If you didn't know how to cook anything...

[Spryte]

And could only have one cookbook (no internet), which cookbook would be best?

 

I was thinking Joy of Cooking, maybe?

 

Which would you choose?

[Catwoman]

What kind of food does the fledgling cook want to learn to prepare?

 

Jacques Pepin has a few big cookbooks that teach the basics, and I always loved Julia Child's books (although some of her stuff is overly complicated for a beginner.) Another good, solid, basic cookbook is Martha Stewart's Cooking School.

 

I never liked The Joy of Cooking, although I still have it and I know it is always very popular.

[Indian summer]

I'd want my most often used books which are Simply in Season and More with Less but I'm a keep it simple kind of gal.

[Plateau Mama]

I would do either Betty Crocker or Pillsbury Kitchens' Cookbook (my favorite) for beginning, simple recipies. I'm not a fan of Joy of Cooking. I think it's too comprehensive and complicated. I only use that when I want a fancy dish.

[Spryte]

I think basic how to boil water would be a good start. :)

 

Well, maybe that's too simple, but think of a young adult whose parents never let him near the kitchen and you'll have the idea of the level of beginner.

 

I have no idea on what types of food - I think things like roast, meats, veggie sides are on the wish list.

[zoobie]

Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

[gardenmom5]

dh's favorite is doubleday.  we do use it alot. (and the beef bourguingnon recipe I made was remarkably similar to julia child's).  but honestly, that and joy of cooking (and betty crocker) all date to the 50's and people don't generally eat that way very much.

[justasque]

Clueless in the Kitchen has a lot of basic recipes for popular American dishes, all from scratch and written for beginners.  It is our favorite.  
Our frosted cakes made from scratch, our roast chicken, and a bunch of other dishes always get compliments, even though we made them with the simple recipes in this book.

I also like More With Less.

[Alessandra]

I'd go with the Joy of Cooking, because there is so much info. I remember looking up how to bake a potato, things like that. So many cookbooks skip the simple stuff you really need to know. I still use it to check when I have a cut of meat that is new to me. I also like Joy's 'About' sections for good general info. Also, the recipes are simple and don't have 5 million ingredients. It is discouraging to find a great sounding recipe and realize that you don't have fresh lemongrass or preserved lemons, lol.

[bolt.]

I have one called "cooking without mom" that does start with basics -- vocabulary, tools, techniques, then teaches very basic recipies: grilled cheese sandwiches, pancakes, hard boiled eggs, moving on to a small-but-nice selection of main courses, as well as just how to cook each common type of meat, veg & starch. It keeps itself within a limited pantry more-or-less.

 

Very nice for a beginner-without-Internet who wants to eat like a student / young newlywed / parent of a new infant. It's not going to keep things interesting for long, but it will tell them how to take most stuff from 'groceries' to 'meal'.

[Spryte]

These are great ideas, thanks all!

[Laurel]

 

Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

 

This. Gives lots of instruction/explanation of cooking methods, ingredients, etc. Recipes are basic, whole foods (but no strange ingredients), with lots of variations. More of a learning to cook book than just recipes.

[jeninok]

I love my old Good housekeeping cookbook from the 60s, but for someone with no food knowledge, the use of gelatin, and everything in a can might not be a good thing. 

 

I love martha Stewarts Cooking school, but would also consider a magazine subscription to Taste of Home or something similar if that was a possibility.

 

[kitten18]

Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

I completely agree.

[Stacia]

The Fannie Farmer Cookbook.

 

It covers all the basics, plus more. Believe me, years ago, I had no idea on even how to boil eggs & they are covered in here. (Yes, I still have a crease at that page because it took me many times of looking it up before I finally remembered how to make them on my own w/out instructions.) The descriptions, instructions, & information are clearly written so that even a complete novice can figure out what to do.

 

Highly recommended.

[lynn]

That's a tough one I have several I use 

 

Any Taste of Home Year's best books

Saving Dinner 

any Pioneer Women cookbooks

However,  if you are thinking as a gift I would print favorite  recipes from the internet , put in page protectors and into 3 ring binder 

 

 

[Belacqua]

Another vote for Bittman. I like that he'll have a basic recipe for, say, salmon fillets, then give suggestions for eight or ten variations. It's also good for little food-related things, such as how to store kiwi fruits or how to break down a chicken. 

[whitestavern]

Cook's Illustrated is good for a beginner. I also like Bittman.

[Happy]

For me, the old Betty Crocker cookbook was how I learned the basics. Southern Living would be a good start, too.

 

These days I really love Alton Brown's 'I'm Just Here For the Food' cookbook. He explains lots of the whys involved in specific processes.

[mytwomonkeys]

"Anyone Can Cook" by Better Homes & Garden

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0696232936

[LostSurprise]

I would recommend a book of techniques first, then a book with recipes. 

 

For easy technique I like James Peterson's Essentials of Cooking (his Cooking is also good for that). Jacques Pepin also has a few books on technique. New Complete Techniques is the one I have. Out of the 3 I think Essentials of Cooking is the easiest. Each double page is a different technique with tons of pictures. It's not super thick. It's not as comprehensive as Pepin, but it's also not as overwhelming. 

 

After a book on technique I would recommend a general book. I have The Joy of Cooking, How to Cook Everything, and The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook. Out of those 3 I like the Cook's Illustrated the best (from America's Test Kitchen). The Joy of Cooking is a little overwhelming and has very abbreviated instructions. They expect you know what you're doing. Bittman's cookbook is mediocre. There are things I like from it, but not everything is great. The Cook's Illustrated has a nice paragraph explaining why they chose to do some things, has a good layout, and everything I've made so far has been pretty good. I've heard good things about Fanny Farmer but the ones I've picked up are laid out like The Joy of Cooking. Lots of recipes for the space but not really a teaching book. 

 

If you only want one book I would recommend some kind of simple dinner book. When I was starting out something like Mark Bittman's The Minimalist Cooks at Home or The Minimalist Cooks Dinner really helped me out. Most of the food was basic with few ingredients, and at the end would be a box with ways you could change it up, add to it, or give it a twist. At that time I really needed that. Cookbooks were very overwhelming. 

[MissKNG]

The Betty Crocker Cookbook hasn't let me down. The one in the binder.