‘Simple Weeknight Favorites: More than 200 No-Fuss, Foolproof Meals” by the editors at America’s Test Kitchen ($26.95) offers some shortcuts so you can get dinner on the table in a hurry but still feel good about what you’re serving. Some of the meals are prepared in one pan — think macaroni and cheese prepared in a single skillet — and ingredients pull double or triple duty.

Risotto hardly seems like a quick meal to throw together, but the test kitchen cooks start their Easy Garlicky Risotto with Broccolini in the microwave and finish it on the stovetop. The garlic is fried, then the oil from the frying is added to the rice before microwaving and used to saute the aromatics.

The book is also chock-full of tips, including which convenience products are actually worth buying. The cooks prefer cornbread made from scratch, for example, but a taste test of store-bought cornbread mixes found that Betty Crocker Cornbread and Muffin Mix worked just fine in their Skillet Summer Vegetable Tamale Pie.