• Share:
  • Send to Reddit
  • Send to StumbleUpon
  • Send to Facebook
  • Send to del.icio.us
  • Send to digg

the best cookbook for beginners

i have 27 yr.old niece who is getting married in june and i want to get her a really good cookbook. she has been practicing with recipes that friends and family have given her but, i wanted to gift her a book that would be user friendly and last a long time. my first cookbook was the old stand by betty crocker. do you have any suggestions.

93 Comments:

The Best Recipe from Cooks Illustrated in a nice book--I like that they explain why they're using certain techniques--which is nice for young cooks a bit of science and logic behind a dish. I also like Bittmann's How to Cook Everything.

Ditto on the Mark Bittman. My first cookbook was the Joy of Cooking, which is certainly one that lasts forever, but I'm not sure its the most "user-friendly" book out there.

I bought my sister Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything and she LOVES it!

I learned to cook from Betty Crocker, too. I have kept up the tradition by giving Betty Crocker cookbooks as shower gifts. I think your niece would appreciate getting a copy of your favorite cookbook.

I have agree with @Suzzane - I love my Betty Crocker cookbook (the basic one, in the binder with separaters). It gives great explanations for why things turn out the way that they do (cookies that are too flat, crunchy, chewy, etc) and how to fix those issues in the future. It also gives a lot of variations on each of the recipes that it provides, as well as accurate nutritional breakdowns (protein, fiber, etc) and other random tips that beginning cooks really need (and I still use).

One of my most favorite books is "What's a Cook to Do?" It's full of deft information, insight and instruction, with photos, on how to cook just about anything.

If they need a start to finish of basics with recipes, Martha Stewart Cooking School is quite comprehensive.

-Dawn
Orlando Cooking

My cooking bible is the Joy of Cooking.

I replaced Betty with my Better Homes New Cookbook (my Mom had Betty and I wanted one too. Better Homes was the only think I could find in Germany in the early 80's). I still have my Better Homes (almost 20 years later, and still refer to it weekly). Another book, that was given to me in 1992 is "A Collection of the Very Fintest Recipes Ever Assembled into One Cookbook." It is, literally falling apart with use, but I go back to it every time if I want a recipe to wow. Published by Cookbook Publishers, Hayward, California in 1979 it is a cookbook to die for. These recipes will be in my kids heirloom family cookbooks. I highly recommend it.

Amber

Joy of Cooking, a subscription to Cook's Illustrared and Martha Stewart's Cooking School.
Tyler Florence or Barefoot Contessa would not hurt either.

All good recommendations, I have two favorites that no matter how good of a cook/baker I become, I always go to for advice and/or ideas.

The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, and the new America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book. Both by Cooks Illustrated, as I also recommend about anything from their line, and think gift memberships to their website and/or magazines are also great.

Both not only give great recipes, but great lessons, plenty of how-to pictures, and product and ingredient/food reviews of what their test kitchens have deemed as favorites. I've spent hundreds of dollars thanks to their recommendations, but no doubt they've saved me thousands by buying quality products.

I also like that they are binders, like Betty Crocker, so it's easy to pull out pages, slip them in covers, and take them right to the kitchen.

Ditto what Jerzee said. I have those books and refer to them constantly. I'd also say throw in the Bittman and a New Pro Chef (the CIA text) for when she wants to think about more advanced, restaurant-style technique.

I second sailordave on the CIA's Pro Chef... lot's of pics and how to's. I'd also like to throw Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking" into the mix so she may figure out why foods act the way they do. It isn't light reading, but an interesting one that will make her a smarter cook.

Like the above said Cook's Illustrated, Betty Crocker, Joy of Cooking and CIA.

Everyone has great suggestions--I especially like bobcatsteph3's ATK recommendation--I love the binder format and the laminated pages. You can take out the page you need while you are cooking, wipe it clean of any steam and spills and then put it back in.

One final thing--you may want to think about what she likes to eat and her lifestyle. Does she really like Italian? Fish? Vegetarian? American classics? Does she want to know how to bake? Does she entertain often or is she pressed for time?

"Things Cooks Love" by Sur La Table, and "Martha Stewart's Cooking School" - both available at SLT. The first goes through just about every pan and kitchen tool and describes how to get the best use of them, along with recipes. Martha's book explains the basics, such as how to roast a chicken and make simple stocks and sauces. I've been cooking for 10 years now (and consider myself pretty darn good!) but keep these 2 in the kitchen for handy references.

I love Julia Child's The Way to Cook, and The Fannie Farmer Cookbook by Marion Cunningham -- lots of info and technique. CIA is excellent too.

I grew up cooking out of Betty Crocker, and I still refer to it often. But far and away, my go to book these days is How to Cook Everything. I love the fact that it has all kinds of variations on basic recipes, and sometimes a search for one thing leads to an even more exciting variation.
One of my other favorites is Everyday Food: Great Food Fast from Martha Stewart. The seasonal setup and wonderful pictures are particularly inspiring and the ingredients lists are usually things I have onhand.

All of the cookbooks mentioned would be lovely gifts. I would add Fanny Farmer, and another vote for the Betty Crocker. Very usable and basic books. I would also suggest maybe, time permitting, getting together with family members and everyone contributing a recipe, and maybe adding a little personal anecdote. Those may not be the most elegent recipes, but they would be meaningful to the bride.

I have the big yellow GOURMET cookbook. It has all the great recipes from the magazines. It covers just about everything.

yeah joy of cooking is pretty awesome.. everything i look for a recipe online, i end up looking in there and its usually better. I just made salt risen bread! The cookbooks i recieved when I moved out of my families house was Helen Corbitts cooks for company. I love it.

One of my tests for a beginner's cookbook is looking for explanations of things like how to beat egg whites. If they're REAL beginners, they'll need that sort of thing.

I always recommend "From Amish And Mennonite Kitchens" by Phillis Pellman Good. They are easy recipes, nothing too fancy, and so delicious!

I agree with almost all of the previous posts, but I did want to add two others: if you're looking for a good baking book in addition to a cooking book, I'd recommend Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. Beautiful pictures, classic recipes, and simple instructions. Also, if your neice and her fiance are healthy eaters, I'd recommend the Best of Cooking Light cookbook. It covers a wide range of topics, and has some really delicious recipes that are guilt-free. I love mine, and haven't made anything from it that didn't turn out well.

The Bittman has been great for me, because it provides a lot of easy things but it also has "fancy" fare to impress people (and husbands!).

Lots of great suggestions here. Also, since you have a little time, a more personal gift would be to ask as many relatives & friends as you think appropriate in this case for their favorite family recipes & put together a notebook/binder full of them.

America's Test Nazis? No, thanks. And they do not have THE best recipe for everything. Not even close in many cases.

I would make a little package of Better Homes & Gardens, Bittman, Betty Crocker, Joy of Cooking in paperback and the Gourmet Cookbook in hardcover. It will give her a great start and cover all of the bases.

I have Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, and I reach for it before I reach for Joy of Cooking every time (for meat stuff I go to my food blogs before Joy). This isn't an all-around cookbook, but if she like Mexican/Tex-Mex food, get her "The Tex-Mex Cookbook". It is awesome.

I'll bajillionth the recommendation for Bittman's book. I don't have it, but I gave it to my brother, who's been known to set water on fire (no, I have no idea) and every few weeks, I get an email saying, "I made X from your cookbook and it was SO GOOD!"

I'd also include a copy of the Food Lover's Companion. It's been an invaluable cooking tool for me. A great dictionary of ingredients -- including British names -- and conversion tools, substitutions. Can't live without it.

http://www.amazon.com/Lovers-Companion-Barrons-Cooking-Guide/dp/0764112589

Bittman would be my recommendation too.

I got "Roast Chicken and Other Stories" for christmas (i actually chose it for myself and my parents "gave" it to me), having heard that it is "the most useful cookbook ever written". It's a curious description, because a lot of the recipes are for semi-obscure things and it doesn't even attempt to be comprehensive in the way that Bittman's obviously does. However, it features some of the best food writing i've ever read, espouses a philosophy I agree with (good ingredients + un-fussy recipes prepared well = great tasting food), and if nothing else, reminds one that every single food out there tastes better with a stick of butter in the recipe.

Craig Claiborne's New York Times Cookbook is useful and user-friendly. In our house it, and Fanny Farmer, are the go-to cookbooks for most things. My wife is fond of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", but I find it difficult to use. "The Joy of Cooking" is solid, but not really a good place to start out.

Yep, another person enthusiastically voting for Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything -- another one that I personally like is Denis Kelly and Bruce Aidells' Complete Meat Cookbook, er, provided your neice and her husband aren't vegetarians. :} -- It has all the prep for cuts of meat that I couldn't find in Bittman's book!

I'll second the rec for the Food Lover's Companion. I find it to be a very valuable reference book for ingredients and conversions.

Maybe this is just a Milwaukee thing, but my mom's first cookbook - therefore, my first cookbook - was the Settlement Cookbook. Her copy is decades old, and yet we both still use it.

Delia Smith's How To Cook is a brilliant beginner's book. The explanations are very thorough and interesting. There's pages devoted to such things as How to Boil an Egg, How to Cook Potatoes, etc. This book does not take a cook's skills for granted, making it perfect for a beginner. The recipes, from Classic Creme Caramel to Paella to Crisp Roast Duck with Confit of Cherries are fabulous and foolproof.

I think this book is an amazing, inspiring and gorgeous place for a young cook to start. In fact it might be all one needs...

I've narrowed my choices down to Joy of cooking (newest edition), artisan bread in 5 minutes a day, and Larousse Gastronomique. Before you say anything let me just say that I read Gastronomique like a novel...where else would I find out what they served for King Henry VIII banquets? Seriously it does give a lot of good basic information that I have referenced many times. Looking at getting the new edition myself.

"The Way to Cook" is best--it's well illustrated, and Julia never ever "talks down" to readers. It's great for beginners because of the way it's organized, but I don't know anyone who doesn't love using that book.

Mark Bittman is also terrific. There are four cookbook authors who have NEVER failed me--every recipe I've ever tried was superb: Julia Child, Mark Bittman, Marcella Hazan, and Paula Wolfert.

I fully agree with almost all of the above books mentioned. I would also like to add " The Theory and Practice of Good Cooking" by James Beard. The recipes are simple, the results are amazing, and each recipe develops a technique which alas, assists one in creating recipes on their own with unerring confidence.

The Joy of cooking, Martha Stewart's cooking school and subscriptions to Cooks Illustrated & Everyday Food.

I like the suggestion of the Beard book since I use mine often.

I have been giving Julia's Kitchen Wisdom to young cooks lately and had wonderful comments. It's a slim volume, but covers a lot with little fluff - Julia Child was great with basics and this book is concise and easy to understand. and the info about making salad dressings and primal sauces is excellent. She discusses basics of technique, ingredients and methods.

She and her co-author, David Nussbaum, managed to cram a world of knowledge into 127 pages.

Dittoing the above, particularly with regard to Joy of Cooking, the books by Mark Bittmann (How to Cook Everything Vegetarian has been an unexpected joy) and Julia Child. If your niece enjoys baking at all, I've really enjoyed "Baking with Julia," which is a collection of recipes from multiple chefs who cooked with her for a television series. Every single recipe I've tried from that book has been a winner. Brownies to die for!

The New Cook by Donna Hay is one of my favorites, and when she becomes more confident in the kitchen she can still return to the recipes and try them again, because they are creative, different and interesting, yet easy to prepare.

Along with the Bittman book, I'd also recommend a subscription to Cook's Illustrated and "Everyday Food: Great Food Fast" from Martha Stewart Living Magazine. I consider myself kind of a beginner, and these have been really helpful in teaching me techniques and tricks, as well as providing solid recipes. "How to Boil Water" is also great for a beginner because it goes into a lot of detail about a lot of basic skills, but some of the recipes could be a little too basic.

I would suggest "On Cooking", the first manual they handed out at culinary school.
It's got an awesome glossary of terms, plenty of pictures with step by step instructions that even those that cut themselves looking at cutlery can follow. It runs though all the classic french, as well as new american and some asian notes as well.
Best of all, they can be found dirt cheap used at any culinary school store with just a few gravy stains for character. I got mine back in 02 and still use it today!

I love all the above suggestions and second them all, esp. Bittman, Cook's Illustrated, Martha, et al. but I'd also throw into the hat Nigella Lawson's How To Eat. It may just inspire someone into the kitchen.

Joy of Cooking

I have often given a combo of The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan, The Joy of Cooking (whichever edition), and The Martha Stewart Cookbook: Collected Recipes for Every Day, and a copy of my family cookbook.

Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home.

The New Basics Cookbook and The Silver Palette Cookbook

I'd skip the subscription to Cook's Illustrated and just pay for a membership to their website. It has all the recipes that have ever appeared in CI, plus instructional videos and lots of other helpful info for a new cook. It's true that they are definitely full of themselves and that their attitude of 'this is the best recipe for this dish ever created in the history of humankind' is annoying, but their recipes always work, are usually very good and the explanations help you understand WHY you're doing the steps you're doing.

Way back when I was enjoying the receptions at a lot of first marriages... The Joy Of Cooking was a frequent gift from me. I guess I'm partial - my mother gave me Joy. It was my first ever cookbooks. If you opt for Joy try to get the one released before the most recent. Part of the charm of the book is the things you may never need - like the muskrat recipes or "the approximate yield from a 250 lb. side of beef cut from an 850 lb. steer." I might never use them - but I wasn't happy to see them go. They are part of the "Americana" feeling of the book.

I used to buy a basket that had four sections (Cutlery basket for outdoor dining). One large one in the back for napkins and three sections in the front for forks, spoons and knives. I'd put the book in the large (napkin) section and insert various whisks, wooden spoons, and a couple of rolled up dish towels in the other three sections. Went over like gangbusters.

I second the Betty Crocker and Martha Stewart books, and would add a desserts only book, maybe Martha's Cookie Book or one of the Williams-Sonoma dessert books.

Would not recommend ATK; way too anal and smug, even for professed foodies. Not every recipe needs a two page explanation of, "And then, because of the transitive reactive Halstead-era seizing properties of the Aboriginal Double Humpback Turtle, I thought, what if I add one teaspoon of clarified monkey paste?."

The book I gave my daughter when she moved to her first apartment was "Sunset Easy Basics for Good Cooking". I have used it for years and I love that it has some great recipes along with lots of basic instructions along the way. It is still one of my go to cookbooks when I need to find a reliable recipe.

I'm surprised I'm the only one here with a vote for Alton Brown's "I'm Just Here for the Food" and "I'm Just Here for more Food." For an utter novice to cooking and baking, these books will give a great grasp of the fundamentals, and explain some of the simple whys and wherefores of recipes. My only problem is that it has a dearth of recipes: the recipes there are just to teach you how to cook.

For my younger brother, when he moved out, I gave him Brown's two books, and the family's Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. He was cooking up good dinners in just a couple months. :-)

Love Bittman, but I also agree that Alton Brown's two books are definite keepers. I love his recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies from More Food.

I'd go with How to Cook Everything (or the Vegetarian version), Martha Stewart's Everyday Food: Great Food Fast and I'd add Pam Anderson's How to Cook Without a Book.

Love "America's Test Kitchen" available on PBS. Also love Barefoot Contessa.

Alice Water's The Art of Simple foods and Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone are books I'd buy for a beginner. As a new cook gains confidence, these books will grow with her.

I would recommend that in addition to giving her one of the many above "big books" (mine is my mother's copy of the Joy of Cooking) that you also consider giving her a nice notebook or binder to be her own "cooking journal" where she can not only record the recipes she loves from friends, parties, internet, etc. But can write down menus, what worked and what didn't work, good food and wine pairings, inspiration from restaurant visits... I know this is kind of an old fashioned idea. But even those (or especially those) of us who aren't food bloggers it is nice to keep one's own thoughts for reference... especially as you are learning or planning annual entertainment. Even if the particular journal you buy only lasts a little while, this practice could stay with her for a lifetime.

one of my best friends asked me to teach her how to cook as a wedding present... due to schedule conflicts it was difficult to organize, so I gave her a binder of many recipes I had collected over the years from magazines and the internet... I classified them by appetizers, main courses, etc and made notes on my experiences with them. She really loved it...

This was about 7-8 years ago. I visited her recently in her new home and she has the binder in her kitchen for easy access. I ma glad she appreciated it and valued it so much...

Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking

If you are a real beginner at something, I find reading the childrens versions
often helpful, esp for cooks. I grew up on Better Homes and Betty C but
first I made everything in all the wonderful childrens cookbooks. It is really
simple, has great pictures and is cheerful, brightly colored and couldn't possibly intimidate anyone!!

Joy of Cooking,and Staff Meals by David Waltuck et al

@Buckethead- nice name , I like that. Haven't seen you post before, welcome aboard.

The Silver Spoon is a class wedding gift in the Italian community, although I use a lot of the above mentioned (j of cook, Bittman) more often. The Silver Spoon is nice to have on the shelf though.

I love Bittman's books because they include simple, delicious, innovative recipes with new approaches to classics. (Affordability helps too- I'm 23 in college but I just gave his books to my recently married sis...) For a classic I'd definitely go with Joy or Betty!

Nothing wrong with the old Betty C., but if she wants to learn to cook, rather than learn to make recipes, ATK. A sound grounding in theory is the basis for improvisation, unless you have enough bathrooms for all of your guests and a nearby McDonalds for them to hit on the way home.

Joy of Cooking. No contest. Even if you get other beginner books, you still need the Joy of Cooking to figure out those random things that are never quite well enough explained in the recipe you have in front of you.

Jamie Oliver's 'Ministry of Food'

ask all of her friends and relatives to contribute a tried and true favorite recipe with good instructions and then gather them in a binder or recipe box.

I agree that the Art of Simple Food would make a nice beginners cookbook and a nice gift, esp. if she's the sort that would appreciate the Alice Waters perspective (less if she's more Rachael Ray). It's very simple (too simple for a more experienced cook), but what I like is that it's more than a collection of recipes: she explains what to look for while you're cooking. Kind of like Judy Rodgers in Zuni (which is a bit too complicated and expensive ingredients-wise), Waters incorporates the senses and will help your niece really learn how to cook well. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is also a great book, and could be the only resource she'd ever need for cooking vegetables and grains. It's much better than Joy or most others in that regard.

There are so many good options out there. I think a lot would depend on what sort of personality and lifestyle she has. If she's quite modern and into design, etc., then I'd recommend Donna Hay's The New Cook. It's actually quite a few years old, but the photos are breathtaking and the approach is very modern but simple. If she's also got some gourmet aspirations, then she'll like Cook with Jamie (Jamie Oliver).

If she's more traditional, then the classic Joy or Fannie Farmer may be more appropriate. I take a stand that, practically, the 90s Joy ("All New") is a better choice. It may not have the alleged charm and whatnot of original, but it's got a wider array of recipes and cuisines that will be of interest to people who want to cook more than they want to read cookbooks. Ie., illustrations of skinning a squirrel are amusing, but I'd rather have a manageable recipe for pad thai. Also, no canned soup ingredients.

Personally I am not a fan of Bittman and have usually been underwhelmed with his recipes (and I've tried more than a fair share). Everyone needs one of those resource books with definitions, cooking times, storage tips, etc., which his books certainly contain. But beyond that, I find his food quite boring.

I don't own Cooking by James Peterson, but I've thumbed through it and would love to own it. It's very comprehensive, but it's also quite classically (French) oriented. If she doesn't seem the type to make a lot of sauces, for example, it might be excessive. But it's beautifully and comprehensively photographed, which gives it a definite edge over Joy or the others.

I know this will sound strange but...a picture is worth a thousand words. Aside from the Joy, Bittman and a subscription to cooksillustrated.com nothing says loving and learning more than a big sloppy cookbook with gorgeous photographs. They do inspire.

If the person is intelligent and is looking for a foundation for a long-term love affair with cooking, there is not a better book than ON FOOD AND COOKING by HAROLD MCGEE.

It is *the* bible of cooking, it will provide the science, explanation, and facts behind every type of ingredient in the world. No matter which direction you take your love of food and cooking, it will be the base, you will wear the cover and spine off of it.

My safety is Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook - it has great basic recipes with variations! It has pictures explaining different techniques and the differences in types of meat, pasta, cheese, vegetables, fruits, herbs, etc, various tips throughout the book (like storing food different types of food) and great tables.

I heartily recommend The Taste of Home Cookbook...good range of recipes, easy-to-understand directions, and nice binder-style format. I also enthusiastically recommend any cookbook by Phyllis Pellman Good. Her recipes and directions are superb!

I've recently bought Jill Dupleix's 'Lighten Up' and have cooked from it nearly every night since I got it. I'm a food writer and keen home cook, and what I love about this is its easy going style, easy to follow recipes and a wide variety of cuisines. You can be having Greek tuna souvlaki one night, Korean bibimbap the next, and all done in record time. It's also split nicely into accessible chapters: morning food, salad food, coups, spicy, veggie, fast, etc. For somebody who's 27 I think the young, fun approach to cooking is really appealing.

How to Cook Everything is a safe bet, but you might also consider Cookwise by Shirley Corriher. Like the McGee book, Cookwise is extensive in explaining the hows and whys of cooking - but it is more user friendly and suggestive.

I like Bittman, and Bon Appetit's new Fast, Fresh and Easy has some nice, beginner recipes.

oops. Make that Fast, Easy, Fresh...the one in the green cover.

I enjoy using Better Homes and Gardens, Joy of Cooking, Fannie Farmer, and Betty Crocker New Cookbook as beginning cookbooks. Also, Mark Bittman's Fish: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking and Quick and Easy Recipes are equally simple cookbooks to start.

Another vote for Bittman - I have the vegetarian one and love it. The aforementioned Alton Brown books are also good for younger people who are looking for serious information but a less serious presentation.

Go for Bittman/Brown now, Cookwise and Bakewise (just got this and love it) a year out, and McGee after she's said something about really loving to cook.

Ditto The Best Recipe and Bittman's. Really can't go wrong with either. I also highly recommend Food Networks's How to Boil Water. Funny title, but it has some fabulous recipes that even the newest of cooks can prepare with great results.

I've been doing a bit of thinking relating to this on my blog. I'd go with Cookwise. Why? It provides a good set of recipes that can be used as normal recipes, but it also explains why the recipes work. It teaches the reader how to use a cookbook and think about recipes. You can ignore these lessons, if you want, but if you want to learn how to actually cook, they are there. . .

Obviously, the Bittmann book resonates with many cooks, but I have a binder of recipes that I reproduce for brides, college students, and children when they leave home. If I really love the recipient, I will hand write the recipes in a beautiful journal , leaving room for recipes that they may want to add in the future. Sometimes I'll put together copies that I keep on my computer. Regardless, I have always gotten rave reviews for my selections. My oldest son snagged the Peterson Cooking book before I even had a chance to read it. He loves any of the Ina Garten books, but loves, loves, loves Cooking by James Peterson.

Fannie Farmer as revised by Marion Cunningham and Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone by Deborah Madison.

Another Betty Crocker fan here, it's just so helpful for everything basic.

LoVe, LOvE, LOVE the original Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten (the one with the potato salad on the front).
http://www.barefootcontessa.com/books/index.shtml
It's so beautiful, but more importantly, it's very approachable, straightforward, simple and INSPIRING. She helps the reader to approach entertaining in the right (relaxed) way. Can't say enough about this book - my copy is in shreds from using it so much.

I really like the ATK Family Cookbook for starters. They are a little full of themselves, but their recipes work. They are fully explained and as one grows they can alter or change the recipes to incorporate their own style as it evolves. Ditto the comment about Cooks Illustrated, just join the web site. For bakers I would recommend Baking Illustrated from the same organization.

The Joy of Cooking may not be the most "user friendly" book but it is an excellent "text book type" book for the new cook to teach themselves.

I also agree that an subscription to Cook's Illustrated would be a great tool.

Many folks are going to stick up their nose at this book, after all it's not any grand and famous chef but when I was a child growing up I used my mother's Betty Crocker, the big orange one and then when I left for college and was going to have my own apartment an aunt gave me my own copy. Even over the years I have gone back to that book for a fair amount of things even though I have dozens, literally, of all sorts of famous chefs. Busy people don't always want or need complicated fussy recipes. This book served me VERY well. In fact, the recipe for cream cheese cookies out of this book has earned me MORE compliments than almost anything else I've ever made. The recipes are fairly simple yet many are suitable for entertaining. It's a great book for a beginner who wants simple yet still makes a nice presentation. It doesn't use all these odd and unusual ingredients that so many use. Just look at the Barefoot Contessa and her macaroni and cheese, truffles! I don't think there is a place in my entire country I could find that or truffle butter which she uses. I love many of her recipes but this is not the sort of thing a beginning cook needs or wants. Best of luck to her, however, 27 is getting started rather late. I truly and honestly believe every parent should teach ALL children, not just girls to cook.

In my family, I give younger cousins Betty C.'s 1969 version--which all our our moms use-- with notes on post-its for the common family recipes, i.e., "Aunt Rachel's famous cookies." It might be worthwhile to find out what her mom's cooking bible is, then find the same edition. I also have organized cookbooks or boxes of recipe cards made up of recipes submitted by and friends of the newlyweds.

Julia Child: The Way to Cook

If you're looking to bake the basics - cookies, brownies, bars, muffins, etc.. The Impatient Baker has a simple approach - uses pantry staples and most recipes are made in 1 bowl - quick, easy and good!

Go to Amazon and get a copy of "Joy of Cooking" from the 1960's; then a copy of Beard's "American Cookery" and, of course, Harold McGee. You can get a feel for the quality of any cookbook by the size of and the details in the Index.

All three of these have HUGE indexes..

Well I just married 2 weeks ago and I bouth the book Taste of Home cookbook I love it. It gives you picture for every recipe and give you "how to" and "why". Every recipe that I have tryed has been great.

Add a comment:

Comments can take up to a minute to appear - please be patient!

Previewing your comment:

 

HTML Hints

Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>

Comment Guidelines

Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.

If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.

Start Talking!

Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!

Sign up to start a talk topic

Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.