excellent reviews at amazon, among them:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely the Best Cookbook for Singles or Couples ! ! ! !, December 17, 2008
By LEllen (SoCal, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Barbara Swain's Cookery For 1 Or 2 (Paperback)
It's always been just me, so I have a bit of a thing for cookbooks for 1 and/or 2. This is the book that started my collection, and I even remember when and where I bought it: at the Smith's Food King in Los Feliz -- but I digress.
This is the only cookbook in that genre I have ever seen that is so complete. If I could give it six stars I would. It is like a "Joy of Cooking" for the single person/couple. It not only has 225 recipes for everything from Appetizers to Desserts, but also sections on how to shop, how to store what you buy, even how to equip your kitchen and what to keep on hand as staples.
Most recipe books are very heavy on dinnertime entrees and leave the rest of the meal, and the day, to you to figure out. This book covers all aspects of cooking fairly well. There are chapters on Main Dishes and on Fish & Seafood of course, but also good coverage on Breakfast & Brunch, Appetizers, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetables, Cakes & Pastries, and Dinner Desserts. Each chapter opens with a discussion on the topic in general. For instance, the chapter on Breakfast & Brunch includes a couple of sample menus as well as a discussion of breakfast meats, fruits, and purchased breads, which need no recipe but are part of the topic at hand.
Ms. Swain must have a sweet tooth, because the chapters on cakes, pastries and desserts cover 30 pages, with recipes for things as simple as a 4-serving Pound Cake or Carrot Cake and as fancy as Cream Puffs and flaming Cherries Jubilee. There's even a recipe for Individual Baked Alaska, which I never seem to get around to trying. But I am sure it will be as wonderful as all the other recipes in this book -- not a dud in the bunch.
Even though this book is 30 years old (and was written before the microwave became standard equipment in the kitchen and so has no information whatsoever about microwave cooking [but really, how much REAL cooking do you do in yours -- no I don't mean heating up a TV dinner]), it is as valuable as a housewarming gift for someone moving out on their own as it ever was -- too bad it is no longer in print.
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Sean says:
Couldn't agree more with your review! I first bought this book in 1987 when I was in college and more than any other this book helped me to learn how to cook for myself. For a single guy who wanted to learn to cook for himself, Swain's book is a sentimental favorite of mine that I just can't bring myself to part with. It was my first exposure to steak Diane, eggs benedict, potatoes Anna (which I might make this weekend now that I'm remembering it!), bearnaise sauce (I'll never forget trying to make this sauce without it breaking), etc. I learned a variety of dishes and didn't fall into the trap of making something huge (lasagne, chili, etc.) and eating it for a week. I'm so pleased that Ms. Swain has such devoted supporters (nothing but 5 stars!) willing to sing her praises on Amazon.
