Reddit reviews Better Homes and Gardens: New Cook Book, 16th Edition

Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

This is a classic of basics IMHO. There's a couple chapters in methods, stocking your kitchen, spices, etc. Then there's endless recipes of the basics/classics: lasagna, mashed potatoes, cookies, etc.

I use my copy more than any other cookbook.

Edit: Amazon.ca link

Well, for me at least, the internet has largely made print cookbooks obsolete, but if you're unable to use the internet or just simply want to have a print cookbook then you can't go wrong with the Better Homes and Garden "New" Cook Book.

I have it and it covers a great deal of information. Great for beginners. It's apparently pretty cheap too. I got mine for my wedding.

Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

It has more than just recipes, it will tell you which part of the cow your steak is from, how to cook different cuts of meat, and has some pretty good recipes. I really like the meatloaf recipe they have in there.

This book looks amazing--I'm about to purchase it myself!

I'd also recommend the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. My mom gave me her old copy when I moved into my own apartment and it's saved me from disaster on more than one occasion. It covers just about every basic dish you could dream of and makes sure to outline every step. There are lots of nifty charts and resources (to name just a few: the back cover has a list of emergency substitutions, there's a section on selecting fresh fruits and vegetables, and the back of the meat chapter has an extensive list of cooking times!).

Also, if your future husband has the time and doesn't know how to cook much either, mayb try cooking some meals together! It could be a fun at-home date night and you'll both learn some things. :)

Not so much a tip or easy recipe, but I cannot stress how useful a book like Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook is. Contains everything you need to know if you're moving out on your own. How to use and maintain your kitchen equipment, boiling/freezing points of everything you might need to know, basic and advanced cooking techniques, etc. Also comes with a section on mealplanning and the like.

Buy this book it has all the basics, including how to stock your kitchen, as well as teaching you how to cook, as opposed to just giving you recipes, which it also has a ton of.

I love veggies. I eat a lot of em. I recommend getting a cook book if you are a bit new to cooking veggies, or cooking for yourself in general. Which being college age, I assume you haven't done too much cooking beyond basics. This is a great all-purpose cookbook -it's pretty classic and time-tested and theres lots of good recipes in there (I use that book all the time). ATK Cooking for 2 is another favorite of mine. I cook for myself and my fiancee so this is perfect. But i bought this in college because it's perfect for making a meal and having a leftover meal for lunch the next day. So this would be good for you too. Theres lots of good veggie basics in there. This is also a great book. I really like the ATK books because they rarely require unusual ingredients or devices. If youre in college, you probably dont have an immersion blender. Most people dont in general, I think. I hate it when cookbooks require all sorts of unusual ingredients and contraptions because it probably means I cant make it. I never find this to be the case with the ATK books. I know using cookbooks sounds antiquated as hell, but it's honestly easier than using the internet sometimes. If I had a dollar for every time I tried out a random internet recipe and it was CRAP, I'd be able to buy myself a nice lunch. The other thing is, you have to already know what you want to make if youre going to find a recipe online -otherwise youll waste a LOT of time browsing for something that piques your interest. With a cookbook, you can quickly flip through, read the index to see if any recipe names catch your interest, or look at the pictures. Very easy to find something that you want to make, in only a few minutes.

Roasting. Steaming. Sauteeing. Boiling/blanching. Baking. Broiling. There's a lot of different ways to prepare veggies. Having a good selection of spices/seasonings to work with is essential. I mean, you should at LEAST have salt and pepper. Garlic powder-NOT the same as garlic salt btw, something spicy if you like heat like red pepper flakes or cayenne, rosemary, chili powder, thyme, paprika are all good basics that you can do a lot with.

When I was in college I mostly purchased frozen veggies. I see from another comment in here you arent finding much. If you are in the US at least, you just gotta look harder--I have never seen a grocery store where you couldnt get most veggies frozen. Try looking for the store brand. You should be able to find most veggies frozen. I am not in college anymore and prefer to use fresh veggies, but frozen is a great option for college kids--it means you wont be wasting foods (fresh produce goes bad relatively quickly) and its also cheaper.

A great starting cookbook I’d suggest for anyone learning:
Better Homes and Gardens: New Cook Book, 16th Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0544307070/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_31k5BbFKFPM8G

Video series or anything? I really learned a ton reading The Professional Chef, which is a textbook in a lot of culinary schools I hear. I have the eTextbook version that has a lot of video links and interactivity.

If you're into the science behind cooking I'd also really recommend The Food Lab, I have the hard back version and it's also just a beautiful book.

I also have Cooking and Sauces by Peterson, also textbook quality books.

And of course, the ever popular Better Homes & Gardens Ring-Bound Cookbook, How to Cook Everything, and The Joy of Cooking are staples on my bookshelf as well. Great for reference or a quick look to find a particular recipe just to see how others do it.

I also browse a lot of websites and watch a lot on YouTube. I'll save recipes I find online using the Evernote Web Clipper and tag them so I can find them easily in the future. This works great because I can pull them up on my iPad while I'm cooking.

When a recipe calls for a method, tool, or ingredient I'm not very familiar with I'll usually just search it on YouTube and get some ideas about how to use it. That's worked really well for me so far.

Omg yes get her a cookbook - I got this one last year https://www.amazon.com/Better-Homes-Gardens-Cook-Book/dp/0544307070/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466650374&sr=8-1&keywords=better+homes+and+gardens+cookbook (my mom has it too) and its literally perfect for people starting their lives. Everything you really need (including how long to cook certain meats and at what temperature)

OK, so sidestepping the mountain of relationship stuff going on here, I'll get right to the point for "learning to cook":

Get the Better Homes & Garden cookbook. It's under $20 (which is less than you'll spend when the two of you go to the movies).

Open up, pick a recipe that sounds good, get the stuff at the market, cook it together. Eat. Decide what went right, what went wrong. Rinse, repeat.

I recommend the BH&G cookbook because the recipes are pretty straightforward, not intimidating, well-written, clear, and time-tested. Everything from waffles to chili. I've had my copy for 20+ years and still use it for the basics.

This one will get you pretty far

When I was your age I started out with a great first time cookbook and they still sell it: Better Homes and Gardens: New Cook Book, 16th Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/0544307070/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_eJ3MxbJBM6GAT

It covered basics but without trying to be too fancy, some of the recipes from cooking shows are a lot of work.

Also, I like Rachel Ray recipes because they tend to be fairly easy for me to do.

Also, it really does help to taste as you cook. Don't make any big adjustments but start building that tool box.