All About Dinner: Simple Meals, Expert Advice

by Molly Stevens

Overview

A Finalist for the 2020 IACP Cookbook Award
A Finalist for the 2020 James Beard Foundation Cookbook Award (General)

The Atlantic "Best Cookbooks of 2019" • Washington Post "Cookbooks That Inspired Us in 2019" • Christian Science Monitor "Best Cookbooks of 2019" • NPR "Favorite Books of 2019" • WBUR Here & Now "Best Cookbooks of 2019"

An award-winning cookbook author and cooking teacher answers her most-asked question: What do you make for dinner?

Like most of us, Molly Stevens has no team of prep cooks, no vast pantry, and no one paid to clean up her home kitchen. What she does have are delicious, time- tested recipes made from easy-to-find ingredients, collected for the first time in All About Dinner. These are the dishes that Stevens loves most, the ones her students clamor for: an Arugula Salad with Peaches, Basil Vinaigrette and Sunflower Seeds; an elegant Creamy Parsnip-Leek Soup; a Butter-Poached Shrimp with Fresh Tomatoes and Garlic; and an Apple and Triple-Ginger Crisp. Building on the foolproof clarity of her previous cookbooks, each recipe is designed to impart solid kitchen skills while encouraging home cooks to expand their personal repertoires by mastering everyday favorites like simple pasta, hearty stew, and tempting savory and sweet snacks.

A gorgeous collection of balanced meals, packed with flavor, All About Dinner will entice busy cooks back into their kitchens.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393246285
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	11/05/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	692,645
File size:	149 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Molly Stevens is a cooking instructor, writer, and recipe developer. Her cookbooks include All About Dinner as well as the James Beard and IACP cookbook award winners All About Braising and All About Roasting. She has been named Cooking Teacher of the Year by both Bon Appétit and IACP. Her recipes and articles have appeared regularly in Bon Appétit, Fine Cooking, Eating Well, and other national publications. She lives near Burlington, Vermont.

Editorial Reviews

09/01/2019

While there are many inspirational and aspirational cookbooks, they don't always help with the daily task of getting dinner on the table. Stevens, a winner of both IACP and James Beard awards for All About Roasting, understands the time and equipment limits of the home kitchen and is here to help. Her latest offering, All About Dinner, focuses on building skills and confidence in the kitchen. While not offering a primer for first-time cooks, she does explain ingredients and techniques thoroughly so that the uncertain cook will have success. There is plenty for experienced cooks as well, including sophisticated flavor combinations and clever tips. The book covers salads, soups, snacks, and desserts, as well as dinner entrées made with meat, poultry, fish, pasta and grains, and vegetables. Recipes range from comfort food (turkey and vegetable pot pie) to the more unusual (whole-grain sorghum with sautéed mushrooms and miso.) Stevens encourages readers to use the recipes as jumping-off points and offers ways to vary ingredients and flavor profiles. VERDICT A solid and attractive addition for any home cook.—Devon Thomas, Chelsea, MISciences

Library Journal

07/15/2019

The latest from James Beard Award–winner Stevens (All About Roasting) helps home cooks resist the urge to order in with a raft of relatively easy-to-prepare meals. After an introduction that lists “15 habits of highly effective cooks” (including not skimping on salt and using an oven thermometer), Stevens breaks down the chapters in traditional sections (salads, fish, vegetables). While there’s little revolutionary, dishes such as salmon fillets marinated in a mixture of soy sauce and sesame oil, and broccoli raab sautéed with garlic and hot pepper will have perennial appeal. Stevens is a teacher at heart and that background shows through her thorough instructions: if one roasts cauliflower for a spicy soup on a parchment-lined pan, “pick up the paper like a sling and slide all the vegetables into the pot.” Many recipes provide instructions for making in advance, and helpful sidebars highlight, for example, the types of feta cheese (Greek has “a bold flavor” while Bulgarian tends to be “creamy and mild”) and explain the differences between “air-chilled” and “wet-chilled” chicken. A brief chapter on sweets includes shortbread and a carrot layer cake. Steven’s options are solid and have great potential to work their way into rotation for time-pressed home cooks. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"Molly Stevens is one of the most generous, gifted cooking teachers I know. Her excitement and culinary depth are at full tilt boogie in All About Dinner as she coaches you to become a smarter, more present cook. Whether you’re new to cooking or well-seasoned in the kitchen, you’ll be using this book for years to come."

Andrea Nguyen

"A quintessential Molly Stevens cookbook—instructive, encouraging, and brimming with home-run recipes. All About Dinner exemplifies why she is one of America’s most respected cooking voices."

Heidi Swanson