I am so excited for today’s review because it is my most-reached-for cookbook, Melissa Clark’s Dinner in One: Exceptional and Easy One-Pan Meals.
But first, I must confess, if there’s a learning curve that I am grappling with while writing these posts, it’s that I am not a food photographer. I am not very good at it nor is it something I often think to do. I’m also not a quick-enough illustrator to draw or paint the foods I’m talking about, something I might do in this space eventually. And using other people’s photos, even with giving the source, feels weird to me? Suffice to say, I haven’t figured out where I land on imagery in this space.
So while I work on that, I thought it would be fun (mainly for me, and maybe also you) if I enlisted the help of an AI image generator. And you know what? I think the results are very funny. There’s a couple of real pictures throughout, but the majority of imagery came from Canva’s Magic Media. And while the following illustrations are not the best examples of the delicious food in Mrs. Clark’s book, I hope you get a chuckle out of them, too. What a silly time to live in!
Dinner In One, with One on the Way
When I bought Dinner In One, I was pregnant. It was a small gift to myself as I reflected on all the change to come, all the change that was already happening. I had (and admittedly, still have) a tendency to spend longer in the kitchen than intended and use more dishes than I want to clean after I eat. What if I made some cheddar biscuits to go with this chili? Wouldn’t some bruschetta go along with this meal nicely?
While I still don’t view this as a bad thing, per se, I knew it was something I’d have to reign in. The promise of Dinner In One - “100 Recipes all Made in One Pan, Pot, or Dish” - was too good to pass up.
What I didn’t know then is that I was buying the book that would become my go-to, one that would improve both my planning and cooking skills. There is so much to love about this book - let’s dig in.
Who is Melissa Clark?
She has authored more than three dozen cookbooks. She is a food columnist for the New York Times, contributing to their weekly Cooking newsletter. As I publish this, she has 1,503 (!!!) attributed recipes in the NYT Cooking database. She has been recognized by the James Beard Foundation and International Association of Culinary Professionals. She makes regular appearances on the Today show, Rachael Ray, and The Splendid Table.
In short, Melissa Clark is a powerhouse, an American treasure, and one heck of a recipe writer.
The Book
We’ve already gotten into the premise - everything is cooked in one vessel - and Melissa mentions in the foreword that most of the recipes also clock in around an hour. Though the focus is obviously dinner, there’s several recipes that could easily fall into brunch/lunch as well.
The chapters are broken down by the vessel they’re cooked in - think “Sheet Pan” or “Skillet” or “Dutch Oven,” and there is also a chapter on one-bowl cakes. Most recipes have a photo, and many recipes fit on one page. Seemingly small design choices result in the book being exceptionally user-friendly, like the ingredients being listed in bold and a different color than the quantity and extra notes about the ingredient. This makes it easy to skim a recipe and determine if you have what you need when you’re trying to pull dinner together last-minute.
What I love about this book, what has made it indispensable to me, is the flexibility given with every recipe. Want to make Crispy Lemon Chicken, but you prefer chicken breast over the thigh? Her “Swap It Out” note will tell you how to adjust your cooking time. Trying to incorporate more veggies in your diet? “Veg It Up” notes throughout the book will tell you where extra veggies are an easy add. Cooking for vegetarians, or vegans? Several recipes are naturally vegetarian, and notes like “Vegan Upgrade” give instructions to convert a recipe when it makes sense to do so.
I would dare say that this is one of the most flexible cookbooks I’ve ever read, and it is 100% the most flexible in my collection. For this newsletter, I attempted to count all of the different suggestions given with each recipe and lost track midway through the first chapter. Working backwards, I decided to count how many recipes didn’t offer a specific note in the sidebar on recommended ways to alter a recipe - only 7. Even those list options in the ingredient lists themselves, be it the recommended herbs or the choice of wine versus stock. Those tweaks might seem minor to experienced home cooks but can be a big help if you're still gaining confidence in the kitchen.
The Recipes
I have cooked a lot of the recipes from this book. The following are my favorites thus far:
Creamy Peanut Chicken with Charred Snow Peas - This is the recipe I have made the most from this book, to the point where I only flip to it so I know that I’m getting the ratios for the peanut sauce correct. I always double the recipe for the sauce (it’s so good) and add extra veggies (bell peppers and zucchini). It is so dang delicious and surprisingly easy - the kind of recipe that will make you impressed with yourself.
I couddn't choose between the rice that looks like popcorn or the chicken that looks like a mud pie. Caramelized Carrots with Pancetta, Olives, and Crispy Parmesan - Admittedly, when I first made this, I was skeptical. The combination was new to me, and carrots are fine but not my favorite root veg. Nevertheless, I tried it, adapting only by the notes, and holy smokes. I don’t know that I’ve ever eaten that many carrots in one sitting before, but I kept going back for more.
Where one carrot ends, another begins. Parmesan White Beans and Kale with Crunchy, Garlicky Bread Crumbs - This is naturally vegetarian and naturally delicious, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like to throw in some crumbled bacon or smoked sausage. It is so cozy and exactly what I want when it's cold outside (which will be here before you know it).
This isn’t anywhere close to what that recipe looks like, but I love the three different looks for bacon and the weird teal beans.
Turkey and Bean Tamale Pie - This is another repeat dish for me. I have made it a variety of ways (different beans, different ground meats), and it is always wonderful. Most recently, I made it last week while it was just Davey and I - the fact that it was something I could pull off while keeping a 1-year-old entertained in his play pen, not to mention that he loved it, means I will make it forever.
The combo of the too-small lid floating in the air with the tamale pie sitting on top of tamales really gets me. Tender Chocolate Coconut Cake - Towards the end of the book, the “One-Bowl Cakes” chapter is a home-run. Like the rest of the book, the chapter has a lot of ideas for additions and substitutions - if you’re the type who doesn’t like to bake because you feel too bound to follow the rules, this is for you! This cake is light and airy and lovely - a single layer with a coconut milk glaze with shredded coconut, the cake equivalent of a Mounds bar. I made it around this time last year, and I’ve been thinking it’s time to make it again - something about the combination of chocolate and coconut screams end-of-summer treat to me.
Obviously not a single-layer cake but I like that the coconut on top is pretty much a starfish. Also lol at the little mounds of coconut in the background.
A Musical Pairing
I’m a big fan of Maggie Rogers and her most recent album, Don’t Forget Me, is one I go back to often. It’s got a different feel than her last two albums, exploring more genres but still feeling like a cohesive whole. It’s also a short album, clocking in at almost 36 minutes. You could feasibly listen to the whole thing while making one of these recipes, even stopping to replay your favorites — mine are “Drunk,” “The Kill,” and “If Now Was Then.”
Extra Extras
Dinner in One is available wherever books are sold. To learn more about Melissa Clark, check out her website or her page on NYT Cooking. You can also follow her on instagram here.
Melissa has been a guest on several podcasts I listen to, but my favorite was when she went on She’s My Cherry Pie to talk about recipe development. You can listen to that episode here, where she also shares the recipe for her Tender Chocolate Coconut Cake (which you really should make).
That’s all for now. I hope you cook something good this week, and I hope you spend only as much time in the kitchen as you want.