beginner's cook book

[lidlicker]

My future daughter in law can't cook and I want to buy her a simple cook book. I was taught some cookery in school but I learned the most from my mother in the 50's and 60's but I find skills are not passed on these days.
I would be grateful if someone could recommend a book I could buy her. Thanks in advance.

[warpig3]

Can't recommend a book but the thought did occur to me, she wouldn't be offended would she? Just thinking if My future mother in law bought me one I wouldn't be too chuffed! However if she has stated that she can't cook that may be a different matter.

[evedawn]

Well when I got married 9 years ago I got a brilliant present that I STILL USE all the time...every one of the women invited to our wedding "donated" a favourite recipe of their own and a friend put it all into a scrap book for me...it was nice to see their effort and also in the "early" days i could always ring up and ask if something on that particular receipe needed explaning! PS - I now LOVE cooking....!!!

[lidlicker]

Thank you warpig3 and evedawn for your answers.
She told me she couldn't cook and I asked her about a book and she would love one.
A great idea about the recipes too ! Thank you both very much

[warpig3]

Was thinking that maybe you and she could go on a cookery course together in the evenings, finances permitting, also evedawns idea is a really good one - a great way to get tried and tested homecooked recipes.

I have dozens of cookery books but the one I refer to most is Delia Smiths complete cookery course. I am not a fan of hers but the book covers everything, not just recipies, but cuts of meat, what cut is best for what, pulses, veg, breads, cakes, etc, the list is endless, its more like an encyclopedia of food with recipies thrown in. Don't think you could go far wrong with it.

[elephanto]

My Cooking Bible is the Good Housekeeping Cook book and it has seen me through my married life. It has the basics to more complex. Lovely idea to collect recipes for your daughter in law from friends going to the wedding. I have 3 shelves of cookery books and I can't part with any as in each of those books there are one or two special recipes that I use. Are you the same? I'm never going to buy another cookery book - but I do. I also have a book with lots of loose recipes garnered over the years which brings back happy memories of times shared with friends.How lucky you are to have a daughter in law to share with.

[indianwells]

What Warpig 3 said. You can't go wrong with Delia.

[shaneystar2]

I'll bat for Delia as well ..her Complete Cookery Course .I have been cooking for a family for what seems like donkeys years and like you learned from school and my Mum but good old Delia often comes to the rescue. A cheap little extra would be the Bero Book of Home Baking of which I still have my Mums old copy which must be fifty years old .But it's still in print and is the handiest thing ever .
http://www.be-ro.com/about.htm

[ethandron]

another vote for dear old delia, don't know what i would have done without her over the years. i too am not a huge fan of her personally, but she does explain things very well in her cookery books, from the absolute basics up to the more fancy stuff.

[Bruizedapple]

Delia's complete course is really good, and even though I can cook I still use it for some of the great easy recipies in it.

Nigel slater is also good, he uses quite basic ingrediants but jazzes em up and is a good way to introduce people to cooking things one wouldn't normally attempt. As is Nigella Lawsons how to eat book.

Might be worth spending an hour in Borders and having a peruse, I think cook- books can be quite a personal thing and if she's going to use it regularly you need to make sure its sort of an enjoyable read, not something she only uses when she panics about cooking something.

[grasscarp]

Thank you Shaney star for reminding me about the Bero book. I used to cook out of it as a child. Long and thin as I remember it. There is an Italian written cookbook called Silver Spoon around �15 on amazon, which is the only book anybody could ever need. Explains everything.