Cookbooks For Beginners Make Great Gifts

By Rhea Frazier


Books always make good gifts, especially when thoughtfully chosen. Although not everyone is a great reader, most people do like to eat. Preparing food for oneself and for others is not an innate skill; it must be learned. Cookbooks for beginners are useful and never need to be boring, since there is a wide variety available.

There are literally hundreds of different kinds of cooking guides. If you're looking for a great wedding present, for instance, one of the classics is good. The Joy Of Cooking, for example, has many gourmet dishes but also covers the basics. In addition, it has a lot of good kitchen information, like how to substitute ingredients if you're missing one on the list. It also explains many cooking terms, which might be unfamiliar.

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.

Some great collections of recipes start with canned soup. Gravy is easy when cream of mushroom is poured over browned pork chops or hamburger and allowed to simmer. Many casseroles are enhanced with cream of celery or mushroom, and pot roasts made with vegetable soup are fast and easy. A busy mom or dad, or a college student entertaining friends, might like a few shortcuts like these.

Today there are lots of specialty diet books, which tell people how to cut the fat but keep the flavor, make desserts without sugar, be a healthy vegetarian, or make low-carbohydrate meals. If you or someone you know is starting a lifestyle-changing regime, a targeted cookbook can be a thoughtful and appreciated gift. Eating like a caveman, like a rabbit, or like a fruit-bat is not instinctive for humans, after all.

There are many fun cooking guides for kids, who should learn how to feed themselves and know why so many adults love to cook. Recipes for no-bake cookies or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches can be followed alone, while things like bite-size toasted cheese wedges are fun and safe for kids to prepare with supervision.

A gift of a crock-pot makes a great housewarming or wedding present, and if a specialized cookbook is included, it's even better. Blenders or panini grills are also fun, and many people have never experimented with them. Guidance in using any new appliance will always be appreciated. Even those who have all the gadgets will enjoy new ideas on using them.

Everyone likes to eat - and most of us don't want it all to be raw. Therefore there's always a need for fresh ideas and better ways to delight the palate. Whether it's out of necessity or based on a desire to please, proficiency enhances cooking every time. Give a gift that keeps on giving and find the perfect cookbook for everyone on your list.




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