Getting started in cooking

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gibo

Assistant Cook
Joined
Jul 14, 2005
Messages
4
Hi everyone!
I'm 17, just found your site, and want to find an appropriate cook book to get started in. Basically I like all types of foods, and so would like a cookbook that tries to cover a broad range. Any recommendations are greatly appreciated, thanks.
 
Welcome to DC gibo.

A great cookbook for a beginner is the Joy of Cooking. It covers a lot of ground and is good on the basics.
 
Welcome to the site. Where are you from? What do you like to cook?

My favorite book to get started with is How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman. You can find it here
 
Thanks for the posts. I'm from Australia, near Sydney. What I'm not interested in is desserts. I'm particularly interested in small snacks. Things appropriate for lunch. And dinner meals that are quiet quick and easy.
 
The Joy of cooking looks a good book, reasonably priced $11, for paperback version, from amazon US. Also its very large so would take a fair time to consume completely.
 
Great choice. Joy is kinda like a Bible in these circles. I also highly suggest picking up a book or two that get's into the science of cooking. Once you understand the processes that go into fixing your favorite dishes then you will have every base covered except for technique and taste, which really come only with experience. I cant really recomend one such book (havent read many cookbooks) but I grew up with two ingeneer parents who loved to cook and benefited more from the parts they explained using a sheet of papper, pencil and calculator than the actual manual parts.
 
Betty Crocker is a good begining cookbook. The red&white plaid one. This was one of the first cookbooks I picked up, and I still refer to it.
 
Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks are also good. I have the 12th edition & have learned a lot from it. My son has a Better Homes & Gardens Junior cookbook that is good also. Not only has he made several things from it, I have as well.
 
Alton Brown - I'm just here for the food. This book covers the science of cooking.
 
gibo - here's my usual advice - as cookbooks can get pricey, check out garage sales, estate sales and used book stores. You can really get some great deals. And, quite often, you'll find the best recipes, as the book will open to those pages, and there will be the original owner's handwritten notes in the margins. I'd say at least half of mine are pre-owned. Also check ebay! You never know what you'll find!
 
crewsk said:
Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks are also good. I have the 12th edition & have learned a lot from it. My son has a Better Homes & Gardens Junior cookbook that is good also. Not only has he made several things from it, I have as well.

we have 2 of those, one that is old, like from when my Parents got married in the 70's and that has some very, um... unique recipes in it (as in, scrambled brains:sick: ) but i love that edition and a newer one.
 
The Alton Brown suggestion is a great one! Another similar food science book that I love is What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained by Robert L. Wolke. You can find it here
 
I totally agree with jkath about checking out garage sales & stuff. Another great place to try is thrift stores. I just got The Frugal Gourmet by Jeff Smith for $1. Haven't made anything from it yet, but I'm enjoying reading it.


Luvs, my grandpa used to eat scrambled eggs & pigs brains for breakfast! I've always wanted to try it but I want fresh, not the canned ones & someone else to cook it. I have a cookbook (mudbug has the same one too) that has some very, ummm.... shall I say interesting:ermm: , recipes in it too. I can't think of the name of it right now though. My coffee hasen't kicked in ths morning!
 
thank for the replies anyone. With the cookbook I'm after low fat food, relatively quick and inexpensive. Also I'm not concerned with deserts. I think I will pick up two, maybe three books. The joy of cooking seems to be a good place to start, can anyone think of a book that can accompany this book well? It's interesting to note that the joy of cooking was written a very long time ago, what significance if any would that have?
 
I am one of the few people here who does not like the Joy of Cooking. I know it is a very valuable book and tons of people love it. Hopefully you will too. I just don't like it for some reason.

Most cookbooks will have a dessert section in them. I am like you in that I could care less about that part. As for low fat, quick and inexpensive, you can find cookbooks specifically for those topics. I usually do not like those books though. The recipes are the same book after book and some can be pretty boring. Your best bet, IMO, is to learn the basics first from a good book like Joy Of Cooking or How To Cook Everything or any number of other all purpose cookbooks. Once you learn the basics you will be able to figure out on your own how to make things low fat, quick, and cheap.

What I would recommend is that you go to the library and take out a few cookbooks. Any library worth their salt with have Joy Of Cooking. Before you spend any money, take them out for free and see what you think.
 
excellent idea, GB! I'm currently going through 3 cookbooks I got at the library.
If I find a book I love there, then I scout it out on ebay.

(ps)I'm not into Joy of Cooking either.

One of my favorites, which is the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, was published in the 30s. It's real stuff, not trendy stuff. Granted, there's no section for "low-fat", but it does talk a lot about nutrition, gives so many basics, and tons of "how-tos".
It even shows how to shop/cook frugally.
Gibo, when you do find a book you love, please share with us!
 
crewsk said:
I just got The Frugal Gourmet by Jeff Smith for $1.

I bought that book new when it first came out and have made many of the recipies from it. I recommend the Boston Baked Beans. They've become my 'signature' contribution to the family pot luck. (I usually make that and something else because I don't like doing the same thing all the time).

I don't really use many of my cook BOOKS anymore. I usually find things I'm looking for using an Internet search or by asking for help from the good folks here at Discuss Cooking :chef: .
 
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