I need a rec for a cookbook for.....

A person who has never even put a chicken in the oven that wasn't like chicken strips from trader joes. (Um that person is me!). I know nothing about even basic cooking and what spices do what..what utensils are for what..much less steaming vs broiling vs baking. Truly clueless and I need a book for a childs brain( um me!) Because every book I have seen is like reading greek to me. Lol. Tia!!!!

I need a rec for a cookbook for.....

How to Boil Water is a cookbook put out by the food network.
Excellent.
Great recipes.
They break EVERYTHING down for you in normal language.

I need a rec for a cookbook for.....

Americas test kitchen cookbooks are amazing! They test out the recipes several different ways and make them pretty close to fool proof. They also have tons of sections explaining tools, cooking methods, measurments, etc.

Re: I need a rec for a cookbook for.....

I also love the America's Test Kitchen Cookbook, but for a first cookbook I would either get:
Better Homes and Gardens (red checkerboard one)
or Mark Bittman How to Cook Everything.

I think the America's Test Kitchen one is fantastic and would get that one too, but it might be a little more advanced.

I need a rec for a cookbook for.....

The red checkerboard was m bible when I first started out. They explain what cuts of meat can be used for what and general roasting guidelines.

Re: I need a rec for a cookbook for.....

I have a LOT of cookbooks, and I love them. But when I first started cooking, it was helpful just to read any cookbook, and even now, I feel like the more I read, the more I learn.

For everyday cooking, I like the Cooking Light cookbooks and Taste of Home. The Cooking Light annuals are big with every type of recipe you can think of. Williams-Sonoma also has a good line of cookbooks....I just got the "One Pot a Day" book with 365 recipes (and they are all one pot meals like casseroles, frittatas, Dutch oven/braised dishes, etc.. some are simpler than others, though).

For entertaining, I often rely on my Barefoot Contessa cookbooks (Ina Garten). Her latest, Foolproof, has a lot of tips/tricks on different techniques and various types of food prep. And all of her cookbooks have that type of info woven in. I also like Giada DeLaurentiis's cookbooks.

Even now, as an experienced cook, when I am unsure about something, I find the internet to be invaluable... just googling something will bring up a lot of cooking information (even videos).

Re: I need a rec for a cookbook for.....

While the recipes use a lot of cheats, a good place to start is kraft recipes (its online) and semi-homemade with sandra lee. Once you get the hang of these types of recipes you can move on to doing everything more from scratch/homemade. These recipes are not for everyone - as some for example might call for store bought salad dressing or canned soup and those tend to ahve sodium. But I just find them to be a good starting point for getting comfortable in the kitchen.