Everything College Cookbook

Bought this for a brother going into college. Instructions look simple and easy to follow, and even has instructions on how to use certain appliances that a kid might not have paid much attention to up until this point. Works great with hotplates and microwaves.

This seems like a good book to be used by a novice cook. The recipes appear to be easy and good. I think that it will get good use.

easy recipes and ingredients and very detailed information for new cookers living on their own!

I'm a junior in college, and my parents bought this cookbook for me as a gift for my first apartment. My experience with cooking hasn't really gone past heating up chicken cutlets in the oven, so I was a little wary of using an actual cookbook. But this book is really useful. The recipes are varied (snacks, "date-worthy" meals, desserts, healthier cooking, etc.), and there are also a lot of tips that can help out new cooks, be applied to other recipes, or adjust the ones already in the book for less ingredients or quicker preparation. A couple examples... -Blueberry Muffins: "Don't have buttermilk? Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to 1 cup regular milk and let it sit for a minute before adding the egg." -Creamy Chicken with Noodles: "To serve the basic sauce in this recipe with other foods, leave out the frozen spinach and experiment with a different combination of seasonings, such as cayenne pepper or a hot sauce for seafood." -Grilled Honey & Garlic Spareribs: "Don't have a grill? The ribs can also be baked....[gives instructions]. Baste the spareribs frequently with the honey & garlic marinade during the final 30 minutes of cooking." In addition, the book provides helpful advice on food safety, how to store leftovers, and cooking terms ('simmer' I know, but 'blanch' and 'dredge' were helpful to have explained). Some people with more experience in the kitchen might find a lot of this book a little too basic, but I appreciate having instructions on how to hard-boil an egg, or to remember to leave a quarter-inch of potato pulp inside the skin when making stuffed potatoes so that the whole thing doesn't fall apart. I agree with the previous reviewer that this book is by no means for anyone living in a dorm (though it claims to be). Maybe some colleges have fully-stocked dorm kitchens and grocery stores right near campus, but this book is definitely better for a student living in an apartment with a kitchen, storage space, and time to make actual meals. There are definitely certain things about this book that some would consider drawbacks, but for a real first-timer with a kitchen, like myself, this book is perfect.