When I move out of my parents home, I bought Joy of Cooking. I still have a copy. I bought it because it even told you how to make coffee.

I bought my daughter Betty Crockers cook book. IMO, it's one of the best for beginner cooks. I hope she doesn't read this message board. Its a Christmas gift this year. LOL

Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook?

Here is a link that might be useful: B H and G book

I second that. I received my first one as a wedding shower present and have used it and its daughter and granddaughter many, many times.

What about a magazine subscription to "Simple & Delicious" or "Cooking for Two"?
Kathy G in MI

I would go with America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. I don't think Joy of Cooking would excite a young cook and Betty Crocker and BH&G are fine but ATK Family Cookbook is more modern and personally I think the recipes are better. It has most of the basic recipes, product tips, pictures (of basic cooking techniques), and it explains why they're telling you to do things a certain way.

Also you can subscribe to some of the Taste of Home cooking sites and get recipes, tips, ideas. You can also make up a cookbook by using a regular notebook with clear plastic fillers and put in ones you feel she could use. Also another idea is a list of substitutions, kitchen spices, beginning kitchen utensils etc. The Rehmann publication books have all this information.

Joy of Cooking is a wonderful cookbook but as someone said it may be dry reading for a new cook.

I would recommend Alton Brown's Trilogy:

# I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking

# I'm Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking

# Alton Brown's Gear For Your Kitchen

The books explain the *why* of cooking. All three run about fifty bucks together.

Maybe toss in a recipe book too, like 'The Best of Everything' by Elanor Graves, which is a compilation of the best tasting, foolproof recipes found in all the top cookbooks.

Cookbooks are great for a new cook. I wouldn't go over board with recipe books as every recipe known to man can be found on the Internet nowdays.

My recommendation for her AND for ANY parent sending a child off to their own apartment or dorm is:

"The Kitchen Survival Guide", by Lora Brody
Wm Morris and Co., Inc. New York, publisher, ISBN 0-668-10587-4, mine is the '92 copyright version.

I suggest this book because it is "a hand-holding kitchen primer with 130 recipes to get you started".

PLUS, she gives great kitchen basics and backgrounds every consumer should know, via these 3 categories:

Setting up and Equipping your kitchen.
Setting up and Stocking Up
Getting Ready to Cook.

Then breaks everything down in easy to understand terms, and also covers such interesting things as:

How to read and understand a recipe.
How to roast and carve a chicken or turkey, and make Gravy!
How to set a table.
How to tell if eggs are fresh.
How to put out a kitchen fire! Now THAT is good to know!!
How to make granola.
WHY grocery lists are important.
How to substitute ingredients.
How to choose a supermarket.
How to make chicken soup just like Mom's.
Which foods can and can't be frozen.
How to cook a live lobster.

You can see how valuable these lessons would be to a novice cook. Plus, while many of the recipes are geared towards a youthful palate...pizzas, tacos, lasagna, fruit shakes, and the like...the book then also includes items to spark the education and appreciation of fancier fare, such as chutney dip, butterflied leg of lamb, crustless quiche, and more.

So all in all, I think it is a great first book, and it is a fun reading experience too!

I'm just so GLAD they want to cook....there is too much consuming already fast prepared, sodium and preservative full pre-made foods nowadays.

Have fun with all your choices!!!

Is there a Cooking for Dummies book? Ok, I probably wouldn't go that route if you want to keep her on your good side.

I know you'd like to get her a book with detailed instructions and stuff, but I may lean towards buying her a local church or school put together fundraiser cookbook. You know the ones --spiral binding, about $20. The recipes are usually rather easy, popular, regional and good. There should be numerous 3 ingredient dips she can make to bring to a party, at lesat a couple recipes for throwing some canned soup on chicken and baking it, and something along the lines of making a tastier cake by adding something to a cake mix. If she starts making and enjoying cooking, the desire to learn more should follow and she'll be reading and looking up cooking tips on the internet like everyone else.

I don't think I've open my Joy of Cooking more in years and only really looked at it a couple times. Oh, now that I think of it, I did really like my Fanny Farmer cookbooks when I was younger and learning. I think they have some updated versions. Yep, here's a link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fannie Farmer cookbook

I don't have a cookbook suggestion, but a great website to lead her to is thepioneerwoman.com-- she has some very awesome recipes..and has color step by step photos and directions for each one. Eve pie crust which people often have a hard time with. And to make cooking even more enjoyable,, her step by step directions are hilarious.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pioneer Woman

Another vote for Betty Crocker cookbooks. Very basic food and everything I have ever made using one of the books has turned out well.

I use my Joy of Cooking and Fannie Farmer a lot. My DS requested The America's Test Kitchen Cookbook last year. I want something with lots of pictures and simple instructions for someone who has never cooked. So I will check out the BH&G, which I have had for 50 years, and Betty Crocker as well as the Brody suggestion, a new one to me.

Thanks for all the suggetions.

Pioneer Woman does a good job of showing how to make her recipes. The only problem is you'd have to be a hard working farmer/cowboy/construction worker to keep from gaining weight. In this day of healthy cooking, the recipes are very unrealistic.

I read in the paper today that Rachael Ray's new book has many 30 minute meals and from what little I have seen of her show, her cooking looks pretty down to earth. It is on sale today for about 15.00 - see link for description.
Also - Mark Bittmans "How to Cook Everything" would be a good choice.

Here is a link that might be useful: RR New Book

Betty Crocker: Dinner for Two Cookbook

It has great pictures, full menue ideas on each page with the recipes, and shopping lists and kitchen set up in the back.
When I was first married, I used this ALOT!