Everyday Systems

I thought it would be nice to have a thread where we recommend some of our favorite cookbooks for people who are new at cooking. No S will work much better if you make most of your meals at home.

My favorite cookbook for newbie cooks is Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. I actually like the old (yellow) edition slightly better than the new (red) one. It has lots of info, not just on cooking, but on picking out ingredients and how to tell when stuff is done. Lots of good, basic, simple recipes.

I absolutely agree with you about Bittman's How to Cook Everything. I like the yellow edition better than the newer, red one, too. One of the things I like best is that many of the recipes include variations.

I'm particularly fond of Pam Anderson's (no, not that Pam Anderson!) How to Cook Without a Book. From the review, "Recognizing that most cooks feel challenged in the face of daily meal making, Anderson provides a game plan: prepare dishes based on available ingredients and simple cooking techniques you've mastered--not on recipes you've got to look up and ingredients you'll need to shop for--and you maximize the potential of kitchen ease." If you have what you need on hand, you can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes -- without resorting to overly processed convenience foods. I think the only convenience food she uses regularly is boxed stock.

I can honestly say it revolutionized my cooking. Often now when I see a recipe I want to try, I refer to her techniques -- all I have to remember are the key ingredients. She's also used this technique in some of her recipes for USA Weekend, Fine Cooking and some of her other cookbooks. She's working on a new cookbook, Meatless Mondays, due out this fall, I think, which will be done in the same format.

If one is vegetarian, I recommend Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

I also have a favorite cooking magazine. Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. The recipes are usually quick, simple, don't require hard-to-find ingredients and also use little processed foods. Most serve four, but I cut most down to serve 1 or 2.

A Man A Can A Plan, volumes I & II. They are written by David Joachim. Easy, tasty, and inexpensive.

I second Pam Anderson's How to Cook without a Book.

I would also add the Better Homes Cookbook (red and white checkered), and The Joy of Cooking.

My husband was recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and I bought Eat What You Love, by Marlene Koch. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the recipes I have tried so far! At least 8-10 recipes, and they are really good!

Eileen7316 wrote:I second Pam Anderson's How to Cook without a Book.

I would also add the Better Homes Cookbook (red and white checkered), and The Joy of Cooking.

I'd agree about the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook and also The Betty Crocker Cookbook. Those are the two I used when learning to cook. Joy of Cooking is good, too. My ex swears by that one and gave it to both our daughters. I gave them How to Cook Without a Book. I have a couple of friends who swear by America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook or Cook's Illustrated Best Recipes.

There are a lot of good cookbooks for beginners. My advice would be to list those that people rely on, go the the bookstore and see which appeals to you.

Another bid for the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. My mother in law gave her son a copy of that when he moved out of the house, and he did start to learn to cook from it to the point where yes, he can cook a competent, tasty meal. It's a good, all-around cookbook.

I'm a big fan of Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday. I live in Chicago, so most of the ingredients are available for next to nothing in my local grocery stores; the recipes are generally easy with lots of healthy, fresh and grilled choices; and the food is delicious.

I also love both of Bittman's books, How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, along with the Joy of Cooking.

Finally, couldn't live without the internet for recipes: CooksIllustrated.com, myrecipes.com, epicurious.com and supercook.com.

I like Rick Bayless' show on PBS. I may have to find that book. Can't say I am a big fan of his brother, Skip, though.

Wow! I had no idea Rick Bayless had a brother! Learn something new every day.

exdieter wrote:Wow! I had no idea Rick Bayless had a brother! Learn something new every day.

Skip is a host on "First Take" on ESPN in the morning. He makes me want o run as fast as I can, head first, into a cinderblock wall.

Hahaha. Lucky for me, I have never watched ESPN.

I've always been a bit of an idiot in the kitchen. I'm really loving The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. The recipes are simple & there are many pictures and hints. Every recipe I've tried has been a winner with my picky family.