Any good cookbooks for a beginner?

[AnxiousGurl]

I really want to learn how to cook, but dont know where to begin...any one know of any good cookbooks out there that woud be of any help?

[gracefromHHP]

I recommend starting to pick up issues of cooks illustrated magazine.  Lots of good recipes there that they walk you thru. They even talk about if yours turns out like this, you probably didn't do this right which I think is very helpful.  You can pick it up almost anywhere ( even walmart carries it ).  Pick up a few issues and see how you like it . Also watch alton brown's "good eats" on food tv if you get that channel. he walks you thru the recipes and gives you the "science" behind it all so that you understand why you do what you do when you cook so that before you know it, you are tweaking recipes and coming up with stuff from scratch :)  

Ask for cookbooks for xmas - ask everyone to buy you a copy of their favorite cookbook ( hard to believe it's almost that time of the year eh? ).

grace

[TrudieC]

Joy of Cooking
Cook with Jamie by Jamie Oliver

There are also a lot of videos on the web that can teach you.  Try www.epicurious.com and then go to their video resources.  They have many different kinds down the left but I suggest you go to the technique ones.  these are free.  I have taken local cooking classes from www.fooddiva.com and she also has a collection of free and pay for videos.  She doesn't just teach you a recipe, she teaches the techniques.

Good luck!

[AnxiousGurl]

thanks you both=)

[AnxiousGurl]

P.S.

I love that show Good eats....I do catch it on tv from time to time!

[TrudieC]

Yes, Good Eats is awesome!  He reall teaches on it!  I never made good baked potatoes until he showed me what I was doing wrong!

[Sam1971]

I have a good cook book.Simply the Best by Weight Watchers.  I used it to loose 35 pounds, but I loved the recipes so much it didn't matter they were good fore me. Now I am watch my cholesterol, and being more careful and will be looking at that cook book more.

Neat thing I saw on the food network.
A fact I learned Tuesday on Food Detective made me happy. If I eat 3 healthy meals, there is 1/3 of my daily need of water in that. Then We add juices, coffee, we don't need to drink as much water as we thought.  To me this is good, because I always felt like I was drowning drinking that much. I don't care for water either.

[AndiJ78]

My favorite and most helpful cookbook was the plain old Better Homes and Gardens red checkered cookbook. My in-laws bought my copy as a Christmas gift (the only thing I have ever asked for,lol) and I LOVE it. I swear every couple in my parent's generation got one of those cookbooks and a crockpot for a wedding gift.

I also love good eats, I am a food network junkie!!

[margypops]

Come to Amazon for good cheap cookbooks

[AnxiousGurl]

Thanks guys! I cant wait to start trying...I just hope I end up being a good cook lol

[crecco]

Taste of Home and Quick Cooking (sister publications) are both very good magazines, full of many different recipes from a featured herb each month, to game, entrees, soups, salads, desserts, you name it. The recipes are submitted by women across the country who seem to be mostly in rural areas, so they are good but fairly simple.
(both of these magazine are also sister publications of Counrty and Counrty Woman magazines)

[margypops]

You will end up being a good cook if you love cooking ,and even when others in your Family think you cant cook!

[AnxiousGurl]

Aw, thanks Margy!! lol I can see it now, my family commenting on my food....not looking forward to it-but as long as I know its good!  & thanks every1 for the responses I will keep you posted on how it goes!

-Any more cooking resources will be greatly appreciated;)
I even want to learn how to cook different cultured food and how to spice things up and cook food in different ways and make it all taste DELISH!

[Cherie762]

this is an oldie but i find with all the cook books I have I still pull out the good old Betty Crocker cook book. I make substitutions like olive oil for other oils, applesauce for oil in baking and wheat instead of white flour for most things.

[Piparskeggr]

Oh, where to begin

I have well over 100 cook books, including one, which is a 13 volume set.

But, easily obtainable:  the Better Homes and Gardens (as mentioned above) volume is good, the Joy of Cooking, any of the "Frugal Gourmet" books...go to the local antique mall.  You will find a wider variety of easy to use cook books thatn you dreaded existed.

Good cooking is not hard, just another skill set like surfing the net or reading a book.

If you are willing, you'll do fine.

Pip