There's something about cooking dinner in one pan that appeals to our sense of order, to say nothing of our relief that there isn't a huge pile of pots and pans to wash waiting for us after dinner. We developed dozens of foolproof recipes as varied as Skillet Chicken Pot Pie and Pad Tai, All0 American Mini Meatloaves and Shellfish and Chicken Paella as well as sides like Pan-Roasted Carrots and Parsnips, Leafy Greens with Mediterranean Vinaigrette, and 30-Minute Baked Potatoes that streamline preparation, cooking, and cleaning while delivering flavor that could easily have taken you all day (and multiple pots and pans) to make.

You'll also find a how-to feature on Mastering the Art of Saute, as well as dozens of our tops picks for supermarket ingredients and cookware, including traditional skillets, pizza wheels, silicone spatulas, canned diced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, capers, feta, and five-spice powder to help you be a smarter shopper and a more efficient cook. And we share key techniques throughout, such as slicing meat for stir-fries, brining poultry, cutting your own chicken cutlets, and preventing pork chops from buckling.

Featured recipes include: Herbed Roast Chicken, Spanish Tortilla, Steak Tips with Gravy, Skillet Cheese Pizza, Pork Chops with Red Cabbage, Orzo Risotto with Scallops, Stir-Fried Broccoli, Macaroni and Cheese, Chicken Saltimbocca, Pan-Seared Filet Mignon, Skillet Baked Ziti with Sausage, Smothered Pork Chops, Greek-Style Shrimp with Feta, Chicken Piccata, Oven-barbecued Chicken, Spaghetti alla Carbonara, Seared Pork Tenderloin, Egg Noodles with Caraway and Brown Butter, and Steak au Poivre.

Cook's Illustrated Skillet Dinners 2013 Special Issue