You'll probably notice that I don't review many cookbooks. Well, the simple reason is that I'm rather hopeless in the kitchen! I have chronic health issues that make it hard for me to do simple tasks. I also seem to have a knack for burning things, and cutting fingers instead of vegetables. So I wanted a cookbook that started at the beginning. This does do that, yes, but it almost goes into overkill with detail.

I'm not ready to revamp my pantry, spice cabinet, or supply of pots and pans or gadgets. While the author really doesn't seem to expect a huge overhaul, it seemed a little overwhelming to me. Again, this is probably more my problem than it is any lack on the park of the author! I originally was going to start at the beginning -- with breakfast items -- and work my way through as I could. Instead, I realized that I can already handle some of these things (frying, scrambling, or hard boiling an egg, for instance), and that some of the others are just things I wouldn't want to go to the added work of preparing. I tend to rely on prepared foods simply because I have to pick and choose where my small amount of physical and mental energy goes each day.

I think the book is a good, solid introduction to basic recipes for all sorts of foods. I just don't need to prepare my own salsa, or bake my own bread, at this point in my life. I am glad I borrowed it from the library, though, and had a good perusal of it. Cookbooks just aren't really my cup of tea.

This would make a great wedding shower gift for a beginning cook.

n  How to Cook Everything: The Basics nis an essential first cookbook. Give it to college students facing their first time cooking for themselves, or to new home owners who can no longer afford nightly take-out.

(On second thought, don’t give it to anyone. Ever. Cookbooks are terrible gifts unless the recipient specifically points one out for you. My mother’s incessant habit of buying me diet cookbooks in my overweight teenage years [her idea of subtlety] hardly helped our turbulent relationship at the time. And this book is so perfect for first time cooks and bad cooks that giving it can only be seen as an insult. Instead, recognize your limitations and get it for yourself.)

It’s arranged in order of courses but it becomes clear quickly that it’s also arranged by degree of difficulty. And from the first recipe it’s clear that the author intends to really cover the basics. One of the very first recipes is fried eggs.

I’m losing some of you. This book is too simple for me, you’re thinking. That’s what I thought too until I went in a bit further. The first section is Breakfast and it teaches you the different ways to cook eggs, and covers the various breakfast meats and starches, then it goes in to the other courses with things like braised chicken, corn on the cob, fried rice, apple pie, and chocolate chip cookies. All simple dishes to make and build off but ones that people will expect you to know how to make in life and will silently judge you if you don’t. I’m having the braised chicken right now and I can attest it’s really fantastic. It’s my first time cutting up a whole chicken, braising, and using cinnamon in a savory dish, and yet it’s simple to put together, low maintenance, impressive to look at, and very tasty.

For those who like their cookbooks with pictures, not only is there a full page pic of every recipe but nearly all also have a series of smaller step-by-step pictures with a simplified explanation under each. There are also suggestions for variations. My only complaint is that the directions may be too thorough. I really don’t need a page of instructions for making an omelette, but at least no first time cook is likely to get it wrong.


THE VERDICT? To speak from personal experience, if you can bake a cheesecake but can’t poach an egg then this is the book for you. Also a great tool for helping teach preteens so they can impress their home ec teachers. I'll be checking out the other cookbooks in this series.

A good overview of the basics on everything. I can maybe cook a little better than this, now, but not much... Maybe I need this book after all.

Probably a good beginner cookbook for thos who find cooking absolutely terrifying.

Great intro book that would be a wonderful gift for one newly living on their own or getting married.

I really think anyone who doesn't know how to cook, especially young newlyweds, couldn't do a lot better than this book. His famous book, How to Cook Everything, would be even better if you have a foundational understanding of cooking.

The best cookbook ever. I've used this a ton, and find it a very helpful reminder for things I make infrequently. It has everything you need in the way of basic recipes, as well as explanations of ingredients, procedures, etc. Excellent for the beginning cook. We give this book as wedding gifts.

Great book to have handy as it breaks down cooking terms and gives the novice the basics to build up their cooking repertoire.

Very helpful in teaching and/or reviewing techniques with which I'd gotten a little lax, like remembering to brown the roast before slow-cooking, or shocking the veggies in ice water after steaming to prevent them from getting over cooked.

The tone is sort of like watching the "Good Eats" host explain the physics (which my education has neglected) involved in carmelizing sugar, making gravy, and so on. It's educational, yet straightforward. The important thing is, if you use the proper techniques, the results you get are delicious-er!

Cookbook club title. A great resource for new cooks; much more accessible than the Joy of Cooking. A few techniques I want to try.

Tailor-made for a dedicated non-cook (read: supremely insecure cook) like myself. Worth buying/borrowing from the library for the pictures alone, which are both spectacular and exhaustive. The text is easy to understand without being pandering and includes lists and tips for first setting up your kitchen to preparing your own Thanksgiving feast, and everything in between. Well done, Mark Bittman.