Customer Reviews

Anyone Can Cook (Better Homes & Gardens)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is exactly what i have been looking for. I have purchased many cookbooks that make a promise to be easy and help me achieve edible food, but all have failed. This book is amazing! The tips at the bottom of every recipe are exactly what every new cook needs in a cookbook. How do I de-seed a tomato? Well the tips at the bottom tell me exactly what page to refer to so that I can complete the recipe with ease. There are easy recipies, and then some tougher recipies I can grow into.

The front section that offers advice on kitchen utensils, bakeware, cookware, and other kitchen tips is the most helpful to a new cook. There are plenty of pictures and practical advice to make cooking no so scary and overwhelming. There is even a breakdown on popular drinks and cocktails for when entertaining.

This book has recipies and tips that will benefit someone just moving out on their own or leaving for college as well as new couples or anyone who wants to entertain. I have to say this is by far the best cookbook in my collection, and I can see myself using it for a lifetime.

I just bought Anyone Can Cook for a recently-retired family member who's as unfamiliar around the kitchen as I am in an auto shop. I wanted something with a solid foundation and ample descriptions of basics such as choosing, storing, and prepping fruits and veggies (a step which is often overlooked in "regular" cookbooks), a primer on kitchen tools (knives, utensils, appliances), and step-by-step guidance in addition to easy-to-prepare recipes. The first hundred pages or so are devoted to the differences between produce and tool tips (red, yellow or white onions? Cremini, enoki, button, morel, or portabello mushrooms? Springform or cake pan?). Also, recipes are ranked according to skill level, with 1 being easiest and 3 being easy.

Enter Better Homes and Gardens: Anyone Can Cook. Like millions of other housewives, I grew up using the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, and have several reincarnations, so I had no reservations about investing in Anyone Can Cook. Its organization is similar to the traditional BHG cookbook; i.e., appetizers, soups, salads, meats (including detailed charts of the various cuts), poultry, veggies, desserts, breakfast and more. However, many of the recipes are simplified and rely heavily on store-bought shortcuts such as refrigerated dough and precooked meats (in that respect, it reminded me of Betty Crocker Quick and Easy Cookbook: 30 minutes or less to dinner (Betty Crocker Books), so if you're put off by the idea of using so many processed foods in your recipes, you might want to invest in the original BHG cookbook. Of course, once you have a little more experience, you can whip up your own pasta sauce or use leftover roast to achieve the same effect with fewer preservatives.

The layout is stuffed with step-by-step photos and can be visually overwhelming at times, especially with the choice of bright colors. I noticed that several of the recipes are carryovers from other BHG publications such as Vegetarian Cooking (Better Homes & Gardens). Also, many of the recipes are ethnically influenced, including many with a Latin/Asian flair. If "exotic" doesn't appeal to you, you might want to steer clear.

For everyone else, this is a perfect, step-by-step introduction to the kitchen, including some simple baked goods, that will allow you to graduate to more difficult standard recipes once you've mastered the basics.

As someone who has been cooking on their own for years, I was concerned this book would be strictly for a true novice. I am happy to report that I was mistaken. Although I would contend that this book would make an excellent high school graduation gift for a young person first leaving home, or a great bridal shower gift for the new, inexperienced bride (or groom, I suppose), this book contains recipes with a depth enjoyed by even those who would considered themselves well seasoned, in manning the stove.

I found the tips, whether they be on cooking utensils, or how to prepare ingredients, interesting enough for a veteren, yet easy enough for even the most inexperienced chef-in-training. The recipes ranged in difficulty from very easy to moderately difficult without being boring in the least. The recipes herein, despite their ease, would make a proud presentation on any dinner table. From breakfast to after dinner cocktails, this book covers it all in an easy to digest format. Truly, Anyone Can Cook!

This is a wonderful cookbook that I highly recommend!

The first section is titled "Intro to Cooking." The description reads, "Here's everything you need to know about what to stock, how to shop, how to chop, and more -- a starting point you'll return to again and again." It explains cooking methods and terms, cooking techniques, equipment (includes pots & pans, appliances, gadgets, etc.), fruits and vegetables (buying, storing, cleaning, cutting information) and ingredients/pantry (even giving basic information on how long things like flour, rice, etc. are good for, where you can find them in your grocery store, and how to store them at home). I'm thinking I can learn right along with my daughters! This section is incredibly helpful (lots of photos and descriptions) on how to do even the most basic kitchen tasks.

The other chapters are: Any-Day Appetizers & Snacks, Satisfying Sides, Breakfast Anytime, Slow & Savory Meat Main Dishes, Quick-to-Fix Meat Meals, Market-Fresh Fish and Shellfish, Platefuls of Pasta, Rice & Grains, Make-It-a-Meal Salads, Bowls of Soups & Stews, That's a Wrap, Sandwich or Pizza, and Something Sweet. Each page has an "Ask Mom" section at the very bottom which tells you which pages to turn to if you don't know how to do certain tasks, like seed and peel an avocado, chop an onion, snip fresh herbs, juice a lemon, how much juice does one lemon yield?, what is a garlic clove?, how do I mince garlic?, how do I peel tomatoes?, how do I seed tomatoes?, how do I chop a tomato? and how do I handle hot chili peppers? There are tips and info scattered throughout the book as well.

The recipes are rated 1, 2 or 3 depending on difficulty level.

Maybe even *I* can cook now!

I am an experienced cook but with two young kids, sometimes find myself in a cooking rut or just plain bored with the "usual". This book caught my eye because of the pictures, which not only show great looking food but the actual techniques used. The photos are action-oriented and convey the message that cooking can be an adventure, not a chore! The recipes are not too complex, yet they look and taste great. I think this book really lives up to its name because there is something for everyone. The experienced cook will find plenty of fresh, interesting ideas; the new cook will be inspired, not overwhelmed. I'm hoping to use this book as an introduction to cooking with my boys! Good addition to anyone's cookbook collection!

This cook book is wonderful. It's full of easy to understand recipes and lots of pictures that really help. I bought it for my 16 year old granddaughter who is just learning to cook and she absolutely loves it.

If I cooked I'd use this book all the time. I got it because the pictures are great and it separates things into sections that make sense to me - sandwiches and pizza, breakfast, quick meals etc. It covers all of the basic really well (poached eggs, mashed potatoes and beyond) and expands to cooler meals that are still simple meals. Highly recommended for people who want good simple food and get lost with just text. I have a few other cookbooks and gotta say, the design and layout of this one is the best.

After receiving this cookbook, I was extremely pleased with the quality and quantity of recipes in this cookbook, with many dishes for evey meal of the day (including desserts and breakfast). My only gripe is that some of the recipies would take the easy way out; for instance, the recipe Easy Shepherd's Pie called for a refrigerated package of mashed potatoes, instead of a batch of homemade potatoes.

This is a great book for the first time cook. It gives clear directions along with great pictures. I've purchased two of these books for beginner cooks and they love it! One draw back would be the recipes tend to be more traditional and not as healthy as I prefer.

While I'm not a novice cook, there are a lot of things that I never "learned" about cooking. I never knew there was a "correct" way to cut onions or chop herbs. I always assumed that hacking the things in to pieces would work just fine! This book not only showed me the correct way to do things but provided me with a basic "why." The recipes are absolutely DELICIOUS! This book is great for anyone, but the recipes tend to be on the more basic side so advanced cooks might consider it too easy. I hightly reccomend it!