THE COMPLETE
COOKING FOR TWO
COOKBOOK
650 RECIPES FOR EVERYTHING YOULL EVER WANT TO MAKE
BY THE EDITORS AT
AMERICAS TEST KITCHEN
Copyright 2014 by the Editors at Americas Test Kitchen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
AMERICAS TEST KITCHEN
17 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445
The complete cooking for two cookbook : 650 recipes for everything youll ever want to make / by the editors at Americas Test Kitchen.
pages cm
Includes index.
Kindle 978-1-940352-02-2
ISBN 978-1-936493-83-8
1. Cooking for two. I. Americas Test Kitchen (Firm) II. Americas test
kitchen (Television program)
TX652.C654 2014
641.5612--dc23
2013043996
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
DISTRIBUTED BY
Americas Test Kitchen
17 Station Street, Brookline, MA 02445
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Jack Bishop
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, BOOKS: Elizabeth Carduff
EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Lori Galvin
EXECUTIVE FOOD EDITOR: Julia Collin Davison
SENIOR EDITORS: Suzannah McFerran and Dan Zuccarello
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Alyssa King
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Melissa Herrick
TEST COOKS: Danielle DeSiato-Hallman, Sara Mayer, Ashley Moore, Stephanie Pixley, and Meaghen Walsh
ASSISTANT TEST COOK: Lainey Seyler
DESIGN DIRECTOR: Amy Klee
ART DIRECTOR: Greg Galvan
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR: Taylor Argenzio
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR, PHOTOGRAPHY: Steve Klise
DESIGNER: Jen Kanavos Hoffman
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: Daniel J. van Ackere
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY: Keller + Keller and Carl Tremblay
FOOD STYLING: Catrine Kelty and Marie Piraino
PHOTOSHOOT KITCHEN TEAM:
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Chris OConnor
TEST COOK: Daniel Cellucci
ASSISTANT TEST COOK: Cecelia Jenkins
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Guy Rochford
SENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGER: Jessica Quirk
SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER: Alice Carpenter
PRODUCTION AND TRAFFIC COORDINATORS: Brittany Allen and Brit Dresser
WORKFLOW AND DIGITAL ASSET MANAGER: Andrew Mannone
SENIOR COLOR AND IMAGING SPECIALIST: Lauren Pettapiece
PRODUCTION AND IMAGING SPECIALISTS: Heather Dube and Lauren Robbins
COPYEDITOR: Cheryl Redmond
PROOFREADER: Christine Corcoran Cox
INDEXER: Elizabeth Parson
Welcome to Americas Test Kitchen
This book has been tested, written, and edited by the folks at Americas Test Kitchen, a very real 2,500-square-foot kitchen located just outside of Boston. It is the home of Cooks Illustrated magazine and Cooks Country magazine and is the Monday-through-Friday destination for more than three dozen test cooks, editors, food scientists, tasters, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.
We start the process of testing a recipe with a complete lack of conviction, which means that we accept no claim, no theory, no technique, and no recipe at face value. We simply assemble as many variations as possible, test a half-dozen of the most promising, and taste the results blind. We then construct our own hybrid recipe and continue to test it, varying ingredients, techniques, and cooking times until we reach a consensus. The result, we hope, is the best version of a particular recipe, but we realize that only you can be the final judge of our success (or failure). As we like to say in the test kitchen, We make the mistakes, so you dont have to.
All of this would not be possible without a belief that good cooking, much like good music, is indeed based on a foundation of objective technique. Some people like spicy foods and others dont, but there is a right way to saut, there is a best way to cook a pot roast, and there are measurable scientific principles involved in producing perfectly beaten, stable egg whites. This is our ultimate goal: to investigate the fundamental principles of cooking so that you become a better cook. It is as simple as that.
If youre curious to see what goes on behind the scenes at Americas Test Kitchen check out our daily blog, The Feed at AmericasTestKitchenFeed.com, which features kitchen snapshots, exclusive recipes, video tips, and much more. You can watch us work (in our actual test kitchen) by tuning in to Americas Test Kitchen (AmericasTestKitchen.com) or Cooks Country from Americas Test Kitchen (CooksCountryTV. com) on public television. Tune in to Americas Test Kitchen Radio (AmericasTestKitchen.com) on public radio to listen to insights, tips, and techniques that illuminate the truth about real home cooking. Want to hone your cooking skills or finally learn how to bakefrom an Americas Test Kitchen test cook? Enroll in a cooking class at our online cooking school at OnlineCookingSchool.com. And find information about subscribing to Cooks Illustrated magazine at CooksIllustrated. com or Cooks Country magazine at CooksCountry.com. Both magazines are published every other month. However you choose to visit us, we welcome you into our kitchen, where you can stand by our side as we test our way to the best recipes in America.
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Preface
A friend of mine in Vermont, Doug, cooks for twohimself and his 12-year-old daughter. He is not used to cooking every day and always worries about having too many leftovers, especially large cuts of meat. But he also wants good and interesting food, not just the usual standbysspaghetti sauce 12 ways! And even he, as the cook in the house, realizes that Kraft Mac & Cheese is not a viable option.
For years, the test kitchen didnt take this subset of cooking seriouslyafter all, it seemed like an easy adaptation of most any recipe. But, after receiving literally hundreds of requests, we went into the kitchen and discovered that cooking for two is a lot more complicated than dividing by two. Truth be told, it is a whole new way of cooking.
Here are a few of our test kitchen solutions. Beef stew for two is based on steak tips, not chuck roast. Lasagna can be made in a loaf pan. A souffl works nicely in a skillet, which also makes it easier. We found a new way to scale back our chocolate chip cookie recipe without losing an ounce of flavor. And mini Bundt pans are perfect for Rich Chocolate Bundt Cakes.
But our new cooking-for-two cookbook is not just about scaling back the classic American repertoire. We also include 150 Fast recipes (Teriyaki-Glazed Steak Tips, Pork Tacos with Mango Salsa, Pasta with Tomato and Almond Pesto...) and 100 Light recipes (Farmhouse Vegetable and Barley Soup, Thai Chicken with Basil, Berry Gratins...).
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