The editors of New York Times Cooking, including editor-in-chief of NYT Cooking and Food Emily Weinstein, spend their days in kitchens creating recipes for everyone. They create fancy recipes for dinner parties and sweet recipes and recipes from around the world. But at the end of their work day, they all still have to go home and face the same problem as all the rest of us: what to have for dinner.

Just like us, they have to figure out how to feed everyone in the household quickly and easily, because there is homework and soccer practice, back pain and headaches, skipped trips to the grocery store or things that missed getting added to the list. They too have to deal with picky eaters and exhaustion and burnout and the temptation of takeout and the pile of dirty dishes in the sink. So to try to make it all easier, they have put together 100 of their favorite dinner recipes, the ones they use at the end of a tiring day, to make the tasty meals at home that everyone can enjoy.

This book makes promises: no recipes that take longer than an hour (many take less than 30 minutes). No more than 2 pots and pans per recipe. They don’t make you fill your pantry with a bunch of ingredients you only use once, or a bunch of expensive equipment (in fact, the only thing they recommend you buy is a sheet pan, if you don’t already have one). And the best part? Right up front is a chart that helps you decide exactly what you want for dinner.

There are 14 recipes under Truly Fifteen-Minute Recipes (We Promise), so if you’re short on time, you can try the Beef Short Rib Rice Bowls, Ginger-Scallion Chicken, or Crispy-Edged Quesadilla. For One Pot, Minimal Dishes, there are options like Sticky Coconut Chicken and Rice, Dumpling Noodle Soup, or Sheet-Pan Shrimp with Tomatoes, Feta and Oregano. Looking for Dinner Party Vibes, But on a Tuesday? Try the Baked Risotto with Greens and Peas, Coconut Fish and Tomato Bake, or Pork Chops in Lemon-Caper Sauce.

Under Picky Kids Might Actually Eat This, you can try the Pan-Seared Ranch Chicken, Shrimp Fried Rice, or Easy Burritos. Or, if you want something that Tastes Like Pizza, there are 3 options: Crispy Gnocchi with Burst Tomatoes and Mozzarella, Tortizzas, and Skillet Chicken with Tomatoes, Pancetta and Mozzarella. There are options for Vegan (or Easy to Veganize) Dinners, Hand-Held Dinners, Easy Recipes to Adapt for One Person, and if you want to Make It Spicy. There are a dozen recipes if you only cook on a sheet pan, and even 3 for If You’re Really Feeling Lazy.

And because these recipes are from New York Times Cooking, all the recipes have not just been tested by the editors, but they’ve been posted online and distributed in newsletters. Real people have tested these recipes in their kitchens, with their picky eaters and busy schedules, and they have posted their comments online. There are a dozen Five-Star Recipes with 5,000+ Comments, including Lemony White Bean Soup with Turkey and Greens, Coconut Miso Salmon Curry, and Shrimp Scampi with Orzo.

But for these recipes, and all the other recipes too, those comments from real home cooks appear with each of the recipes. It’s like getting an endorsement from another cook that you know has to deal with that ever-present dinner situation too, and often they include tips to save time, make it easier, make it more delicious, or some combination of those.

I really like Easy Weeknight Dinners. I love how the editors of one of the most popular food sites has brought us the easy, down-and-dirty recipes they themselves use on busy weeknights. I love that they include their readers with the comments. I love how it’s organized, with the lists up front to help readers decide on a recipe, but the chapters being organized by ingredient (Chicken, Pasta and Noodles, Eggs and Cheese, and Vegetables, Beans and Tofu, to name a few). I’m not going to say that I’ll try all these recipes, but I will definitely try some of them, and I love that there are several that are Good for Freezing. I think this would be an excellent gift for anyone struggling to make dinner every night or for anyone wanting quick, easy recipes with sophisticated flavors but minimal drama.

A copy of Easy Weeknight Dinners was provided by Ten Speed Press, with many thanks, but the opinions are my own.