I'm pescatarian, so much of this book is not of specific interest.

However, the thought process behind the recipe down-scaling is universally applicable and will come in handy. ( )

I only just recently had the revelation that the way to reduce all those leftovers I keep having to throw away is to just cook less. This cookbook takes many familiar favorites and accurately reduces the ingredient amounts, cooking times, and pan sizes for you so you don't have to. As most recipes for "four" usually turn out enough food for six or more, I calculated that recipes designed for two would be enough for my family of three, with perhaps one lunch leftover. The biscuits were very good--and easy--but I think my family actually wanted more of them than was good for them.

Cooking for two is a lot more complicated than dividing by two. Truth be told, it’s a whole new way of cooking.

This book is another home run from America’s Test Kitchen! It’s 80% a collection of recipes and 20% a collection of tips on culinary techniques and evaluations of cookery tools. The recipes (650!) and ingredients range from standard to interesting, the culinary skills from novice to experienced. It's very well organized, printed with full-color photographs on smooth pages, and bound into a paperback that lays open on the counter.

I thought I'd be most interested in the sections on main courses, but my first revelation was that bakeware comes in smaller sizes -- somewhere between standard-size and EZBake Oven-size -- and my second was seeing the recipes here for side dishes and desserts that use those smaller sizes. My husband and I forego fancy sides and home-baked desserts because we end up indulging in days and days of them (...or throw the leftovers out). But here, we're reveling in recipes for small gratins; 6-inch cakes, pies and quiches; mini-quickbreads; 4 muffins; 12 cookies. Every recipe in this book serves two! And they're ample servings.

Aside from those desserts, I'm prioritizing my way through the "Fast" recipes (half-hour or less). There are also healthier dishes designated "Light," each appended with nutritional info. Eventually, I'll tackle some that stretch our tastes and culinary skills. There's so much potential here!

(Review based on a copy of the book provided by the publisher.) ( )