Best cookbook for complete beginner

[Stinksmum]

Can anyone recommend a book for a complete novice? My 16 year old daughter can just about fry an Egg. I want one that starts from scratch, assuming that the reader can't do anything. One that is really easy to understand and follow.

Delia Smith complete cookery course is a huge book but she doesn't assume you know any cookery terms . I was about 20 when I taught myself to cook from it. Ds uses YouTube to learn - sign of the times 😂

Yep Delias complete cookery course is excellent for the basics. Nigellas How to Eat is also really good because she builds one skill onto another eg shows you how to make a custard, use it for various desserts and then for ice cream rather than a book of individual recipes.

I recently bought Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food cookbook in a charity shop for £2 and thought, rather than being a cookery “course”, it had fun inspiration for a young person starting out. Not for an old hand like me.
I used to love the Australian Good Housekeeping (?) cookbooks on single topics (soups, tray bakes etc) in the 90s, too.
Your local second hand place probably has loads.

Delia helped me tons when i was a young 20 year old a very long time ago. The Australian Women's weekly magazine style cooking book were great too that I used to pick up in Safeway! These days I go to Jamie & Nigella mostly.

I second jamie oliver ministry of food - excellent beginners recipes that I still use to this day!

I had this book at uni and it was great. Lots of recipes you actually want to cook not random “I had this quiche in Provence and I will now tell you my life story”.

I still use Ministry of Food recipes too.

Sam Stern cookery books. He wrote these as a teenager and are aimed at this age group. The recipes are easy to follow and include some of the popular dishes that would be useful to make in a hurry/ snacks/ for friends/ dinner party. You can get them very cheaply on Amazon.

There is also a Delia Smith book which explains things for beginners but it probably won't appeal to a teenager.

You could also try student cookery books which are simple and include trendy recipes eg Nosh for students.

Delia Smith’s How to Cook is excellent for beginners and even has a section on how to cook eggs. I also love her Complete Cookery Course and her other seasonal books.
I’ve got lots of recipe book and can honestly say everything turns out right the first time with a Delia recipe.

I see it’s Australian Women’s Weekly, not Good Housekeeping that I was trying to remember.

Delia on YouTube with https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?cty=uk&ds=30&dym=on&rgn=er&rollup=on&sortby=20&tn=Delia%20how%20to%20cook on your lap.

Jamie Ministry of food. I bought this in my early 20's and still use lots of the recipies as family staples x

Also https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?cty=uk&ds=20&dym=on&rgn=er&rollup=on&sortby=20&tn=cwa%20cookery%20book%20and%20household%20hints

Delia Smith cooking for one is excellent

I'm almost sure I saw the Delia Smith one in a Charity shop yesterday. I'm going to pop in tomorrow and see if it's still there.

Annie Bell How to Cook is very good. Lots of basic skills and good explanations of how to do things. You can get a second hand copy on eBay/World of Books for about £4.

When I married in 1975, I got a copy of The Paupers Cookbook by Jocasta Innes. It's aimed at students and people on a tight budget, but has a lot of basic information for beginners. It has now been updated as The New Paupers Cookbook, and amazon have copies. www.amazon.co.uk/New-Paupers-Cookbook-Jocasta-Innes/dp/0091754348/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1352WC8ZEM6N0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fgFJckQ0cH0Jw0GUiwf03Cor9BXn-7sMk-myRsGwEoPxy2NnCRwqgRZjvFMFE_aFKg3nCqh7UJeqK90Bz-FKhba2IuCBN8sdruD9WeXgp9k.RLdDX4JL3NIBwlWmgDtF3VIkJ0sqAyJ9WhKPuUZ8E30&dib_tag=se&keywords=new+paupers+cookbook&qid=1771581130&sprefix=%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-2

Delia.

Delia covers everything from boiling an egg to more complex.

It has to be Nigella. How to Eat.