Cooking for several people may require more work, but there are more than enough recipes to pull it off. Cooking for only two people may require less effort because of food volume, but the lack of sufficient recipe ideas represents a stumbling block for many. Cookbooks generally have more than enough recipes, but those recipes are generally for a large number. If you want recipe ideas for just two people, you need the best cookbooks for two.
Cookbooks for two are small-scale recipe books written to provide readers with meal ideas for two people. Making a general meal and dividing it by two is easy; making a meal specially for only two people is the hard part, and this is where cookbooks for two can be of great service to you. Now, we know that there are so many cookbook editions promising readers numerous recipes but what we have found out, and we hope you have found out too, is that many of them don’t have fresh ideas. This review is for you if you want to avoid cookbooks for two with old, recycled ideas. Please read it to know more about some of the best cookbooks for two.
Table of Contents
Best Cookbooks for Two
Image | Best Cookbooks for Two | Rating |
---|---|---|
![]() | 1. The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen | 99% |
![]() | 2. 5-Ingredient Cooking for Two by Robin Donovan | 96% |
![]() | 3. Carla Snyder's One Pan, Two Plates | 92% |
![]() | 4. The Heart Healthy Cookbook for Two by Jennifer Koslo | 89% |
![]() | 5. The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Two by Anne Danahy | 85% |
Want to learn more?
Here are our Cookbooks for Two Reviews.
1. The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen
America’s Test Kitchen is known to publish varieties of cookbooks, and this cookbook for two edition of theirs is one of the best there is. If you often find yourself cooking for two people, you will need an almost limitless source of information. Buying a general cookbook or a cookbook for two with limited recipes will not help your case. America’s Test Kitchen, however, will provide you with more than enough recipe information to last you a whole year.
This cookbook contains 650 recipes, many of which are fresh recipes that you can replicate at home. Published under the popular AKT series by the same publisher, this book features practical recipes put together by some of the most successful chefs in the business. With the Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook, you are no longer limited by choice; now, you have more than enough recipe options at your fingertips
This book comes with a hardcover and is an ideal book for small families and newlyweds. All the recipes contained in it are practical and easy to prepare.
Why do we like it?
- Attractive picture illustrations
- Provides ingredient and equipment information
- Cooking steps are logically ordered
- Contains innovative cooking strategies
2. 5-Ingredient Cooking for Two by Robin Donovan
Tasty meals do not have to be complicated, and meals for two should be easy to prepare at short notice. This is what Robin Donovan teaches in this book. How couples can prepare tasty meals for two with easy to source ingredients. Cooking in small batches saves time and resources, but only if it is done right. Many people make the erroneous assumption of confusing sharing meals into two plates as cooking for two. In this piece of literature, chef Robin disabuses the mind of the reader.
With 100 special recipes, readers can now enjoy practical meals meant for two in the comfort of their homes. This work is one of the best cookbooks for two because it highlights two key things. It teaches you how to cook different recipes for two, and these recipes can be prepared using five different ingredients only. Imagine cooking 100 different dishes using as little as two, but not more than five key ingredients? Without proper guidance, that will be a head-scratcher, wouldn’t it? But Robin Donovan makes it easy.
This 5-ingredient cookbook is specially written for small nuclear families who wish to eat healthy 365 days a year
Why do we like it?
- Contains simple cooking techniques
- Teaches how to reduce cooking times and cost
- Provides helpful pairing and garnishing tips
3. Carla Snyder’s One Pan, Two Plates
Is it possible to prepare countless dishes with just one pan and two plates? Maybe a few dishes, but definitely nowhere near 70 dishes, right? Wrong. Carla Snyder has written one of the best cookbooks for two. In this book, she shows readers how to prepare tasty meals using very few resources. There are over 70 recipes in the cookbook for weeknight dinners, and they are all easy to prepare. The meals in One Pan, Two Plates take very little time to prepare, and the ingredients required to make them are very easy to find.
Some of the tasty meals for two recipes in this book include Caramelized Cauliflower Risotto, Balsamic Braised Chicken, Thyme Salmon, and more. Carla Snyder has strategically picked meals that can be cooked in 60 minutes or less. There are also recipes covering home pasta, sandwiches, grains, chicken, pork, and seafood. She also provides beer and wine options to go along with the recipes.
With over 30 years’ worth of experience as a baker, chef, and teacher, Carla Snyder provides homeowners with fresh ideas and ways to spice up evening meals by doing more with less.
Why do we like it?
- An economic cookbook
- Teaches practical time and resource management
- The book contains rich pictorial illustrations
- People with little or no coking experience and improve using this book
4. The Heart Healthy Cookbook for Two by Jennifer Koslo
The Heart Healthy Cookbook for Two is one of the best cookbooks for two filled with low-fat and sodium recipes for small families looking to eat healthily. With 125 recipes for two people, you will no longer run out of ideas for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Jennifer Koslo is a nutritionist and a Cardiac dietician who knows all there is to know about eating right, and she lays it all in this book. All the recipes therein may be low on fat and sodium, but they all taste great, and the steps to prepare them are not complicated.
The recipes have also been carefully selected to improve your heart’s health so it can function better. Buying books written by professionals with years of experience offers readers a well of knowledge because these authors provide useful, verified information, not random tips. The Healthy Heart Cookbook for Two will show you how to prepare meals that taste great, and more importantly, healthy meals.
There is a 4-week meal plan arranged just for you. Adhering to the plan will boost your health in so many ways because all the meals in this plan are nutrient-rich for a balanced diet week in week out. The Healthy Heart Cookbook for Two is a book worth buying.
Why do we like it?
- A great edition for those battling with malnutrition-related issues
- Contains step-by-step cooking directions
- More than enough recipes to last months
5. The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Two by Anne Danahy
Have you had difficulty preparing healthy meals for yourself and your spouse, or do you sometimes find yourself throwing away excess food, and you can’t seem to get the measurement right? If these and more are some of the issues you contend with in your daily life, you need a cookbook that will serve as a guide to help you avoid so much wastage. The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Anne Danahy is exactly what is needed in your home.
We rarely find one of the best cookbooks for two covering strictly Mediterranean dishes, so when we did, we had to include it in our list. Anne’s cookbook contains 100 different recipes. What makes this piece of literature great is because the author takes her time to provide you with perfect ingredient measurements for meals. With this book by your side, you will no longer prepare more than what you need, neither will you continue to stock your fridge with leftovers every day of the week.
The tips in The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Two are easy to follow. With only a few steps, you can prepare sumptuous meals, and your partner will appreciate you for it.
Why do we like it?
- Contains tips for outdoor cooking
- The recipes use natural ingredients all through
- There are special recipes for weight loss enthusiasts
Cookbooks for Two Buyer’s Guide
If your aim is to buy a cookbook for two, you need to know where to look for one and what to look for. Every cookbook may offer tutorials on how to cook tasty meals, but you have to understand that cookbooks are niche-based. A general cookbook may not serve your interest if what you want are recipes for only two people. Therefore, when you shop for cookbooks for two, have it at the back of your mind that only a few editions will contain the information you seek.
In the subsequent paragraphs, we want to point out some of the important things to look for when shopping for a cookbook for two. Be guided by the information in this guide, and you will certainly find a book that will meet your needs.
Niche Based Cookbooks
The best cookbooks for two are niche-based. What we mean by niche-based is that they contain information that addresses a particular need. For instance, a cookbook for baking will contain recipes for pastries, Casserole cookbooks contain casserole recipes, and Cajun cookbooks are dedicated to Cajun recipes. In the same vein, cookbooks for two contain recipes meant for 2 people only; Not 3, 4, or more people. If you want to get full value on your investment, it pays to buy a cookbook that contains recipes for two people. Cookbooks for two contain tips, ingredients, and cooking directions that serve as a guide when planning your next meal.
Number of recipes
Another thing you want to look at is the number of recipes contained in the cookbook. The best cookbooks for two contain dozens of recipes to last you for weeks and months. Some even have a year’s worth of recipes. We recommend books with as many recipes as possible. With such books, you never run out of options when looking for fresh meals. However, if your cookbook only has fewer recipes, you will exhaust them within a short time and be forced to repeat them over again.
Practicality
A cookbook may contain so many recipes that may not be practical. In as much as having a loaded recipe book is ideal, these recipes will be of no use to you if the dishes are hard to prepare or if the ingredients required to prepare them are not so easy to find. This is why we advise readers to ask themselves the right questions such as;
- Can I prepare many of the recipes in an hour or less?
- Are the ingredients easy to find?
- How much will each meal cost me?
- Do I need special utensils to prepare them?
If the answer to the above questions is yes, then that is an indication that the recipes are practical. Go for it.
Pictures
Avoid cookbooks that do not have illustrations. Pictures give you a clear idea of what you are cooking and what the final output should be. Bear in mind that many of the recipes in the cookbook will be new to you. You may never have even heard of them before. So, it would help if you had a picture to serve as a guide as you make progress.
Arrangements
Steps, tips, and tricks should be properly arranged. As you make progress, the steps should follow in a quick, orderly fashion, not in a haphazard manner. Ingredients should be properly enumerated, and measurements should be clearly stated. There should be no cause for confusion as you read it. If there are special ingredients required, a glossary or shopping guide will be quite helpful.
Extra information
The best cookbooks for two contain extra information to guide readers. Extras may include innovative cooking techniques, a diet plan, feeding timetables, nutritional guides, or substitute ingredients. A little bit of extra information will go a long way to aid your meal preparation.
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