Cookery books for beginners - suggestions

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Right, a grown man who has never cooked has decided it's about time he started. I very much doubt he'd know how to boil an egg. He certainly wouldn't know how to do the simplest things like a spaghetti bolognese or shepherd's pie etc. He doesn't have a lot of equipment. He won't like fancy stuff or long cooking times or recipes with loads of ingredients and/or fancy ingredients. He told he wasn't even sure what seasoning was! Has lived off microwave and ready meals. Don't want a book that's written by an American as different measurements/terminology would confuse him. In fact, I doubt he even owns kitchen scales. I asked him if he knew how to cook a chicken and he said no. I told him what to do with a whole chicken, and he wasn't interested as that takes too long and he'd be too tired to stay awake long enough. Also, as he lives alone, not interested in big meals, although I think he'd like to maybe cook for his housemate occasionally, even if it is just a spag bol or similar.

I've suggested he get a slow cooker so he could make stews and freeze them etc. and he'd also be able to take them to work and chuck them in the microwave.

So, other than getting a slow cooker and a slow cooker recipe book, any suggestions for books for absolute beginners?

PS: I've been looking at plenty on Amazon last night, but a lot of the ones that declare to be for beginners, either look too fancy and have reviews stating they're not as basic as they look.

Don't want big expensive books either as it'll be a waste of money if he decides to go off the idea of cooking because it's too challenging

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

You could get one of those 'Cooking for Students' type books. They're very basic and usually pretty cheap, and aimed at quite a blokey market a lot of the time.

 

[mrsfran]

A recipe book for students would fulfil his needs - the recipes are generally simple, quick and cheap. And the BBC Good Food recipe books are generally quite reliable. So what about this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Food-S...2569/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1353936904&sr=8-6

 

[susie12]

Katherine Whitehorn 'Cooking in a Bedsitter' is brilliant. It practically tells you what an egg is and though it was originally designed for 60s bedsitter life - I have an original copy - it's a cheap, practical book which uses basic ingredients and is very clearly written.

 

[mrsfran]

Or this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooking-Quick-Easy-Molly-Perham/dp/0572026943/ref=pd_sim_b_44

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Not a book but following on from mrsfran's suggestion the BBC Good Food Website is a useful resource as you can pick recipes by speed and ease of cooking, calories count, type of cuisine etc...

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

A recipe book for students would fulfil his needs - the recipes are generally simple, quick and cheap. And the BBC Good Food recipe books are generally quite reliable. So what about this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Food-S...2569/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1353936904&sr=8-6

That looks interesting. Bit curious about the "weird recipes" though

 

[mrsfran]

Not a book but following on from mrsfran's suggestion the BBC Good Food Website is a useful resource as you can pick recipes by speed and ease of cooking, calories count, type of cuisine etc...

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/

That's true, I use that site all the time. And you can build up your own "binder" of useful recipes.

 

[Orang Utan]

Nigel Slater's Appetite is what i recommend to all 'new' cooks.
it has templates rather than recipes and allows you to experiment, building up your confidence and knowledge.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Or this one: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooking-Quick-Easy-Molly-Perham/dp/0572026943/ref=pd_sim_b_44

That gets good reviews apart from this one

After a long, hard day at work the last thing you want to have to think about is rustling up something exciting for dinner, especially as it is just for one. In order to stimulate my enthusiasm once again, I thought it would be a good idea to purchase a cookery book specialising in meals for one. After reading some of the reviews of this book, I was really looking forward to getting back into the kitchen! Unfortunately, the writer of this book appears to presume that all single people are useless in the kitchen and we would be willing to eat any old rubbish just to survive. Ok, so we live on our own, it doesn't mean we are completely inept. I mean... pizza omelette and tuna pasta...the majority of us are grown adults, we know how to cook pasta and how to open a can of tuna! This book was a thorough disappointment, not only was it bland and boring but also quite insulting

That's irrelevant as he wouldn't know how to cook pasta, so this one might be good.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Nigel Slater's Appetite is what i recommend to all 'new' cooks.
it has templates rather than recipes and allows you to experiment, building up your confidence and knowledge.

What do you mean? It suggests basic recipe but ignoring all the herbs and spices and wines etc. that a new cook may not have in the house but lets you add them if you have them kind of thing?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Katherine Whitehorn 'Cooking in a Bedsitter' is brilliant. It practically tells you what an egg is and though it was originally designed for 60s bedsitter life - I have an original copy - it's a cheap, practical book which uses basic ingredients and is very clearly written.

Yep, like the look of this one as well

This little cookery book was first published, I believe, in the early 70's and as a non cooking person it was absolutely vital to my survival as a student. It's basic, in simple english, and assumes you know nothing. Everything can be cooked on a single ring and there is no need for a huge larder and/or freezer to back up the recipes, and yet the meals are interesting and tasty. With so many of us not receiving 'cookery' lessons at school any more and a greater dependence on pre-prepared food, this little book is a godsend for anyone wanting to learn how to 'do it yourself'. Oh yes, and I still have my battered, gravy stained copy!

 

[Orang Utan]

I may as well also recommend Dinners For Beginners by Rachel & Margaret Ryan (they are sort of relatives). it was written in 1934 but has been repressed in a lovely edition by Persephone and is still mostly relevant to today. I used it growing up a lot, esp their apple crumble recipe.
http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/books/dinners-for-beginners/

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Not a book but following on from mrsfran's suggestion the BBC Good Food Website is a useful resource as you can pick recipes by speed and ease of cooking, calories count, type of cuisine etc...

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/

That's true, I use that site all the time. And you can build up your own "binder" of useful recipes.

Thanks, will pass that on to him.

Have also suggested he look on YouTube.

Did come across a recipe book last night and the authors also do YouTube videos, but it looked a bit too fancy, so decided against that.

 

[Orang Utan]

What do you mean? It suggests basic recipe but ignoring all the herbs and spices and wines etc. that a new cook may not have in the house but lets you add them if you have them kind of thing?

no, it just starts with basic recipes (tarts, risottos, breads, sausages and mash, fish supper etc) and suggests the many ways you can vary them, but in a way that gives your freedom to experiment.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I may as well also recommend Dinners For Beginners by Rachel & Margaret Ryan (they are sort of relatives). it was written in 1934 but has been repressed in a lovely edition by Persephone and is still mostly relevant to today. I used it growing up a lot, esp their apple crumble recipe.
http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/books/dinners-for-beginners/

The premise of the book is that it is for ‘people who know nothing about cooking. At the same time it is intended for all those – whether they can cook or not – who appreciate good food and like to entertain their friends, but cannot afford to spend more than a strictly limited amount of money on housekeeping.. The authors have tried to write a cookery book that EXPLAINS EVERYTHING. No knowledge is taken for granted. The beginner is not expected to know by the light of nature how to make gravy, sauces or pastry; she is told when the lid of a saucepan or fireproof dish ought to be on when it should be off.’

The book contains 109 recipes and 28 menus of dinners for four people, seven for each season of the year, at a total cost of 5/-. This is about £15 nowadays and indeed it would be possible (if one excluded wine, cheese and coffee as the Ryans have done) to feed four people on £15. Here are some of the menus for autumn: Squab Pie (made with stewing lamb and vegetables), corn on the cob and baked pears; chicken in white sauce, braised celery, cheese potatoes and lemon cream; rabbit, cauliflower, blackberry pudding and junket; jugged hare with vegetables and rice and pineapple cream; and whiting with spaghetti and chocolate pudding.

Whilst I like the sound of that, I think things that are for four people etc. might confuse him with recipes. You can't always just halve the ingredients so I think I'll pass on that one. Sounds good though.

I'm tempted to get some of these myself as I'm such a crap cook.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

no, it just starts with basic recipes (tarts, risottos, breads, sausages and mash, fish supper etc) and suggests the many ways you can vary them, but in a way that gives your freedom to experiment.

Definitely like the sound of that one.

 

[Crispy]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delias-How-Cook-Book-One/dp/0563384301

 

[Orang Utan]

minnie - most recipe books are going to have recipes for meals for 4. it's the standard family unit. it's pretty straightforward to halve amounts if necessary, or you could eat twice as much (like i do) or make a dish last for more than one meal.

 

[mrsfran]

The thing about Nigel Slater is that, while he is a lovely food writer, when you're just starting out it can be annoying to be given such vague instructions. With no frame of reference, you don't know where to start experimenting. It can easier for a novice cook to be given a set of clear, non-vague instructions which they can understand and get right first. THEN they can move on to experimenting. Whereas Nige tends to say things like "Bung a load of pasta in until it's toothsome". To which, as a novice cook, I would say "HOW MUCH pasta? How long for? Toothsome? What? JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO".

But that might be just me.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

minnie - most recipe books are going to have recipes for meals for 4. it's the standard family unit. it's pretty straightforward to halve amounts if necessary, or you could eat twice as much (like i do) or make a dish last for more than one meal.

Yeah, but he's just got a room in a house and shared kitchen, so not sure how big kitchen is. Have texted him to see if he has a freezer or not so he can freeze stews, spag bols, chillis etc. but not heard back yet. He may also only have one of those under-the-worktop fridges so therefore not a lot of storage space.

Don't want to overwhelm him either with books as obviously only having 1 room in the house, he'll probably be short of storage, so will be picking a few from all the suggestions above to pass on to him.

Many thanks everyone for your suggestions.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

The thing about Nigel Slater is that, while he is a lovely food writer, when you're just starting out it can be annoying to be given such vague instructions. With no frame of reference, you don't know where to start experimenting. It can easier for a novice cook to be given a set of clear, non-vague instructions which they can understand and get right first. THEN they can move on to experimenting. Whereas Nige tends to say things like "Bung a load of pasta in until it's toothsome". To which, as a novice cook, I would say "HOW MUCH pasta? How long for? Toothsome? What? JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO".

But that might be just me.

No, he would be thinking exactly the same thing, so will steer clear of that. I could imagine him chucking in the amount he'll expect it to look like after it's cooked and end up having to eat pasta for days

 

[Orang Utan]

The thing about Nigel Slater is that, while he is a lovely food writer, when you're just starting out it can be annoying to be given such vague instructions. With no frame of reference, you don't know where to start experimenting. It can easier for a novice cook to be given a set of clear, non-vague instructions which they can understand and get right first. THEN they can move on to experimenting. Whereas Nige tends to say things like "Bung a load of pasta in until it's toothsome". To which, as a novice cook, I would say "HOW MUCH pasta? How long for? Toothsome? What? JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO".

But that might be just me.

well he worked for me and i considered myself a beginner, but i knew how long to cook pasta for

 

[Manter]

I'm a fan of Delia's how to cook. The northerner has improved hugely (he, the first time he made me dinner, gave me packet couscous, baked beand and peppered mackrel still wrapped in plastic....)

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I'm a fan of Delia's how to cook. The northerner has improved hugely (he, the first time he made me dinner, gave me packet couscous, baked beand and peppered mackrel still wrapped in plastic....)

He wouldn't even know what couscous is

 

[wayward bob]

i like nigella's "how to eat" it covers the basics re ingredients/store cupboard & equipment, has a good range and i find her recipes reliable on the whole.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

i like nigella's "how to eat" it covers the basics re ingredients/store cupboard & equipment, has a good range and i find her recipes reliable on the whole.

Think the idea is to keep the recipes as simple as possible and therefore for him not to have to go out and spend a fortune on stuff, although I do realise you're saying basics

Not sure what he's got in the way of equipment, so not sure if he even has a blender to make soups etc. (but I doubt it)

 

[Citizen66]

Google. Which usually leads to BBC food guide. Who needs cookery books?

 

[Fez909]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delias-How-Cook-Book-One/dp/0563384301

Echo this suggestion. There's another couple which came after this too which can be handy presents in future

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Google. Which usually leads to BBC food guide. Who needs cookery books?

That's why I'm suggesting he get second-hands ones

Doubt he's going to carry his laptop into kitchen and not sure if he has a printer