Secrets of Great Second Meals

February 1, 2019

This high-spirited cookbook suffers from an identity crisis. Ostensibly, it's a guide to using leftovers from other meals. But in reality, it's an immensely detailed, generous master class in techniques and options for producing flavorful and varied dishes. Dickerman (Bon Appetit: The Food Lover's Cleanse) begins with the section "Getting to Cooked," explaining basic techniques for cooking various staples--beans, pork, chicken, vegetables. Each of these techniques offers multiple variations, both in preparation and in ways to use the item once it's been prepared. The remainder of the book is made up of recipes presented as archetypes: Fish Cake, Pureed Soup, Bean Salad. These revolve around one of the already cooked items described in "Getting to Cooked" and, again, offer multiple variations. The recipes are sometimes elaborate but easy to follow, and they yield delicious meals. Turkey-vegetable tortilla soup, for example, uses turkey stock and cooked turkey in a spicy and hearty variation on a post-Thanksgiving classic. VERDICT Although confusing in its organization, this book still offers cooks a sense of fun, improvisation, and mastery.--Christopher Myers, Lake Oswego P.L., OR

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2018
Dickerman proves that there's more to leftovers than a quick reheat in the microwave. Cooked rice or oatmeal can become a pancake; last night's salmon dinner, when tossed together with some pasta, is a whole new dish; and yesterday's roasted cauliflower, pureed with herbs and garlic, makes a delicious dip. Dickerman provides simple-to-follow directions for dishes using leftovers readers will be well familiar with. Tips for successful first-meal prep, food storage, and reanimating stored food set readers up for the second-meal recipes that follow. A handy chart at the end of the book lists the extra foods by category (e.g. Fruits, Meats) and offers up their second-meal uses and recipes in this book, as well as special care instructions, days to keep, and whether the ingredient can be frozen. This book will appeal directly to those who are mindful of reducing their food waste, but anyone who has ever looked quizzically at a container of leftovers while trying to plan a new meal will find what they're looking for.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)