The I Don't Know How to Cook Book: 300 Great Recipes You Can't Mess Up [Paperback]

Mary-Lane Kamberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2004

Mary-Lane Kamberg brings ease and fun to any kitchen, with more than 300 fool-proof recipes and surefire instructions for making perfect meals every time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For the culinary novice, both in palate and in skill, this cookbook presents a very user-friendly introduction to the basics. Recipes in each of the 11 chapters—including breakfast, salads, main dishes for carnivores, vegetarian and vegan entrees, and desserts—are organized by level of difficulty. Kamberg deems a blue cheese and iceberg salad with bottled dressing "easy," for example, while she rates a cold avocado soup "medium" and a meatloaf "hard" to make. Though many recipes call for pre-cooked ingredients, like frozen salad shrimp, pie crust or cans of refrigerated crescent rolls, others start from scratch. The volume includes helpful appendices on equipping the kitchen, a glossary of cooking terms, and cooking fresh vegetables. Throughout, Kamberg addresses the neophyte in bold boxes that address challenges like choosing ground beef, blocks vs. tubs of softened cream cheese, and the difference between slicing and dicing. The book obviously doesn’t target a sophisticated audience, but could be helpful for teenagers, recent college grads or any blossoming but kitchen-phobic chef.
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About the Author

Mary-Lane Kamberg is a professional writer with more than twenty years' experience and is the author of several books. Her articles have appeared in Better Homes and Gardens, Marriage and Family Living, Christian Science Monitor, and Healthy Kids.

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media Corporation (April 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593370091
• ISBN-13: 978-1593370091
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #872,164 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mary-Lane Kamberg is a professional writer, editor, and speaker. She specializes in nonfiction, but also writes short fiction and poetry. She has written extensively for trade and business publications in the hydroelectric, veterinary, and produce industries. She also writes nonfiction books and magazine articles for adults and children. She was first published at the age of seven. She used a toy printing press to publish a neighborhood newspaper, which she sold for 2 cents. She earned her first dollar for poetry at the age of 9. She is co-leader of the Kansas City Writers Group. She also founded and directs the I Love To Write Camps for young writers. She has a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Kansas (Go Jayhawks!) and is an avid basketball fan. She coaches for the Kansas City Blazers swim team. She lives in Olathe, Kansas.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

101 of 101 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great basic recipes, November 19, 2006

By 

Catherine Collingwood (Atlanta, GA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The I Don't Know How to Cook Book: 300 Great Recipes You Can't Mess Up (Paperback)

I bought this book at a public book show put on by Scholastic outside a cafe where I sometimes eat lunch. I'm not unfamiliar with the kitchen and cooking, although I'm by no means a gourmet. But I've long been embarrassed by the fact that I just plain didn't know how to make a lot of "basic" items that a lot of cooks learn from experience. There were also a lot of gaps in my knowledge: for example, I knew what separated eggs were but I didn't know how to do it without making a gawdawful mess and imperfectly separated parts.

Enter this book. It's got a lot of good basic stuff, the kind that doesn't require expensive ingredients or unusual cooking implements. It's more than enough for good meal planning and many of the recipes are useful for the fairly competent cook who just wants something quick and cheap, but still tasty. The format of the recipes is also very easy to follow: ingredients are listed in the order of appearance and there are notes that explain timing issues ("while you are waiting for this to happen, do that.") There are also useful sidebars about various cooking-related issues; including, to continue my example above, one about methods for separating eggs.

Those looking for more adventure in the kitchen are probably going to be sorely let down, and mentions of microwaves are few and far between. But for someone looking for the basics in order to facilitate good meals and meal planning with good time management, this is an excellent choice...even if the title is a little bit embarrassing.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for any beginner, September 5, 2006

By 

H. Cheung (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The I Don't Know How to Cook Book: 300 Great Recipes You Can't Mess Up (Paperback)

For a person who normally burns food and can't get things right, this is definitely the book for you. I've had great success with all the recipes I've done so far and couldn't say more about it. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is new to cooking and doesn't want to deal with any elaborate, complicated ingredients. I recommend the book so much I think I may end up buying my brother a copy so that he can use in college :)

41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this one if you need to learn to cook, January 14, 2006

By 

Melissa (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The I Don't Know How to Cook Book: 300 Great Recipes You Can't Mess Up (Paperback)

Buy this one if you need to learn to cook. This cook book is for young women who want to learn to cook. It has all the basics and is worth every penny to buy.