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21 hours ago, Toliver said:

Or my very first cookbook at 10 years old..."Peanuts Cook Book" by Charles M. Schultz. 

OMG. I completely forgot about that book. I had it too..I loved it. Get them addicted early, I'd say

But in all seriousness, I often give Bittman's book and Cook's Illustrated Best Recipes. Reason I like to give the latter is that I think it is appealing to folks who like to understand (in a simple form) the why's of cooking and how different methods produce different results (moreso than a compendium of good recipes). My ex, who was NOT a cook, picked it up one night and read that sucker cover to cover...then became an avid griller.  

EDIT: I often will substitute Ruth's "The Gourmet Cookbook" for Bittman's. I lurve Ruth.  Thorough, accessible, and yummy.

But I do heartily agree that Julia's How to Cook is an excellent beginner book (we could never keep it in stock at Williams Sonoma)  and hmm...now I will have to crack open the Pepin book that I recently purchased. 

20 hours ago, Toliver said:

Or my very first cookbook at 10 years old..."Peanuts Cook Book" by Charles M. Schultz. 

OMG. I completely forgot about that book. I had it too..I loved it. Get them addicted early, I'd say

But in all seriousness, I often give Bittman's book and Cook's Illustrated Best Recipes. Reason I like to give the latter is that I think it is appealing to folks who like to understand (in a simple form) the why's of cooking and how different methods produce different results (moreso than a compendium of good recipes). My ex, who was NOT a cook, picked it up one night and read that sucker cover to cover...then became an avid griller.  

But I do heartily agree that Julia's How to Cook is an excellent beginner book (we could never keep it in stock at Williams Sonoma)  and hmm...now I will have to crack open the Pepin book that I recently purchased.