Cookery Books for Beginners

bigdunc

bigdunc

bigdunc

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Haven't really done much cooking (still live with parents) and would like to start. Anyone recommend a few books with basic recipes to begin with? Not too concerned with a particular type of food, am willing to give anything a go.

Cheers
 
Appetite by Nigel Slater is a good start, his philosophy is basically that "a recipe should be something to inspire ... rather than a set of instructions to be followed". So, while it does contain a good selection of quick/simple/tasty recipes it's quite laid back in it's approach and gives plenty of variations on each. It encourages you not to have to rely on strict recipes for everyday cooking.

Or if you're looking more for something more encyclopaedic in it's approach then perhaps try the Conran Cookbook or one of the Leiths books.
 
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This. A fantastic book to get you going. Inspired a lot of my cooking. Simple but great food. Ranges from breakfast, to bread, roasts etc etc.
 
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Jamie Oliver did a very good one for starting out cooking: Ministry of Food.

Shows you how to start with a good base and then how to vary it to make other dishes.

From a review on a popular book buying site:

"Like most of the other reviewers here I think this is a great book for everyone. Although it is aimed at people who are reluctant cooks don't let it put you off if you are more experienced. There are plenty of recipes here for you, too. I enjoy cooking and was worried it would be too basic for me, but far from it! Since receiving it on Thursday I have made the smoked mackerel pate and the chicken wrapped in poshy crispy ham, which were quick, easy and delicious. What I particularly like is the way Jamie uses a base, say for stews, rice or porridge and then gives you four alternatives when you have mastered the basics, so there is A LOT of recipes in here. For beginners there are loads of photographs to show you how things should look at each stage of the recipe. I would highly recommend this to anyone. Brilliant!"
 
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Delia's Complete How To Cook is a great place to start, has sections on showing preparation, and different ways to cook most ingredients you will ever need. Fpr example the egg section covers from how to boil an egg to making souffles.
 
hood1971 said:
Delia's Complete How To Cook is a great place to start, has sections on showing preparation, and different ways to cook most ingredients you will ever need. Fpr example the egg section covers from how to boil an egg to making souffles.
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It's a good one to have in your arsenal! Always can be handy to be honest.
 
Ministry of Food by Jamie Oliver is a good one.
Nice, easy, but tasty food that even my father in law has managed to make on more than one occasion!
 
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