Why I love Dinner Illustrated
If you've been following my menu plans this year, you've noticed a whole lot of our meals are coming from one cookbook: Dinner Illustrated.
Dinner Illustrated is published by America's Test Kitchen, the company that publishes Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country.
So, I trust the recipes in this book. 😉
I'm not at all a cookbook collector, so the fact that I bought a copy of this says something.
Why do I like this book so much?
Well.
Let me tell you!
1. There are multiple pictures for each recipe.
Of course I love a good finished-product photo, but I also love seeing what things should look like step by step.
(The book has 1200 photos in all!)
2. None of the recipes take more than an hour.
This means you can pick any recipe and have faith it won't be very complicated.
3. The recipes are adding interest to our meals.
We've tried a lot of foods I've never made before, such as quinoa, falafel, gnocchi, and a whole lot of Thai-inspired dishes.
4. The recipes are a whole meal.
Either they're one dish meals (veggie, starch, protein), or they come with a side recipe to round out the meal.
5. The book is nothing but dinner meals.
I have almost no trouble finding good recipes for things like dessert or bread. Dinner recipes are where I struggle the most!
So a cookbook full of only dinner recipes is great.
Now for a few questions!
Are there gluten-free/vegetarian/vegan recipes?
Yep! The book is divided into categories like Soup, Salad, Pasta, etc., and each of those sections has vegetarian/vegan options.
Plus, there's a whole section dedicated to vegetarian recipes.
And there's a list of gluten-free recipes in the index.
Why should I buy this when there are free recipes on the internet?
I have nothing against internet recipes (I post them myself!), but there's something super about having a physical book to use.
Plus, since these are well-tested recipes, you can trust them. Sometimes that's not the case on the internet!
Is it worth the money?
Well, first of all, you should be able to get a copy for around $20. That's not much money in the grand scheme of things.
Plus, if this book saves you from even one takeout excursion, it will have paid for itself.
Cookbooks full of useful, reliable dinner recipes are kind of like an investment in that they pay dividends over and over again.
Where should I buy this book?
Amazon always has some used copies available.
eBay usually has a bunch of copies, but oddly enough, they are almost always more expensive than Amazon's price for a new copy.
Note: I've heard that the Kindle version of this book is annoyingly formatted, so I would get the hard copy if I were you.
If you want to give the book a test drive, see if your library has it! That's what I did and I ended up buying my own used copy on Amazon.
I got this book from the library on your recommendation. And have checked it out 4 times so far. It's probably time to buy my own copy.
Dinners are where I struggle, too. When I bought my pressure cooker, I also bought the ATK pressure cooker cookbook. I love the many photos showing steps, the listing of times for pressure, and the ability to make amount adjustments using their suggestions.
My husband is not an adventurous eater, but I've been thinking of looking for this book in my local library, to give it a whirl. You keep coming up with yummy sounding dinners, and I'm all about taking an hour or less.
I don't own a Kindle or Nook, and I find using a screen for my recipes to be supremely annoying. I much prefer a printed version, and I much prefer a tested version. I once made a really elaborate fresh-grated-apple cupcakes with salted caramel topping Pinterest recipe, all made from scratch, only to realize well into it that there was NO liquid listed for the cupcake batter -- none. I had batter that you could have mortared bricks with, so I had to add milk as per my usual cupcake recipes and hope for the best.
I have had so many recipes fails like this because of incomplete recipe posts..so frustrating!
I know they didn't pay you to write this but man - I am sold! Ordering!!
My most-used cookbooks by far are the two Run Fast Eat Slow cookbooks by Elyse Kopecky and Shalene Flanagan. It sounds gimmicky (Olympic runner writes cookbook?) but the recipes are seriously amazing.
Funny you should post the pics for Thai Chicken Soup. I've made at least five times since you posted it. My family loves it. Definitely a keeper. And I'm the queen of one serving dish meals, so I may just have to buy the rest of the book.
It's so good, isn't it?
Me too!
I am 61 y/o and have learned more about cooking, both recipes and tools, from ATK shows, Cook's Illustrated magazines and cookbooks. You can't go wrong with any of these products. PS I learned about them from you!
Another lover of all things America's Test Kitchen here. I've never felt like the money I spent on their various cookbooks was wasted.
My friend just had to start eating Paleo to help with a health issue, so I got her ATK's Paleo cookbook since you recommend everything of theirs so highly. 🙂
Would you say most of the recipes are healthy? My husband and I are really trying to change the way we eat for out health and to set our children up for success as well. The problem is that cooking is definitely not my strength - and the only things I feel like I'm truly good at cooking are high fat, high calorie. And internet recipes definitely cannot be trusted!
Side note - does it have the nutrition information for the recipes in the book anywhere?
That depends on your definition of healthy, but I would say yes. I mean, it's not like everything in there is paleo or 100% clean eating, but there are plenty of veggies, plenty of real ingredients (the recipes generally do not call for highly processed ingredients.), and lots of variety.
I’ve been a long time reader/fan of America’s Test Kitchen but I have to give a shout-out to Milk Street Kitchen. It is a Christopher Kimball venture (same person who started ATK) and I find the recipes and flavors more varied and interesting for my taste. The recipes I’ve tried have been given a thumbs-up by my family.
I like Rachael Rays 365 or her express lane cookbooks. There aren’t pictures of everything, but Food Network website usually has some.
My favorite and only cookbook was one I bought many years ago that was a collection a recipes from a group of local senior citizens.
My hubby only eats about 4 different things so I don't cook much other than for my dogs.
I checked it out from the library and thought the photos assisted with learning a new recipe. Looking for a recipe now for tonight!
I am a cookbook collector and have way too many, but they can be fun to read. I am whittling down the collection these days! And I have to say I am a very good cook, who learned from books, not from Mom. I, too, intensely dislike trying to cook from an iPad. I wish there was a printed Frugal Girl cookbook (HINT!)
Here is a sort-of strategy: if I make a good exciting main dish, then we have simple, quick sides (roasted, steamed, stir-fried veg and/or fresh fruit). If I have leftovers or a simple main dish, then we have some more elaborate and multiple sides (several cooked vegs, raw vegs, pickled vegs, cottage cheese, pasta or rice). It can be sort of like a buffet. It uses up stuff from the frig in new and different ways. We almost always have salad. Fresh bread makes everything a feast!
I bought it on your recommendation and it arrived the next day. Tonight we had Parmesan Chicken with Wilted Radicchio Salad and it was delish! My husband said, "You can make this again anytime!" which is high praise from him. LOL The only problem I had was that no grocery store within 5 miles of my home carries radicchio so I substituted red cabbage, thinly sliced and lightly sauteed, in its place. I'm very much looking forward to many of the other recipes. Thanks, Frugal Girl!
Yay! I'm so glad.
I cook most of our meals, so ordered this right away. I like to limit the unnecessary preservatives, sodium, etc., plus save $$ by not ordering takeout. Thanks for this recommendation
I adore The Stay at Home Chef and like you am not a cookbook collector but bought her cookbook.
Recipes are not intimidating and use everyday ingredients for the most part. Best of all there is a QR code with each recipe so you can watch a video on how to prepare it if you need to.
It is my go to!