The Pleasures of Cooking for One

September 7, 2009
Longtime Knopf editor and executive Jones follows up her recent food memoir with this civilized, unfussy guide to cooking—and cooking well—for solitary diners, for “those... who want to roll up sleeves and enjoy, from day to day, one of the great satisfactions of life.” Forming and revising cooking strategy is a cornerstone of her digressive, folksy approach, so she provides lists of equipment deemed essential, suggestions for dealing with packaging that coerces individuals into buying—and then wasting—more than necessary, and tips for storing spoilage-prone foods. Her other key to enjoying cooking—while reducing the costs of eating—is flexibility. She shares her personal credo about culinary language and exactness, and with many protein-based dishes includes ideas for variations and “second” and “third rounds,” as she refers to leftovers. She doesn't skip desserts, entertaining or self-indulgence, and best of all, her whole book benefits from the diverse and cumulative gleanings of work with many of the great cooks and cookbook writers (including Julia Child, of course) of the latter half of the 20th century.

October 12, 2009
Awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006, Jones (The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food) is the legendary editor who discovered Julia Child. Her genteel manifesto for living well alone is a charming combination of common sense and luxury. She suggests such practical strategies as using dried herbs and learning to measure salt without a spoon but turns around to share a decadent recipe for cassoulet. Her 150 recipes are delicious and relatively healthy. The vegetables in her Chicken Breast SautEed cook right in the pan with the chicken, saving dishes and imbuing the veggies with a deep, satisfying flavor. Her vinaigrette will free many a single person from gloppy purchased dressings, and the Hollandaise for One is worth the price of the book. Verdict Highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn to cook, really cook, for one person.-Jane la Plante, Minot State Univ., ND

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2009
Cooking for one need not be a lonesome, tedious chore. After the death of her beloved husband, Evan, lauded cookbook editor Jones, collaborator with such luminaries as James Beard and Julia Child (whom she recalls in her splendid memoir, The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food, 2007), discovered that, despite her fears, cooking for herself alone did not require abandonment of the simple and comforting joy that a carefully considered and well-prepared meal can generate. Jones revels in dinners of lamb shanks, pork tenderloin, steak, and a host of seafood-based dishes. Appreciating that the single cook may not want to create new dishes for every meal, Jones shows how to cook once without monotony. Thus, one nights leftover Boeuf Bourguignon provides a base for the next nights spaghetti sauce. These recipes presume some sophistication of kitchen technique, catholic tastes (veal kidneys and tongue), and access to purveyors that can provide small portions of high-quality ingredients. Jones established and substantial reputation in the food world will attract a large audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)