The Pleasures of Cooking for One

From the legendary editor of some of the world's greatest cooks — including Julia Child and James Beard — a delightful book about the joys of cooking for one.

In a book as passionate as it is practical, Judith Jones demonstrates that cooking for one presents unparalleled possibilities for both pleasure and experimentation: we can cook with whatever ingredients appeal to us, using farmers' markets and specialty shops to enrich our palates and improve our health; we can feel free to fail, since the meal doesn't have to be perfect (we have only ourselves to impress); and we can use leftovers to innovate — the remains of beef bourguignon are transformed into a ragu, pork tenderloin becomes a stir-fry, red snapper is reinvented as a summery salad.

Jones is both an instructor and a mentor, suggesting basic recipes for items — such as marinara sauce or homemade stock — that all cooks should have on hand, teaching us how to improvise through ingenious weekly menus, and supplying us with a lifetime's worth of tips and strategies.

The Pleasures of Cooking for One is a vibrant, wise celebration of food and our own company.

"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 [their] 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." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

In a book as passionate as it is practical, Jones demonstrates that cooking for one presents unparalleled possibilities for both pleasure and experimentation.

From the legendary editor of some of the worlds greatest cooksincluding Julia Child and James Bearda passionate and practical book about the joys of cooking for one.

Here, in convincing fashion, Judith Jones demonstrates that cooking for yourself presents unparalleled possibilities for both pleasure and experimentation: you can utilize whatever ingredients appeal, using farmers markets and specialty shops to enrich your palate and improve your health; you can feel free to fail, since a meal for one doesnt have to be perfect; and you can use leftovers to innovatein the course of a week, the remains of beef bourguignon might be reimagined as a ragù, pork tenderloin may become a stir-fry, a cup or two of wild rice produces both a refreshing pilaf and a rich pancake, and red snapper can be reinvented as a summery salad. Its a fulfilling and immensely economical process, one perfectly suited for our timesalthough, as Jones points out, cooking for one also means we can occasionally indulge ourselves in a favorite treat.

Throughout, Jones is both our instructor and our mentor, suggesting basic recipessuch as tomato sauce, preserved lemons, pesto, and homemade stockthat all cooks should have on hand; teaching us how to improvise using an ingenious strategy of building meals through the week; and supplying us with a lifetimes worth of tips and shortcuts. From Childs advice for buying fresh meat to Beards challenge to beginning crêpe-makers and Lidia Bastianichs tips for cooking perfectly sauced pasta, Joness book presents a wealth of acquired knowledge from our finest cooks.

The Pleasures of Cooking for One is a vibrant, wise celebration of food and enjoying our own company from one of our most treasured cooking experts.