How to Cook Everything: The Basics: All You Need to Make Great Food--With 1,000 Photos: A Beginner Cookbook

Really Well Written, Like That Does Include Basics. Bought One For My Son, Going To Buy Another Two Over The Next Six Months.

First, I have to reply to the reviewer who says this is a silly knock-off of its mother book, "How to Cook Everything". Given this books title, wouldn't one expect it to be a subset of the book, "How to Cook Everything"? Well, I did. I've seen "How to Cook Everything" and that huge tome ain't going anywhere near my kitchen for some time. At any rate, for a beginning cook this is a great book. I think first and foremost what a beginning cook needs are fairly easy, but excellent recipes, to keep one motivated to cook. In fact, of the "starter" cookbooks I've tried, this one has had by far the tastiest recipes. Moreover the book's title is very appropriate as it really does cover *all* the basics everyone should know, like pesto pasta, pancakes, pizza, chocolate chip cookies, etc. I like the orginization of this book. Straightfoward groupings that make sense, like 'Breads and Breakfasts', or 'Deserts', etc. There is just enough information in here to get going and nothing more, and the info presented is clear and concise, which I like. Another nice touch is most finished products are given a recommended storage and shelf life, like cookies (just one to 2 days in a covered container on the counter). I like this as I think I would tend to leave leftovers around too long, thereby creating a negative image of a dish in my mind because I insisted eating it unfresh.

This book is the perfect cookbook for the beginning chef. As a college student used to dorm food and frozen foods, this book was great as my first real cookbook. With simple recipes, tips on how to use all cooking utensils, and definitions of most of the terms used in the recipes, I was at the stove in no time.

Every cook, whether beginner or more advanced, should have this book. The recipes are simple enough for a beginner, but allow for experimentation for someone more advanced. There's great information on every page regarding the recipe or main ingredient. All in all, one that I would recommend to anyone!