Watch CBS News

Chris Kimball's Inspirations

Cooking meals can be difficult when you're juggling the demands of a job and family. But cookbook author Chris Kimball says that, with a little planning, preparing meals can be simple and delicious.

In his latest book, "The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook," he has over 1,000 recipes, everything from salads to pies.

"In our experience," he writes, "cooking comes down to three things: method, ingredients, and equipment. (And of course, recipes that work.)"

Kimball believes the keys to kitchen success also require the following:

  1. Read the recipe carefully. Read before you start so that you are adequately prepared.
  2. Be prepared: Pull all the ingredients/tools you need BEFORE you start cooking, so that you know you have everything you need.
  3. Follow the directions: Be sure to prepare the food as instructed in the ingredient list. Food that is uniformly and properly cut will not only cool at the same rate, but will also be more visually appealing.
  4. Pre-heat your oven. Most ovens need at least 15 minutes to preheat fully. So plan accordingly. If you don't pre-heat your oven properly, your food will spend more time in the oven and, therefore, your food may be dry and overcooked.
  5. Keep substitutions to a minimum. There are certain substitutions that are acceptable but, in general, try to use the ingredients called for in the recipe.
  6. Monitor the dish as it cooks. The cooking times in our recipes are meant as guidelines only. It is important to follow the visual clues provided in the recipe because there are always variations in ingredients and equipment.

He shares the following recipes for The Early Show series Culinary Inspirations.

Emergency Chocolate Cake:
(Makes one 8-inch square cake)
(Serves 9)

Ingredients :
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar (for serving; optional)

Method:

  1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch square cake pan with vegetable oil spray.
  2. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa, and baking soda together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, water and vanilla together. Stir the mayonnaise mixture into the flour mixture until combined.
  3. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes.
  4. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack, 1 to 2 hours. Cut into squares and serve straight from the pan or turn the cake out onto a serving platter and dust with the confectioners' sugar (if desired).

To make ahead:
After the cake has cooled, it can be wrapped tightly in a plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Click on page 2 for Skillet Lasagna and Oven "Grilled" Cheese for a Crowd recipes.


Skillet Lasagna:
(Serves 4 to 6)

Any brand of curly-edged lasagna noodles will work here. Do not use no-boil lasagna noodles. If the pasta is especially dry and prone to shattering, you may need to add extra water to the skillet while the pasta cooks. If you can't find meatloaf mix, use 8 ounces ground beef and 8 ounces ground pork. Like it spicy? Increase the amount of red pepper flakes to 1 teaspoon.

Ingredients:
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, minced
Salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound meatloaf mix
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles (8 ounces), broken into 2-inch lengths
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup), plus extra for serving
Pepper
8 ounces whole-milk ricotta cheese (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup minced fresh basil

Method:

  1. Pour the tomatoes with their juice into a quart measuring cup. Add enough water to the tomatoes to measure 4 cups.
  2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until simmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
  3. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the meatloaf mix and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle the noodle pieces evenly over the meat. Pour the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce over the pasta. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes. (The sauce should look watery after 15 minutes of cooking. If dry, add up to 1/4 cup additional water to loosen the sauce.)
  5. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dot heaping tablespoons of ricotta over the noodles. Cover the skillet and let stand off the heat for 5 minutes.
  6. Sprinkle with basil and serve, passing the extra Parmesan separately.

Variation: (Skillet Lasagna with Italian Sausage and Red Bell Pepper)
Substitute 1 pound of hot or sweet Italian sausage, castings removed, for the meatloaf mix. Add 1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped medium, to the skillet with the onion in step 2.

Oven "Grilled" Cheese for a Crowd:
(Serves 8)

Ingredients:
16 slices high-quality white sandwich bread
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 pound mild cheddar cheese, shredded (about 4 cups)

Method:


  1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 475 degrees. Brush each side of the bread slices lightly with the melted butter and spread them out in a single layer over two baking sheets. Toast the bread in the oven to a light golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through the baking time.
  2. Assemble eight sandwiches, each filled with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheddar, making sure that the more toasted-looking sides of the bread are facing outward. Lay the sandwiches on a baking sheet and press lightly on each of them. Cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the cheese is thoroughly melted, 5 to 10 minutes.

To make ahead:
The bread can be toasted, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, and kept at room temperature for up to 24 hours in advance.
View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.