Novice Cook needs help!!?

Question

Ok- I'm a novice cook. I can make a few basic things- I can scramble eggs, fry bacon, make spaghetti- pretty much if only 1 step is involved or I can read directions from a box or book- I do ok. There are certaint dishes that I know are simple that I haven't tried- rice, fried chicken and fish, biscuits, stuff like that- and I'm clueless about more complex recipies. My question is this: Can someone reccommend a good cook book that will teach me the basics and throw in some easy yet impressive recipies if I had company coming over??

Answer 1

I suggest either "The Boston Cooking School Cook Book" by Fannie Merritt Farmer or "The Joy of Cooking" by Marion Rombauer Becker.

Both of these are readily available in new or used copies, and not only do they explain cooking techniques in great detail, but they also have recipes for anything you can think of. The recipes range from easy to more complicated. . .as your knowledge base expands, you can graduate to the complex recipes.

If you can find it in a used bookstore, the old "Good Housekeeping Cook Book" (the one with the black cover) is also an excellent basic cookbook. I have my grandmother's copy, and I wouldn't part with it, both for sentimental and practical reasons.

Answer 2

I really recomend "The New Best Recipe."

The New Best Recipe is the updated edition of The Best Recipe, a collection of recipes from Cook's Illustrated magazine. This magazine is the basis for the popular PBS cooking show "America's Test Kitchen." The mission of the authors is to find the "best recipe" for each type of dish by documenting exactly what they want out of the dish, and then tweaking the ingredients and techniques to find out exactly what works and what doesn't.

The result is a marvelously comprehensive and detailed guide to cooking. Following a recipe from The New Best Recipe will yield a great dish almost without fail. A typical recipe starts with a goal (eg. a thick, chewy chocolate chip cookie, not crispy or cakey). The authors then explain the different experiments and the results (eg. creaming the butter makes for a cakey cookie). They end with the final recipe with complete instructions.

The emphasis here is on basics and classics. If you're looking for a perfect pot roast or fruit cobbler, this is the book to get. The beauty of the book is that it makes an excellent springboard for further experimentation. From their explanations, you can often figure out what approaches and changes are the most promising. Once you figure out how the editors play with ingredients, you can follow their philosophy to perfect your own creations.

Answer 3

Chicken Divan 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen broccoli, chopped 6 cups shredded chicken, cooked 2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup 1 cup mayonnaise 1 cup sour cream 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon curry powder Salt and pepper 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs 2 tablespoons butter, melted Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the outer wrappers from the boxes of broccoli. Open 1 end of each box. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes, until thawed. Drain the broccoli and put into a casserole dish. Add the shredded chicken. In a medium bowl, combine the soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, Cheddar, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper, to taste, and wine. Whisk together to make a sauce. Pour the sauce over the broccoli and chicken. Mix well with a spatula. Place the mixture into an 11 by 7-inch casserole dish or 2 (9-inch) square disposable aluminum foil pans that have been sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray. Pat down evenly and smooth with a spatula. Combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over the top. Bake for about 30 to 45 minutes.

Answer 4

I understand you are novice, but with cooking, the more you cook, the more of an expert you become. So it doesn't matter if you begin for something basic, intermediate or advanced. As long as you follow every recipe step by step, fully aware of what you're doing you will cook great. Consider any of the following books from Giada de Laurentis ("Everyday Italian" show @ Foodnetwork). I prefer her over Rachel Ray, because eventhough Rachel keep it simple, Giada's recipes are more ellegant as well as fancy sometimes and are not too difficult to perform. Have you watch her show? You just need to have the right ingredients and some passion for cooking. And voilá, you could also be a great chef. (please visit the link below)

Answer 5

Trust me, biscuits aren't that simple! Get the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook or the Betty Crocker cookbook. They helped me when I was learning to cook. Tons of tips and tricks, and simple and complex food. It'll tell you everything from how to boil water to make hollandaise to a souffle. I've had mine now for 15 years and still have my mother's from the 1960's! It's a great way to begin.

Happy cooking!

Answer 6

if you can find a book titled practical cookery by ceserani and kinton this will help,its a book they use or did use at catering collage so is very basic with step by step instructions,it does cover most dishes you could think of .i left collage 10 years ago and still have this book today it was a god send when teaching my wife to cook . good luck and happy cooking

Answer 7

The Joy of Cooking
it explains in detail about every kind of meat/fruit/veggie you can think of. it even explains how to cut meats and stuff them and all kinds of things. and thousands of recipes. it was given to me when i first got married and is full of stuff. it's like the encyclopedia of cooking. for something with a little less volume there is a "bride's" version of a Betty Crocker cookbook that also has good tips and simple recipes.

Answer 8

Look on Amazon, there are so many great books available that it is hard to recommend anything.

As a beginner try to get one with the recipes and ingredients in terms you understand. It is no good reading a recipe that has metric measurements and you use imperial measurement, unless you know both, or have conversion tables.

Answer 9

The Rachel Ray books are written expressly for home cooks who don't know how to do anything too complicated, but want to make interesting and delicious food.

In the grand scheme though (after the company leaves), I suggest watching cooking shows. Lots of them. Different hosts. On the food network, pbs, discovery channel, etc. You will see how they cook food. How they stir, chop, how often, etc. It is easy to mimic and once you have basic techniques down, you apply them to almost any ingredients.

Answer 10

Hey , I think I can help ..you don't need a book most cook book just suck because they just have text and very little pictures ....what you need is a video showing you step by step and you can "see" what they are talking about ..also you can pause and rewind ..So my advice to you is to invest in a video..