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"How to Boil Water"

Customer Rating:
A simple, straight-forward book that might be useful for the absolute beginner. But for those even slightly beyond grilled cheese or spaghetti, go for the original, full-length version instead.

Great starter cookbook!

Customer Rating:
I bought this cookbook for my son who is on his own now that he and his long-time girlfriend have split up (and yes, she did most of the cooking). He is really interested in learning to cook well and with this cookbook he is off to a great start. Lots of good, easy-to-follow, very non-intimidating recipes. But even more valuable than the recipes, there is a lot of good, practical cooking advice and know-how in this book. I highly recommend this cookbook to any novice cook, or anyone who wants to brush up on the basics and just add to their collection of great recipes.

Fast food kid now cooks (a little)

Customer Rating:
I grew up in a fast food family; I never learned to cook the healthier and gourmet-ish stuff I like to eat now.

This book got me up and running with simple and tasty recipes. I still prepare the same salads, fish and pastas I learned when I first picked up this book a few years ago. 'The Basics' even gave me the confidence to try my own variation to a breakfast dish, a plate that has become everyday favorite.

I'm still not big on cooking. But this book got me started, gave me a new skill, and helped to change my life in a small but tasty way.

Amazingly Easy

Customer Rating:
I was never good at cooking in any way, shape, or form. I set out to find a book to learn how to cook, and I found this one.

This book makes cooking amazingly easy. From the very beginning, it presents the most important aspects of cooking and delineates what cooking utensils are essential and what the different forms of cooking are (broiling, steaming, grilling, etc.). The recipes provided are simple and easy to understand and follow; they also produce food that is absolutely delicious. Recipes are accompanied by suggested modifications and tips for shopping and preparing.

This is the perfect book for learning how to cook. I highly recommend it to anyone, particularly those who are like I was, knowing nothing about cooking.

Bittman speaks:

Customer Rating:
As usual this condensed book on "basics" meets the optimal needs of the "minimalist". The book is well written, comprehensive, easy to understand, and extremely pratical for "anyone" who cooks, wants to learn how to cook, or needs to improve on their cooking skills.

The supplier must be complemented as well, for providing a good price combined with excellent service.