Best absolute beginner cookbook?

[ilsorpasso]

Any suggestion on something that covers the basics and more? Thanks!

[Grillncook]

I just inherited a Copy of "The Best New Recipe" from the Americas Test Kitchen. I like it because they really cover the methodology of how they arrived at the recipe and basic information need to cook just about anything. I would give it as a gift to someone that wasn't cooking savvy. My Non Cooking Lady likes stuff from them because, "They explain everything and they have good illustrations of how to do things"

[roxlet]

I second The Best Recipe. I gave my niece a bunch of cookbooks for her college graduation, and this is the one she has been using most.

[hyde]

i always found "joy of cooking" to be a huge pain in the ass. flipping back and forth to compete recipes with other recipes, painful. second hand fannie farmer, will set you back about 5 bucks and is easier to use. "cover and bake", "american classics" and
"quick recipe" all from cooks magazine will give you years of cooking, maybe a little more advanced but tested extensively.

[twinsmum]

Delia Smith one is fantastic

[westvillager02]

I think the best strategy to start cooking is get one reference book (Joy of Cooking, Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, Better Home and Gardens) and then get a book that inspires you (preferably something with lots of pictures).

Before you buy a beginner cookbook, look at each recipe to make sure it has a manageable list of ingredients. Nothing frustrates the beginner cook like seeing a list of 30 ingredients that are expensive or can't easily be found.

[dfrostnh]

Better Homes and Gardens is still my favorite reference for the basics - i.e. how to roast a turkey, how long to boil an egg. Decent easy meals.

[oldbaycupcake]

"How to Cook Everything" is a favorite & great for the beginning cook. Covers basics like scrambled eggs to ethnic and goumet recipes. I use it as a reference and often give it as a gift for recent college or high school grads in a basket with some basic utensils and herbs/spices.

[crewsweeper]

I'll second "How To Cook Everything" . Of the "hundreds" of cook books my wife has collected, I still go to this one for nearly everything, except Italian where my Marcella hazan books are sauce splattered and mexcian where Rick Bayless reigns supreme.