One-Pan Wonders: Fuss-Free Meals for Your Sheet Pan, Dutch Oven, Skillet, Roasting Pan, Casserole, and Slow Cooker

Very nice book
(Edited->) I will stipulate that as of today (two years later), I have only made a handful of these recipes (book was in long term storage :c). Of the ones I have made, half were keepers and half were kind of bland or just not good enough to repeat. I just don’t think roasts are for everyone though! I’ve been marking them off on the pages as good or not, so I can easily go back and make the family favorites. It isn’t a purchase that I regret at all!BUT, so far I am a fan for these reasons:1. Pictures of the recipes, and not just pictures of SOME of them, pictures of ALL recipes.2. Variety (of ethnicity). It has many, many different cultural dishes from American, Mediterranean, Asian, Indian, to even Cajun. They are all different types, but also very universal as far as what the average person is willing to eat. The recipes chosen were clearly designed to meet the tastes of as many people as possible.3. Variety (of ingredients). The types of meats are incredibly varied, too. Pork chops, shrimps, salmon, chicken, chuck steak, mussels, and some vegetarian. It incorporates many different vegetables and ingredients like couscous or leaks, but also has many staples like broccoli, carrots, rice, and pasta.4. Easy: none of these recipes are incredibly difficult or time consuming. They all seem to be easy on the prep and cooking. The level of cooking skills you need to make these is minimal. Some recipes do have curve balls like how to prepare mussels or leaks, but it has tips and steps on how to prepare those because they are less common.5. Cost: it seems like the cost of making these recipes is quite reasonable ($3-5 per serving), but it also has some dishes that are the Nicer side ($5-7 per serving) if you are entertaining. Good variety on pricing means you can do a lot for very little $.6. Sides: most cookbooks in my experience don’t care about anything but the main dish. This book offers complimentary side dishes when appropriate. Obviously, not all dishes do need sides, but some definitely do and I like that it helps with that.7. Healthy: most of these dishes are relatively healthy and focus on proteins and vegetables that are good, healthy choices for regular use. You could keep and maintain a healthy, balanced diet with just the recipes from this book.8: Size: this book is actually kind of big. I thought it would be 100 pages or something, but it’s just over 300 pages without a lot of fluff. Accounting for the fact that 1/2 of the pages are pictures of the recipes, that still is a staggering amount of recipes. It’s just about a year’s worth of dinner recipes (if you are serving 1 person and using the recommended serving amounts).I DON’T like:1. Sides: the recipes for the sides are incorporated into the recipe for the main dish. So if you are opting to not make the side for whatever reason, you have to go through and separate out the steps and ingredients yourself. I see no reason why they couldn’t have been divided.2. Book: It is a paperback book. A 300 page paperback book. In my opinion, a hardcover book should be offered and obviously it would be at an extra cost.3. Tips: some of the tips are a bit lacking in clarification. They do generally cover any questions a person might have if they aren’t common ingredients, but some are lacking a full explanation.4. Cover: this is admittedly just a pet peeve for me. I hate it when companies use the book cover to draw people in (as they should), but then fail to add the page number for that specific recipe on the cover or in the list of recipes or anywhere. If I see a recipe that looks fantastic, I want to make it.. It’s page 49, by the way. It was a lot easier to find it since this book has pictures (though they used a different picture than the cover), but it is still a courtesy to put it in small print on the cover.

Not just for a skillet
As of this writing, I’ve read through half the book. It looks like there is a big, color, picture for each recipe, which is fantastic. This is a typical America’s Test Kitchen book (not a bad thing), with lots of explanation, good instructions, and ingredients that should be easy for most in the US to find. I’d say there is a good mix of meat and vegetarian/pescatarian dishes. I didn’t notice this on the cover when I bought it, but the recipes aren’t just for a skillet, but for slow cookers, sheet pans, Dutch ovens, etc., which adds to the variety of what you can make. I don’t think you can go wrong with ATK books, especially if you buy them used.

I’ve bought 3 copies for friends!
Great recipes, easy to follow, and thoughtfully organized. Some creative ideas for when you’re just staring blankly at the fridge trying to figure out how to feed the family without destroying the kitchen.Love the pizza chicken sheet tray recipe, and really enjoyed the salmon.Have bought for friends and family!

Plaisant

I really like this book, broad variety of recipes, not a lot of specialized ingredients needed. Easy to follow and good results.