Cookery books for beginners - suggestions

[mrsfran]

"tsp" is "teaspoon" - the little spoon.
"tbsp" is tablespoon - the big one. So a small spoon for salt and a big spoon for olive oil.

Yes, you will need to measure the 300ml of water. Have you got a measuring jug or cup?

You don't have to use a loaf tin. You can just shape the dough into a ball and put it onto an oven tray. Although you will end up with a round roaf rather than a tin-shaped one, obviously.

 

[cesare]

Teaspoon is small one. Tablespoon is large one (slightly larger than dessert spoon that you'd use for eating cereal etc ).

 

[Badgers]

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.

It is excellent isn't it

 

[killer b]

I'd go for delias complete cookery course rather than how to cook - its the book that taught me how to cook, and I still use it more than any other cookbook now.

 

[Badgers]

Tell him not to cook a roast in the same oven as a cake ffs

 

[mrsfran]

I wouldn't panic too much - the world will not end if you put a bit too much/too little salt or olive in.

 

[Citizen66]

disagree. omelette requires a certain amount of skill.

So does bread. And its a faff.

 

[mrsfran]

I'd go for delias complete cookery course rather than how to cook - its the book that taught me how to cook, and I still use it more than any other cookbook now.

Thing is, in my view, as decent as Delia's CCC is, it's not a great introduction for people living on their own with a shared kitchen. As a family cookbook, it's decent, but if you're just cooking for yourself it's a bit much. Quite a lot of the recipes are (unnecessarily in my view) quite a lot of faff. It's easy to get put off when she insists that you must blanche tomatoes or salt aubergines.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

Maybe get him a measuring jug and a set of measuring spoons minnie . I use my measuring spoons a lot, they're great for things like half a teaspoon or half a tablespoon

 

[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....)

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

I'd go for delias complete cookery course rather than how to cook - its the book that taught me how to cook, and I still use it more than any other cookbook now.

Thing is, in my view, as decent as Delia's CCC is, it's not a great introduction for people living on their own with a shared kitchen. As a family cookbook, it's decent, but if you're just cooking for yourself it's a bit much. Quite a lot of the recipes are (unnecessarily in my view) quite a lot of faff. It's easy to get put off when she insists that you must blanche tomatoes or salt aubergines.

Funnily enough, the bad reviews on the Delia "How to Cook" book were actually suggesting that the Delia's CCC is much better.

However, I also see mrsfran's post about a lot of faffing. He wouldn't even know what blanche is. Does the book tell you what blanching is?

 

[killer b]

Yeah. I've never found her recipes faffy tbh, and it was my main cookbook when I had a shared kitchen.

Do what Delia says > nice food, I've always found...

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Maybe get him a measuring jug and a set of measuring spoons minnie . I use my measuring spoons a lot, they're great for things like half a teaspoon or half a tablespoon

He may already have them. Still don't know whether he has a big fridge/freezer or one of those under-the-counter jobs.

Oh, and he's not interesting in making cakes etc.

I don't have any measuring spoons myself, but then I don't really do any fancy cooking, and when I do have something that needs measuring, I just use scales. Naturally I don't know if he has any scales either

 

[QueenOfGoths]

He may already have them. Still don't know whether he has a big fridge/freezer or one of those under-the-counter jobs.

Oh, and he's not interesting in making cakes etc.

I don't have any measuring spoons myself, but then I don't really do any fancy cooking, and when I do have something that needs measuring, I just use scales. Naturally I don't know if he has any scales either

They are one of those kitchen things that until someone bought me I didn't miss at all but now I use a lot

 

[Greebo]

Yeah, have been looking. I object to Amazon's secondhand 0.01p books that cost £2.80 postage

Try Abe Books instead? Loads with free postage.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I got this one for myself last night

Stew! 100 Splendidly Simple Recipes

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stew-100-Sp...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1353940172&sr=1-1

They better be!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

yeah, I know- give it to him to try

I'd never get it back, he's not local

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Try Abe Books instead? Loads with free postage.

Will do

Am going to have to go through whole thread again and do list

 

[Greebo]

<snip>Am going to have to go through whole thread again and do list

Sorry. FWIW you've got the option on that site of arranging results by the total price, and selecting the country which the seller is based in - useful if you need the book urgently.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Sorry. FWIW you've got the option on that site of arranging results by the total price, and selecting the country which the seller is based in - useful if you need the book urgently.

Well you can do that on Amazon and ebay as well (not the country on Amazon obviously but...)

I was going to have to go through the whole thread again anyway, so nothing to do with you. I just have so many windows open, it's got a bit confusing

 

[weltweit]

.....
I doubt he'll know different between a dessert spoon or table spoon either, even if he has them in his cutlery drawers.

I don't !! what is the difference between a dessert spoon and a table spoon?
edit .. I see something above in the thread ...

 

[cesare]

There's one and a half dessert spoons to a tablespoon, btw.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I don't !! what is the difference between a dessert spoon and a table spoon?
edit .. I see something above in the thread ...

I wasn't talking about you, but as you don't know either, one's bigger than the other!

You eat desserts/cereal with a dessertspoon, unless you've got a huge mouth and have been using a tablespoon all this time

Oh, and you get soup spoons as well

 

[Ms T]

I know someone who swears by Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food for the basics. Real Fast Food by Nigel Slater was one of my first cookbooks, along with Delia's CCC.

 

[weltweit]

....
You eat desserts/cereal with a dessertspoon, unless you've got a huge mouth and have been using a tablespoon all this time

Oh, and you get soup spoons as well

Ok, so I have tea spoons, what I stir my tea and coffee with.
I also probably have dessert spoons which I eat my cereals with.

But I don't have any other spoons!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

nigel slater recipes are sometimes lovely,and sometimes fail massively

Yes, but the idea that he suggests alternatives for use in a dish appeals, although the massive fail thing could put this person off learning to cook but might be worth getting, just to show him he doesn't need to rigorously stick to ingredients suggested

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Ok, so I have tea spoons, what I stir my tea and coffee with.
I also probably have dessert spoons which I eat my cereals with.

But I don't have any other spoons!

 

[Orang Utan]

Yes, but the idea that he suggests alternatives for use in a dish appeals, although the massive fail thing could put this person off learning to cook but might be worth getting, just to show him he doesn't need to rigorously stick to ingredients suggested

they've never failed on me!

 

[BoatieBird]

I'd go for delias complete cookery course rather than how to cook - its the book that taught me how to cook, and I still use it more than any other cookbook now.

I love this book and have used it so many times over the years.
But if he's only cooking for himself then her One is Fun book might be better:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delia-Smith...9591/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353946869&sr=8-1

 

[Orang Utan]

it's easy to be confused by weights and measures in recipes, but now we can find out on the internet if we are confused about anything, so no excuses really!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

What exactly does this mean?

Appetite Real Food Stock Pack $5 Offer

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=7470009318