Learning to Cook with Marion Cunningham (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Marion Cunningham, renowned for her revision of the The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, turns her attention to the novice cook. Cunningham's passion for simple, home-cooked dishes, along with her extensive teaching experience, is evident on every page.

In Learning to Cook, 150 recipes and 100 color photos are woven through 11 chapters with tempting titles like "Soup for Supper," "Easy Fish," "Meals Without Meat," and "Thank Goodness for Chicken." Cunningham's recipes are clearly written--free from hard-to-decipher cooking terms and elaborate preparations. Directions for preparing items such as vegetables are included in the recipes, so readers can prepare them as they cook, without perpetually referring to the ingredients list. Many of the recipes are meal-in-one suppers.

In addition to recipes, the book includes lots of reference materials, such as a list of essential kitchen tools, as well as lots of tips on basic techniques--how to whip cream, cook rice, carve ham, and much more. An uncluttered, user-friendly layout empowers even the fearful cook to prepare dishes like Poached Halibut with Fennel, Old-Fashioned Beef Stew, and Simple Vegetable Soup.

Cooking with this book will teach beginning cooks to read a recipe, organize a complete meal, recycle today's dinner into tomorrow's luscious lunch, gauge quantity, season to taste, and even end up with a cleaner kitchen after they've completed their meal! Learning to Cook with Marion Cunningham is a timeless cookbook useful to any novice cook. --Amy Cotler

From Publishers Weekly

Cook to live, or live to cook? Even the most reluctant beginners will toss their toques into the latter ring once they start cooking from Cunningham's latest book. There's arguably no finer teacher to invite into one's kitchen than Cunningham, author of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook and an activist in the cause of American home cooking today. Beginning cooks learn to find their way around the kitchen thanks to detailed step-by-step instructions on preparing surprisingly simple appetizers and entr?es such as Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes and Parchment-Wrapped Fish Fillets (made with soy sauce and sesame oil). Meanwhile, a chapter entitled "Breakfast Can Be Supper, Too" proves that omelets, frittatas, waffles and pancakes can be a simple part of the two most important meals of the day. The old adage "easy as pie" is not entirely a lie in this book; recipes for Pecan Pie and American Apple Pie require some, but not superhuman, effort. Along the way, Cunningham offers practical, reassuring advice, without a hint of condescension, on everything from stocking your kitchen to storing vegetables and fruits so they will keep. This book is bound to take the fear out of frying, baking, roasting and stewingAand help beginners cook their way toward culinary confidence. 50,000 first printing.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; 1 edition (April 20, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375401180
• ISBN-13: 978-0375401183
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #88,733 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get It - Use It, September 28, 1999

By A Customer

Being a novice and a poor cook I had tried a number of cookbooks and found them all lacking. Until I bought Learning to Cook. Now I'm a good cook and getting better, and I've only had the book for a little over a month. Whats the differance? Easy to read, great recipes/uncomplicated and mistake proof. Cooking is now fun, not only that but the family now actually looks forward to dinner. Using this book wiLl make all of your cooking better, reguardles of where the recipe comes from. So far I have yet to repeat a recipe, and not a bad meal yet. My personal favorite is the Pork Tenderloin with Jalapeno Sauce. After having the Original Macaroni and Cheese my nine year old proclamed it the best she had ever eaten. Get this book.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for those that don't know how to cook!, July 31, 1999

By A Customer

Have you tried to make scrambled eggs and they came out dry and bland? Bought some fresh trout from the supermarket, tried to follow a recipe, only to be disappointed with your dinner?

If this sounds like you, chances are you're a beginner cook. You are trying to use your kitchen to make home cooked / hearty meals - but don't always know exactly how to prepare something. Or cut something. Or season.

If the above is the case, then this is THE book. Learning To Cook has several sections - appetizers, soups, salads, fish, chicken, meats, vegetables, breakfasts, deserts, etc. Each section has 5 - 10 recipes. What makes this book unique is that each recipe is a beginners "how to" on how to make the dish. And the instructions cover EVERYTHING! That is, you can start clueless, then read a recipe in 15 minutes and know exactly HOW to make a great salad - or soup - or fish - or chicken dish.

I've used this book for a month as follows: I've read one recipe about every other evening. I've stopped at a supermarket on my way home from work to purchase what the recipe calls for. I then re-read the recipe and then follow the instructions to make a great meal - every time.

In just a month, I've graduated from the level of kitchen neophyte!

The book is also full of tidbits - how to store fruit, photos of various salads, what to do with leftovers.

If you've never cooked in your life, or have tried and have been disappointed, or are embarresed to admit it you don't know what you're doing in a kitchen, then Learning To Cook is a must!

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning to Cook with Marion Cunningham, November 30, 1999

By	Temteacher (Texas) - See all my reviews

This is a cookbook for everyone from novices to experienced cooks. The directions are clear and easy to follow. Handy hints are helpful and informative. I personally have prepared several of the recipes including "Pot Roast with Vegetables and Gravy." All were excellent. This cookbook would make a perfect gift for newlyweds or anyone else with a budding interest in cooking.