43 replies to this topic

[ChrisZ]

I would think that a lot of these suggestions would be intimidating to a 20-something with little cooking experience who presumably in under time pressures.

I agree too, and as the request is for books that will be a gift there's no way of knowing how interested the recipient will be in learning about cooking...

In my experience, Jamie Oliver's books stand out because people actually cook from them! This might sound bizarre if you're into food and have libraries of cooking books, but I've got a number of friends who have only a passing interest in cooking and the only recipes they make are from Jamie Oliver books. Other books just gather dust...

[patrickamory]

OP still hasn't returned to thread...

The following cookbook recommendations assume that she lives in the US.

If she is dedicated, and likes traditional European food, then I will add my name to the list for The Way To Cook. It was my first serious cookbook, and between the photographs and the text, is an incredibly straightforward guide.

If she's a natural experimenter, thrifty and interested in American home cooking and regional cuisines - and likes to read good prose - then I'd suggest starting with any book by John Thorne. Simple Cooking is an easy way in. Similarly straightforward and readable books are Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking and Miriam Ungerer's Good Cheap Food.

If she likes Italian, then she can't go wrong with Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. Apologies to OliverB that it doesn't contain any photos, but it is extremely easy to follow and very reliable. But if she's starting from a position of ignorance, it's essential that she read the introductory chapters on ingredients and techniques.

For (Delhi) Indian, Madhur Jaffrey's An Invitation To Indian Cooking or Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Cooking.

If she's into Mexican, Chinese or Thai cooking, there are a wealth of cookbooks out there but with the exception of Fucshia Dunlop they may be for the more advanced cook.

I'd agree with other posters that Bittman's How To Cook Everything might be a bit much to start with. The Joy of Cooking, at least for me, is more of a reference book than a guide - albeit one I consult frequently.

edit: A possible more modern, multicultural possibility, with lots of photos, would be David Tanis, A Platter of Figs. Or for Italian food with a touch of England, The River Cafe Cookbook.

Edited by patrickamory, 30 December 2011 - 08:49 PM.

[mgaretz]

Well you can shoot me if you want, but the Martha Stewart Cooking School book is an excellent reference. Say what you want about the lady, but the book is good regardless. I'd also recommend How to Cook Everything by Bittman as others have said. Spend the rest of the money on a decent knife or two and decent pan.

[chefhenry]

You can never go wrong with The Joy, and Pepin's La Technique & La Methode are now out as a single volume. All of them served me very well in my earlier years. One book that has gotten great reviews online seems to be Ruhlman's Twenty. I have a couple of his works and they do their job well, Ratio especially, haven't gotten Twenty yet myself but a cookbook with a first chapter titled "Think" as one of his essential techniques has to be a great resource for a young aspiring cook.

[Twyst]

I picked up Ruhlman's 20 today to see what all the hype was about. I avoided it earlier because as much as people raved about ratio and as much as I liked the idea behind the book I didnt think it was that great. I was expecting to be underwhelmed by 20, but I was dead wrong. The book is fantastic and teaches the foundations for learning how to cook. It teaches and explains all the basics, has clear instructions with pictures etc. Its like ruhlman took the first 2 months of culinary school and put them into an easy to follow, beautiful book. I cant recommend this one enough for new cooks or experienced home cooks. Unfortunately it is sold out almost everywhere on the internet with no copies available for a few weeks, but I found a copy at my local B&N

[SylviaLovegren]

I like Joy, but wasn't so fond of that recent overhaul. I'd look for an older, used copy.

I like the early 70s version. It may be dated but the basic info on everything is really useful.

[Derek J]

I recommend Pamela Anderson's How to Cook Without a Book.

[Dakki]

For a complete novice, I think you could do worse than books such as Cooking for Dummies, Essential Cook, etc. I started cooking out of Joy as a teen (and I still use it for desserts) but there was a great deal of handholding from my great-aunt, God bless her sainted soul.

And make sure they have access to decent equipment, too. It makes all the difference in success ratios.

[ojisan]

I would second Alice Waters's The Art of Simple Food, because it uses simplified concepts of cooking that can applied to other dishes, rather than specific recipes. Beginners should be learning concepts instead of simply following specific recipes.

Any of the Pépin w/ Claudine books would also be good - the concept being a novice learning from a master, using user-friendly recipes.

[JAZ]

I picked up Ruhlman's 20 today to see what all the hype was about. I avoided it earlier because as much as people raved about ratio and as much as I liked the idea behind the book I didnt think it was that great. I was expecting to be underwhelmed by 20, but I was dead wrong. The book is fantastic and teaches the foundations for learning how to cook. It teaches and explains all the basics, has clear instructions with pictures etc. Its like ruhlman took the first 2 months of culinary school and put them into an easy to follow, beautiful book. I cant recommend this one enough for new cooks or experienced home cooks. Unfortunately it is sold out almost everywhere on the internet with no copies available for a few weeks, but I found a copy at my local B&N

My opinion of Ruhlman's Twenty is very different. I don't think it would be particularly useful for a beginning cook, and a more experienced cook could do much better reading Pepin for technique and McGee for science. While I think the idea behind Twenty is solid, the execution is poor. So many things in the book are either wrong, inconsistent, incomplete or confusing that it's not something I would buy for anyone, beginner or not.

[Jaymes]

I picked up Ruhlman's 20 today to see what all the hype was about. I avoided it earlier because as much as people raved about ratio and as much as I liked the idea behind the book I didnt think it was that great. I was expecting to be underwhelmed by 20, but I was dead wrong. The book is fantastic and teaches the foundations for learning how to cook. It teaches and explains all the basics, has clear instructions with pictures etc. Its like ruhlman took the first 2 months of culinary school and put them into an easy to follow, beautiful book. I cant recommend this one enough for new cooks or experienced home cooks. Unfortunately it is sold out almost everywhere on the internet with no copies available for a few weeks, but I found a copy at my local B&N

My opinion of Ruhlman's Twenty is very different. I don't think it would be particularly useful for a beginning cook, and a more experienced cook could do much better reading Pepin for technique and McGee for science. While I think the idea behind Twenty is solid, the execution is poor. So many things in the book are either wrong, inconsistent, incomplete or confusing that it's not something I would buy for anyone, beginner or not.

Wow. Pretty discouraging.

Especially since I just ordered it yesterday.

[Renn]

Just to add a different perspective on things...

Given that you've included that this young lady is both a budding physician and olympian...perhaps she won't be intimidated by much!

Regardless, Jacques Pepin's complete techniques/La Technique will always be a great start. If she's got a strong academic slant even in her "hobbies", I'd also suggest Labensky and Hause's on Cooking. It's the book I most dug through when I was just starting to dig into cooking. McGee if you think she wants a deeper level of ingredient knowledge. For something more homey, ad hoc at home would be a great addition. And if she's interested in being very organized while being limited in time, Adria's The Family Meal is a great way to go.

Who knows...maybe even if you throw her the noma cookbook, she'd be sharp enough to make great use of it at home.

[cbread]

Bittman's How to Cook Everything, and, Best Recipes in the World.
NYTimes
Joy
And for simple, quick and flavorful, "High Flavor Low Labor" by J M Hirsch - not a highbrow book but good for when time is short.
If there is any impetus toward creativity, "The Flavor Bible"

[Jaymes]

NYTimes

Speaking of the NY Times cookbook, I remember way back when, I was gifted with a copy of the NY Times International cookbook and was so inspired as I perused those recipes from around the world. Helped to get me off to a terrific start.

I was also lucky enough to receive copies of two cookbooks that focused on spices:

The Spice Cookbook

The Spice Islands Cookbook

I still refer to both of these books often. Anytime I get a recipe for something that seems as though the flavor profile might be a bit mundane or pedestrian or expected, I look it up in my "spice" reference sources (i.e., these two books) to see what they suggest be added. And it's frequently something surprising that I never would have thought of.