Books for Cooks 2010

What to Cook & How to Cook It

If you are a culinary neophyte, one glance through the pages of this book will have you convinced that you can actually pull this off. I've been cooking for 40-plus years, and I was immediately drawn to author Jane Hornby's method of illustrating every step of a dish's production with clear photographs (there are more than 850 photos in the book). Each recipe has prep and cooking times, yield estimates, and ample headnotes to reveal the secrets. Combine these with the photos, matched with authentic, concise, and practical instructions explaining every step of the recipe simply and logically, and you have a near foolproof cookbook for the reluctant chef. Hornby even starts you off with the necessary basic equipment and pantry, as well as basic techniques in photographed detail.

What struck me next as I cruised through the 100 recipes was how many of the dishes Hornby selected were things that I might actually cook – and better yet, would enjoy eating. Starting with breakfast and brunch through lunch and simple supper, to food for sharing and weekend cooking, to desserts, Hornby has chosen appealing dishes that are easy to prepare and guests will love to eat. Gooey cinnamon rolls, corn cakes with avocado salsa and bacon, shrimp and mushroom laksa, real spaghetti car­bona­ra, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, Mediter­ran­ean fish stew? Perhaps panna cotta with raspberries? What's not to like?

What to Cook & How To Cook It is the ideal gift for the person who has that hesitant chef lurking inside. If ever there were a reliable culinary bible to provide self-confidence, Hornby has written it. It is the simple nudge that will allow your apprehensive scullery mate to blossom into an accomplished cook.