First cookbook help

[TOPCAT1008]

hi - my son and his partner are moving in together this week and none of them can cook - can anyone reccommend a first cookbook that I can buy for them ? They will be able to follow recipes if it is straightforward !! Thanks

 

[nailzandbeauty]

Have you had a look at Jamie Olivers books they are not bad he makes loads of different foods from a bit of allsorts! good luck x

 

[Martin Duffy]

My first cookbook was the same one given to my mum when her & my dad got married, which is the Dairy Book of Home Cookery! It's no longer published as far as I'm aware, although old copies abound, and it's still my favourite as it has basic everyday recipes such as soups, bread sauce, pancakes, bread & butter pudding, custard, pizza bases, scones, omelette, stew, pastry, cakes & biscuits etc. Mine being the 1970's one even has fondue recipes (still use the cheese one!)!

I much prefer it over any of the modern chef books as it tells you everything & has simple everyday foods, not the kind if thing you might cook once in a blue moon; it even tells you how to store foods, how long for, what can/can't be frozen, how to defrost food etc. The recipes are really easy to follow as well, I've not known anyone go wrong with them. It's the one cookbook I wouldn't be without, well that & my Madhur Jaffrey ones. It's my food bible!

 

[rouge]

I've got this one Amazon.co.uk: How to Boil an Egg: ... And 184 Other Simple Recipes for One (Right Way S.): Jan Arkless: Books
It's fantastic as it explains everything by assuming that you know nothing. It really helped me when I left home!

 

[Noodle]

Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course ... easy to follow recipes and pretty tasty too.

 

[fena]

I have tons of cook books as i couldn't cook a bean, literaly (sp) when i moved in my place alone. I think the best was a 99p cookbook from BHS and the dairy book, which is years old, mother gave it to me.
My cooking skills now amount to 6 dishes i can cook well! Anything else and i muddle by.
I now have a nintendo and bought 2 cooking (games) for recipes, it is brill, lol. It tells you what to do and when, perfect,lol

 

[Martin Duffy]

I think the best was a 99p cookbook from BHS and the dairy book, which is years old, mother gave it to me.

Glad to find another one who learnt their cooking craft at the hands of the good old Dairy Book of Home Cookery! Mine is covered in bits of cake mix, batter, butter & all sorts!

 

[TOPCAT1008]

Thanks for all your replys - just going to go on amazon and have a look at them. You never know, I might end up buying one for myself too !! lol :biggrin:

 

[Lil Linz]

I've also got 'how to boil an egg', which is fantastic for starting out.

My mum bought me 'Cooking - a common sence guide' Amazon.co.uk: Cooking: A Commonsense Guide (Cooking): Murdoch Books: Books earlier this year, which I think is even better. There is a detailed intro section with a storecupboard guide (things you should always have in), cookery terms, basic kitchen equiptment, freezing guide etc. Then it goes on to explain (with pictures) the different cuts of meat and what the best use is for each, and also the same for different veg, herbs, pasta, rice. It has a good selection of recipies too lol.

 

[Susie H]

As well as the dairy book I also have Mrs beetons complete cook book and The Farm house complete cook book which came from the BBC when they had the program on the telly. I've bought others down the years but those three are the ones that have fed my family and friends for the last 25 years I love cooking, its part of 'ME' time:green:

 

[pinklinds]

Ainsley Hariet's Meals in Minutes (various in series) are really very nice. They are, as the name suggests, quick meals but certainly don't skimp on flavour.

 

[*JOANNE*]

I have to agree..the diary book of home cookery...brill for a first time cooking book.....covers everything from boiling and egg to roasting spuds....

 

[Trinity]

I found student cook books are really good too, I think I got one from the '1001 XXX recipes' range. They're good because they also tell you what store cupboard items to have to make their recipes and how to splash out with better ingredients as the beginning of term and cheapen them when the grant is running out LOL