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Cookbooks For Beginners Of All Ages

By Rhea Frazier


When it comes to thoughtful presents, books are high on the list. One great idea for children or young adults out on their own for the first time is one of the many cookbooks for beginners. It's true that there are a million plus recipes online these days, but it's so much easier to have a good idea for dinner or to find a forgotten detail in a favorite dish right on your counter.

All you need to do is visit a library or a bookstore to see how many different kinds of cooking guides are published year after year. Beginners, moreover, can be children but also may be new brides, young adults on their own for the first time, or those who haven't had time or opportunity to learn the art of cooking. Classics like The Joy Of Cooking never go out of fashion. This celebrated guidebook to culinary skill has recipes galore, as well as information about food, ingredients, techniques, seasonings, and more.

Classics of another type - exclusively American - are the many volumes from the Betty Crocker kitchen. These books - which include those for children, for family cooking, and for special holidays - specialize in quick, easy-to-prepare dishes. Chocolate chip cookies, hearty stews, macaroni and cheese casseroles, meat loaf, and apple pie are perennial favorites.

There are some great collections that feature canned soups as main ingredients. These are often for casseroles, but include pot roast and chicken pot pie. Gravies are quick and easy when cream of mushroom or celery soup is combined with browned meat in a skillet and left to simmer.

There is always a new diet or eating plan in the news these days, and giving a companion recipes book is a great way to show support. It's much easier to stick with low-fat, low-carb, low-sodium, or no-sugar programs if you have a series of delicious meals to enjoy. It also makes shopping easier, since the ingredient list serves as a guide.

For kids, there are colorful kitchen companions that discuss how to make hot dogs and beans, cupcakes, cookies, and saltwater taffy. Elderly relatives may be trying to cut their sodium intake or make tasty food that is never, never fried. Teens may need to know the nutritional values of leafy greens - and what they are, even. Couples may appreciate books on easy meals for entertaining or ways to impress at a pot-luck dinner.

Seafood is another kind of dish that many need help to prepare. Crock-pot cooking is popular with busy families. Making bread at home can be a wonderful hobby and an activity that the whole family can enjoy from beginning to end. Even using leftovers is a topic that has achieved publication more than once.

Everyone should learn how to prepare food for its flavor as well as its nutritive value. We all could use some new ideas to get out of the food ruts we're in. The right introduction to new foods, new methods, or new implements can make a useful, thoughtful gift that keeps on giving.




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