# Please recommend a good basic cook book **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205 "2010-10-24T18:09:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2010, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205/21 "2010-10-25T13:27:36Z")
The late Peg Bracken’s [I Hate to Cookbook](http://www.amazon.com/Hate-Cook-Book-Anniversary-ebook/dp/B003JTHXIG/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2) has been updated and rereleased by her daughter Johanna. Fun to read and easy to follow. ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205/22 "2010-10-26T03:47:46Z")
My parents gave each kid _Fannie Farmer_ when we moved out on our own, and that was my one cookbook for years. I also have _how to cook without a book_ but found that when I was starting out I wasn’t confident enough to really cook without a book. Now my cookbook collection extends to 40 books including a bunch of locally published ones from the 1900s - '20s but in a pinch I always pull out my _Fannie Farmer_ to remind me of the basic skills, like how long do you have to boil an egg anyway? Once the basic concepts are down, the best thing nowadays might just be joining a site like allrecipes and using that. Reading the reviews helps because it teaches you how others tweak while still working within the basic framework of the recipe. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205/23 "2010-10-26T03:53:11Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman is great. > > My edition of “Joy of Cooking” is 1972 and I adore it. But I’d choose HtCE over the most recent edition of Joy. I agree with this. I learned on Joy of Cooking, and I recently picked up a cheap copy of How to Cook Everything just to have it around the house. Were I starting out, I think HtCE would be my preference. It’s definitely better for beginners. ETA: Oh, and I also had that Better Homes & Gardens cookbook when I was first learning. That also was better suited for the beginner than Joy of Cooking. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205/24 "2010-10-26T18:12:22Z")
I like Jamie Oliver’s [Cook With Jamie](http://www.jamieoliver.com/books/cook-with-jamie), a good intro to basic techniques that doesn’t feel preachy or talk down like some beginner cook books can. Lots of very accesible, interesting recipes, it’s quite a hefty size. ---
**Author:** ![Loisseau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@Loisseau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loisseau)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205/25 "2010-10-26T21:11:49Z")
of four grown daughters, one wife. Great recipes for all cuisines, tested, plenty of hints and product reviews. Best all -round guide to food prep for a beginning and experienced cook. [America’s Kitchen Cookbook- Heavy Duty](http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Cookbook-Heavy-Duty-Revised/dp/193361501X/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1288126956&sr=1-8) ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205/26 "2010-10-26T22:29:36Z")
To Serve Man is a classic. 😛 The [New McCall’s Cookbook](http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0394487850/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&qid=1288131868&sr=8-1&condition=used) is outstanding. I learned how to cook from it when I was 17, and I still have a copy of it to this day, despite the fact that it has been out of print for decades. No photos, but all of the recipes are simple and delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205/27 "2010-10-27T00:00:24Z")
> [@missred](#): > > My fave for gifting young folks first out on their own is the standby Betty Crocker Cookbook. It’s basic enough to explain a few of the whys, but includes variations for when you want to branch out a bit. My personal favored edition is the one from the late seventies. No micro recipes, but more cook-it-from-scratch stuff. > > Granted, this wouldn’t be for a kid who is into the art of cooking, but for someone just starting out, it’s a good reference. I actually bought a copy for my dad when he took over the kitchen duties after Mom became disabled (he had never done anything more complicated than coffee or popcorn before). That was the first cookbook I ever used, and it’s still a great one for beginners, with simple recipes that are nutritional and taste good. They’ve removed some over the years (like sloppy joes, I think, the bastards), but it’s still a good book. BH&G cookbook has more involved recipes, IMO, but it’s still a good one for initial stretching of wings. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205/28 "2010-10-27T02:49:52Z")
**Mean Mr. Mustard,** new cooks can also benefit from a good cooking glossary which will explain to them methods such as poach, simmer, etc. Some cookbooks are better than others at explaining these terms. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205/29 "2010-10-27T03:17:58Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > The late Peg Bracken’s [I Hate to Cookbook](http://www.amazon.com/Hate-Cook-Book-Anniversary-ebook/dp/B003JTHXIG/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2) has been updated and rereleased by her daughter Johanna. Fun to read and easy to follow. It also deals with cooking as a practical manner. Sometimes you don’t want 45 ways to fix a lamb chop, you just want to know one way other than broiling it (paraphrased). And it’s a good reference to turn to when everyone is tired of cooking, but everyone is also tired of drivethrough food. And it has some of the old classics in it that many people grew up on. I have the new edition, but I’m going to keep my old edition of _The Compleat I Hate To Cookbook_, because at least some of the old recipes were left out. ---
**Author:** ![oliversarmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/eb8c5e/32.png) [@oliversarmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oliversarmy)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205/30 "2010-10-27T03:30:20Z")
I recommend “How Cooking Works” by Sylvia Rosenthal and Fran Shinagel. It’s kind of a “Joy of Cooking” in a lighter version. I have no idea if it’s still available, my version was published in 1981. The ISBN code is 0-02-605090-0. It has good recipes along with the usual how- to- do written in a way that makes things simple. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205/31 "2010-10-27T10:48:15Z")
> [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > **Mean Mr. Mustard,** new cooks can also benefit from a good cooking glossary which will explain to them methods such as poach, simmer, etc. Some cookbooks are better than others at explaining these terms. I like Michael Ruhlman’s _The Elements of Cooking_ for this. Most of it is the glossary, but he leads with a chapter on how to make excellent stock. I’m a vegetarian, and the man had me wanting to make **veal stock** of all things. :eek: There are many different stock variations in the chapter, but just the way he talked about the veal version, whoa… ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205/32 "2010-10-27T10:52:09Z")
Another vote for “How To Cook Everythng” - it’s fantastic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-a-good-basic-cook-book/558205.md?page=1)