★ 07/16/2018
In this marvelous debut cookbook, Lo, who was chef and owner of the restaurant Annisa in New York City for 17 years, recalls, “I’ve been dumped almost as many times as I’ve been in relationships,” then lays the groundwork for a clever compilation of recipes fit for anyone, not just for the lonely-hearted. Single-serving, one-dish meals include a Japanese-inspired ochazuke made with leftover cooked rice and Korean jap chae noodles that Lo learned to make while training as a chef in Seoul. Recipes include New Orleans–style barbecued shrimp, and grilled chicken breast with cumin, limes, and served with chilaquiles (a Mexican breakfast dish of leftover tortillas). Along the way, Lo entertains with sometimes self-deprecating stories, like the one about the Icelandic artist who broke up with her after they found a dead body on a date (and the Valentine’s Day dish the experience inspired—roasted arctic char with lentils and dates). “Don’t Waste It!” tips suggest ideas for leftovers (the unused coconut milk from Thai curry chicken can then be used in caramelized bananas), and a chapter on desserts includes cakes and pies, as well as fresh grapefruit enhanced by elderflower syrup and mint. A section on ingredients and equipment provides a form for logging ingredients and dishes kept in the freezer. Lo’s quirky tone and charming illustrations make this a winner. (Nov.)
A Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, The Atlantic, Epicurious, Grub Street, The Forward, Newsday, Mother Jones, and Food52 Best Cookbook of the Year
“There is no smarter cookbook out this year, filled with personality and grace, that’s better at nudging us into the kitchen, in the midst of tumultuous times, to nourish ourselves. . . . Unlike many cookbooks that promise chef-driven techniques adapted for the home cook, Solo actually delivers.” —Eater
“A book celebrating the simple act of cooking for yourself. . . . A cookbook that speaks directly to a growing proportion of single Americans. . . . [Lo] carefully stocks her own kitchen with kimchi, tahini and dried anchovies. A touch of any of these ingredients can change the direction of a dish.” —Tejal Rao, The New York Times
“Lo knows that cooking for oneself is an important aspect of self-care. . . . The recipes serve as a meaningful reminder that cooking for one can be delicious and fun.” —San Francisco Chronicle
“Anita Lo is my hero. Her weeknight recipes challenge you to eat better, treat yourself better, and find comfort in meals made by your own hand. . . . This is the cookbook that made my heart sing in 2018.” —Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit
“Bold and joyous.” —The Atlantic
“A small book packed with big ideas. . . . [Lo] combines humor . . . a well-stamped passport and an instinctual distaste for waste into a global roster of uncomplicated, chef-driven dishes that are a far cry from microwaved frozen dinners.” —Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Those of us who’ve improvised sad solo dinners of microwaved frozen corn or boxed mac and cheese with hot sauce understand that learning how to cook decent meals for one is a real and urgent need. . . . [Solo] provides elegant, knife-sharp solutions. Recipes employ toaster ovens, electric pressure cookers, grill pans, and other small-format energy-savers—and the food is flat-out beautiful.” —Helen Rosner, The New Yorker
“Solo is a testament to celebrating all of the reasons we find ourselves alone at the table with knife and fork—and never apologizing for any of them.” —Food52
“[Lo] has humor in her well-stocked arsenal. . . . Fans of the Franco-Yankee dishes in Judith Jones’s The Pleasures of Cooking for One will be jazzed to spin the globe with Lo, whose travels and culinary background have made her fluent in Chinese, Korean, Thai and Japanese cuisines, among others. Lo never stints on flavor, often adapting restaurant-y techniques for the toaster oven (amen)."—Christine Muhlke, The New York Times Book Review
“A very good cookbook. . . . The recipes [in Solo] are complex, personal, comforting.” —Epicurious
“[Lo’s] guide to solo cooking is peppered with stories, illustrations, and recipes for dishes like salt-broiled Spanish mackerel with broccoli rabe and orange, twice-cooked sweet potatoes with kale, mushrooms, and parmesan, and mac and two cheeses (yes, please!).” —Food & Wine
“Anita Lo is exactly the person we want teaching us to cook at home for ourselves. . . . The recipes are downsized and oh-so-practical . . . though they can easily be doubled (or tripled) should guests suddenly show up once they hear about the meals you’re making for yourself.” —New York
“[A] compendium of smart recipes. . . . Lo gives everyone, from lovelorn singles to people who prefer the company of their pets, instructions on how to fly solo efficiently in the kitchen.” —Taste
“[Los’] writing is engaging, filled not only with linguistic factoids but also vivid personal stories and self-deprecating humor.” —Edible Manhattan
“A book of compelling and approachable recipes that waste neither ingredients nor time. . . . [Lo] peppers the book with valuable tips and brief vignettes that will take readers along with her to Vietnam, Alaska or France.” —Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“A book after this forever-single guy’s heart. It gives me joy to think that, from a single chicken, I can make Lo’s smothered chicken leg and a biscuit, Thai white curry with chicken, and chicken tagine with couscous, and still have bird to spare.” —Wendell Brock, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“In Lo’s hands, solitary dining becomes almost sexy, from hand rolls of mackerel, cucumber and avocado to braised short rib with caramelized endive and cauliflower chat with onions.” —Newsday
“As someone who struggles to do anything well-rounded that’s not also overly complicated, I really admire Lo’s tight, mindful style.” —Vivian Howard, Food52
“The lesson here is that cooking for yourself is tantamount to loving yourself. . . . It can be surprisingly difficult for single young professionals to cook meals for themselves. . . . Luckily, Anita Lo, the chef and owner of the late restaurant, Annisa, has done a lot of the hard work for us, drawing on her decades of experience as a professional chef, her upbringing as a child of immigrants, and her extensive travels for a delectable guide on cooking for ‘a party of one.’” —Grub Street
