How to Boil Water (Hardcover)

~ Food Network Kitchens (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

• Shows beginning cooks how to do just what the title implies—and a lot more—without a hint of intimidations.

• Features classic comfort foods such as no-flip fried eggs and soul-soothing grilled cheese for one and bolder, ethnic recipes like Tacos Picadillo and Southeast Asian Beef Salad.

• Exquisite photography and Food Network recipes, both inspire and build the confidence needed to make every dish a success.

• Hundreds of must-know hints, tips and short-cuts for those new to the kitchen.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (September 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0696226863
• ISBN-13: 978-0696226861
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41,000 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a dummy's cookbook for smart people, September 22, 2006

By	Jefferson Gatrall (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is incredibly informative. It's everything I wanted to learn about food, but was too lazy to ask -- where it comes from, what to look for when buying it, how to cut it all up... and that's aside from the great recipes. This mass of info is fortunately so intelligently written and laid out that it never really feels like overload. I'd put the book on my coffee table if I didn't need it so much in the kitchen.

46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars you always need to review the basics..., October 30, 2006

By	Georgia C. (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

If you're one of those "Sure, I know how to cook...except I don't want to" people, you need this book. This book gives you the basics on how long you can keep meat, how to pick good cuts, what to do with vegetables, and the essential hints on everything you need to get started. The best part of this book aren't the recipes, but rather the reference guides on the things you never quite know, like how to cook specific vegetables and how to build a soup or smoothie. Great for someone who has just moved into an apartment, or for anyone who wants to get a primer on cooking. If you are puzzled about what tools you need, fear not--it's all very simple, and there are many, many diagrams in case you freak out with too many words.

I would say it's useful for anyone with less training than professional cooking experience. The pictures are wonderful.

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book I've Needed, September 18, 2006

By	Jeff Andrews (New York) - See all my reviews

I like to eat - other people's cooking. This can be a problem as friends sometimes expect you to reciprocate and invite them over for more than beer and peanuts. Thanks to this book, I was actually able to have a dinner party - well two friends - over to the house on Saturday and feed them a roast chicken and green salad. That may not sound like much to you but it was a big deal to me. The nice thing about this book is that it doesn't make you feel stupid even if you know nothing about cooking. For know nothings like me, it can start you at the beginning, but if you already have your four standby recipes it looks as if it could help you double or triple that number. I recommend it for everyone.