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| Not the book for you if you love washing dishes |
The recipes in Molly Gilbert’s cookbook One Pan and Done range from Orange Sugar Monkey Bread to Chicken Tikka Masala—but each recipe offers the simplicity and easy clean-up of a single pan.
While each recipe uses just one pan, One Pan and Done makes use of a variety of pot and pan styles throughout. An introductory section highlights the respective benefits of sheet pans, cast iron skillets, Dutch ovens, muffin tins, and assorted baking pans.
The first pages of the cookbook also include a list of basic pantry staples that pop up in dish after dish. These include, among others, extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, panko bread crumbs, and chocolate (for baking and snacking).
One Pan and Done heavily emphasizes efficiency, with each recipe streamlining hands-on preparation and cleaning time. Getting food ready for the oven takes kitchen tools besides a lone pan, but the recipes’ baking times double as opportunities for washing dishes and tidying the kitchen. A few recipes use equipment such as an electric mixer or food processor to speed the preparation process.
In addition to the introduction, the cookbook has seven sections to organize recipes into breakfast foods, vegetarian options, a variety of meat dishes, snacks, and desserts. Each recipe has a chatty description and a set of detailed instructions, most recipes feature a full color photograph of the finished dish, and some recipes have ingredient substitutions or additional information in the side bar.
With its focus on simple, speedy preparation, wide variety of flavors, and lighthearted style, One Pan and Done is likely to become a go-to book for cooks who love taking a spare moment to try a new recipe.