Description:
Boswell and Wyler. What sounds at first like a boutique law office is, in fact, a highly successful concept cookbook production team. They're the ones behind all those 365 Ways to Cook titles. And now, in what appears to be a labor of fun, as well as love, comes A Man and His Pan. Boswell is careful to point out in the introduction that he in no way means to exclude women from his one-pan-does-it-all-cookbook. He just couldn't resist the title. A Man and His Pan proposes two basic elements of successful cooking: ease of production and even easier cleanup. This is a book based on nonstick cookware. Teflon came out in 1962, but the nonstick cookware of today has about as much to do with those early adventures as the portable typewriter has to do with a laptop computer. As Boswell points out, being careful of temperature and avoiding harsh abrasives are about all the special care this cookware needs. Pick the right pan, Boswell counsels, and you are well on your way to one-pan cooking, which is really what this book is all about. The eight chapters of A Man and His Pan cover breakfast, red meats, chicken, seafood, one-pan meals, short-order gourmet, sides for all occasions, and pan cooking for kids. The recipes are direct and simple, and bold flavor appears to be the underlying theme. There's a pan-fried steak, for example, with a Madeira-balsamic vinegar reduction sauce that tastes like it's right out of a four-star restaurant, but cooks up in one pan like a charm. In the "Short Order Gourmet" chapter, you'll find a Spicy Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry that can hold its own against any Kung Pao takeout, home-delivered or not. For anyone who is starting to cook, this is a good place to begin. For anyone who has been knocking out family meals night after night, this is a terrific place to come back to for simple, flavorful ideas. There will be no battles about doing the dishes if you use this book, one pan, and paper plates. --Schuyler Ingle
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