If you only had one cookbook...

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As ironic as it may seem for the circumstance, my go to is my BH&G wedding edition. What is awesome about this book is all the extra info that "young couples dont know" such as meat cuts, a ton of how-tos, culinary jargon, etc. Hands down the best book in my arsenal.
 
As odd as it may make me sound, I have never liked The Joy Of Cooking.

I would go with Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. It has all the info you would need to know how to cook any of the most common foods and dishes, plus plenty of great recipes and other information.
 
Oh, I said Joy, but if I was just starting out, what used to be a staple for new wives (hey, I'm 54, new wives were given cookbooks, never new husbands!) then I agree with the BH&G (the one my mother was given as a new bride) and Betty Crocker (my husband was given as a new bachelor out on his own)(yeah, yeah, I was given an updated version of it myself as a wedding present when I married him .... I had a starter marriage). I grew up using these cookbooks, and love the ring binder format. When discarding an old copy of Betty for a new one, I actually went through the old one and made sure all the old recipes my husband and I used in our old copies were in the new one. Some weren't, and I was able to just pop them out of the ragged binders they were in, put reinforcements around the holes, and pop them into the newer copy.

I don't consider Joy to be a beginner's cookbook. The format isn't as clear as some (when I first started using it, I'd sometimes find myself one ingredient short because I hadn't read the recipe and just bought the ingredients first mentioned). The later versions are more clear than the earlier ones (I bought my first one at a used book store on the closeout shelf). However it is comprehensive and is the first book I turn to when doing research before trying something new and different.
 
I recently purchased the "America's Test Kitchen Cookbook." Lots of helpful suggestions on food quality, preparation tips and lots of basic foods. I'm loving it and it become the first one I check when looking for a recipe.
 
If I could have only one cookbook it would have to be "Joy of Cooking". I am recently divorced and have my kids every other week. The Ex does not cook for the kids very often. On my weeks it is very important to me to put a good home cooked meal on the table for them. Joy has been a tremendous helping hand. I still learn from it. I have Bittman, Betty Crocker, Better Homes, Good Eats... but I still find myself returning to Joy time and time again.
 
Once referred to by Gordon Ramsey as The Bible, mine is "Reader's Digest: The Cookery Year", although I have no idea if it's still available - or available in the US. I've had my copy 25 years and it's still the first book I turn to.
 
"The Joy of Cooking" by Julia Child

:LOL: Julia Child did NOT write "the Joy of Cooking." The original author was Irma Rombauer, but the current editions have multiple authors... different ones for each section.

I personally have never cared much for "Joy." When I'm gifting a beginner cook with good, basic material, I always choose Julia Child's "The Way to Cook," and my book, "Feastivals Cooks at Home."
 
I would have to say it depends on how much and what type of food you cook. A good starter book is Betty Crocker one, and it has the basics and enough recipes to keep a person going for some time. However the Joy of Cooking has all that and then some. So get BC, then JOC.
 
Joy of Cooking

I've not found many of the recipes overly inspiring but it always gives me a place to start. Assuming you don't need step by step instructions, I'd go with the Joy of Cooking.

If you have your basics of what you want to cook and would like to branch out a bit more, I also like The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Spices by Clevely, et all. The reason is that it gives recipes that highlight many of the herbs and spices, which gives ideas as to how to use them.

~Kathleen

 
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