who don't want to spend hours fixing dinner, but who want home-made food that's not all out of a can. Trust me: if I can cook from this book, anybody can.
Book Review: Excellent resource for single cooks!
Summary: 5 Stars
How refreshing to enjoy a realistic approach to cooking for one! Ingredients used throughout the cookbook are those that the average person has on hand, unlike most cookbooks on the market. In the rare event that a special ingredient is called for, an explanation is provided on how to shop for the ingredient and how to store it for maximum shelf life. Realistic freezer space is also considered, which gives this book an edge over others.I greatly appreciate the modifications at the end of many recipes indicating what other ingredients may be substituted effectively (eg: to use chicken instead of shrimp, do this...). To me, learning a cooking technique has become more valuable after reading this book than simply memorizing a recipe. Offered suggestions for modifications illustrates the intention of each recipe (the specific process used, if you will). People say that cooking is not a mystery; it is simply a skill acquired through learning a few cooking methods and adjusting them creatively. This book helped me learn the basics so I can Finally begin to do my own exploring.
I have searched for years for a practical cookbook such as this. Since I began experimenting with recipes found in this text, my friends absolutely rave about my cooking! And for me, I have found myself declining invitations for fast food or pizza in favor of trying a new recipe in my own kitchen using a few leftovers from the previous day. I'm eating healthier, losing weight, and saving money. What could be better? Thank you for this book! Bravo!
Book Review: Lots of good recipes but light on needed advice for beginners.
Summary: 3 Stars
I never learned about food - the variety, proper preparation, or enjoyment of - when I was growing up...frozen chicken nuggets and canned corn were staples in my house. Both my parents worked, and on the rare occasion we had nice meals I was never encouraged properly to help out and learn. I have zero kitchen instincts.
I bought this book hoping that, as a young, single, BUSY person, I could learn to appreciate cooking from it, at the same time learning not to waste so much food. But this is basically a recipe book with a few pages of advice about cooking equipment and shopping (most of which I found useless; my suburban grocery store managers aren't interested in being my friend). While there was some good advice about storing certain types of food effectively, it was entirely bereft of any kind of meal planning, another task that simply consumes too much time for me to learn well. If I had written this, I would have grouped recipes by common ingredient lists, accompanyment and re-use ideas, not by the main component like a typical cookbook. Even if it is mostly a cookbook, it's not conveniently bound for such a purpose.
On the plus side, I do appreciate the simplicity and flavor of most of the recipes. Admittedly I haven't tried most of them, because I still can't figure out how to effectively plan grocery runs.