Cookery for 1 or 2

by Barbara Swain

Book Overview

Barbara Swain's Cookery For 1 Or 2 This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0912656956
• ISBN13: 9780912656953
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: HP Books
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Absolutely the Best Cookbook for Singles or Couples ! ! ! !

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.

First Cookbook I ever owned

GREAT book. Best Stuffed Mushroom recipe I've ever run across! I've had this book for 20+ years. No longer just for 1 or 2, I simply double, triple, and quadruple the recipes for my entire family. Thank you Barbara Swain for getting me hooked on cooking!

Still One of the Best

I have used this book for over 25 years and it is still the book I turn to when I want to make fried rice, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, or shrimp scampi. Those are just a few of the easy, delicious recipes I learned from this book.

A great start to cooking

I purchased this book 25 years ago when I began graduate school. Even though I have a husband and 4 children now, I still use recipes from this book! They are tasty and easy to make! Thanks to Ms. Swain for teaching me to cook!!

Cooking for 1

I'm not an expert cook but have used this book until it is worn out. There are elegant as well as everyday meals for the single person or couple and present many shortcuts and cooking-in-advance techniques. I highly recommend it.