This cook book is the book that will take you through all the basics to cooking up a delicious meal – even if you are new to the kitchen and cooking scene. I am reviewing this today as part of the Weekend Cooking meme at Beth Fish Reads
Confession: I did not inherit the cooking gene.
My mom could pull random items out of the refrigerator and mix up a dinner that was delicious in mere minutes. I on the other hand seem to find myself at the grocery store every few days needing ingredients to make something… for some reason my kitchen has never flowed with all the necessities to make meals for more than 4 days at a time and I seem to never have the basics, or if I do – I don’t know how to combine them into something….
edible.
It’s true. The kitchen in our home is probably the room I spend the least amount of time in.
Books like this – are a gift even to a person like me who has been married with children for a long time.
In Shawn Bucher’s cookbook, he takes you from how to select meat at a store and the steps to preparing it – all your basics of beef, chicken, and fish are covered in techniques such as baking, broiling, grilling, and frying.
In the vegetable section which takes us from how to select them to how to cut and cook with them. I even picked up a couple of tips here.
The book goes on to explain cooking great pasta, making soup stock, choosing fruits and how to prepare them, and basic cookware needed to get a jump-start on your kitchen menu planning.
When I look at cook books, I want to make something in them. Tonight’s dinner thanks to The First Timers Cook Book will be roasted chicken, with carrots, celery, and onion in the bottom of the pan and baked potatoes. (My family will not know what hit them!) 😀
This book would make a lovely gift for newly weds or a new college student. I am already picturing gift baskets in the future for upcoming events such as these that will include copies of this book, a couple of dish towels, measuring spoons, a bowl, spatula, and a whisk.
Amazon Rating
The 2011 Reading Map has been updated to include The First Timers Cook Book
I received this book for review through Media Guests
You can find Author Shawn Bucher’s website here
Book Journey 
LOL! We both posted about this book for Weekend Cooking!
Thats funny Ellie – hope you liked the boo too 😀
Oh, dinner at your house tonight sounds good! I don’t know what I’m making tonight yet.
I just put it in the oven Hannah – it looks good! 😀
So, how was it?
It was really good!
Yay! I tried a new recipe last night, too, which turned out well, also. (Indo-Texan Curry Chili, or something like that.)
Anything curry has my attention Hannah – that sounds delicious! I will be making shredded beef sandwiches tomorrow evening for the guts when I have book club and that recipe is coming from one I found on Saturday from Beth Fish reads Weekend cooking meme!
That sounds good, too!
We’re pretty big fans of curry here. 😀
I *love* your photo. That is too funny. Even though I can generally create a tasty meal from what’s in the house, I am always happy to learn a trick or two. But even better, I love have a recommendation for gift giving. Like you, I’m think first apartment, just married . . .
Beth I don’t know why cooking doesnt come naturally to me – but it must skip a generation! 😀
I need all the help I can get!
Hope your dinner is wonderful! I love your idea for using this cookbook in a gift basket.
Thanks Joy – it has everything in it that I wish I had known in the early years of my single life 🙂
Okay, your photo is made of all kinds of awesomeness! I just love it! Hehe. 🙂
This sounds like a great book for beginners and like you mentioned I may have to include it with wedding presents in the future. Can’t wait to hear how the Chicken turned out!
Thanks Danielle – I have it in the over now and went with chicken breasts instead of the whole chicken – the price was right and it sounded yummy.
I hope you enjoy/enjoyed your dinner tonight (never sure on tiem-zone differences!). This sounds like a great book. One recipe book I’d recommend is “Mum Knows Best” by The Hairy Bikers.
I’ve just realised that you may not know who The Hairy Bikers are, but they are brilliant and funny when they do their cooking shows here in the UK (they aren’t chefs, just cooks!).
Nikki-ann, I do not know who the Hairy Bikers are and I am a little worried they are offering cooking advice…LOL
Sounds like one I should look up! 😀
Definitely!
I posted a review for it on a review site last year. When I’ve got a minute I’ll post the review on my blog.
This sounds perfect for our son – he’s living in an apartment by himself for the first time.
Kathy I bet this would be a good fit for him then.
I am definitely not intuitive about cooking. I had to teach my husband the basics when we got married and then his skills zoomed past mine in no time at all.
I remember he asked me one day what I could make with what we had in the house and all I could come up with was mac and cheese. 🙂 We ended up eating out.
Sounds like me Alyce 😀
I can think of a lot of people this book would make a great gift for!
I am going to pick up a couple copies for my two sons.. one is in college and one is in the Navy – they could both use a little help in this area 🙂
I think my brother needs this cookbook for his birthday. He is newly divorced and struggling-he knows how to grill, that’s about it. Thanks for the review.
Sure Michelle 🙂
you are right…this would make a great gift for many non-cooks.
Thanks Caite!
What a great book! My husband loves to cook, and has that cooking gene you mentioned, but this sounds like a book that covers all the basics. I will have to get this for him!
Erin I wish my hubby cooked – I joke that if anything ever happened to me he would own stock in McDonalds. He can microwave – thats about it. 😛
I have a little bit of the cooking gene, but nowhere close to what my father can dish up from the kitchen. I always resort to what I call “simple meals” meaning anything chicken really… my husband thinks when I make full chicken breasts instead of cutting them into strips is a “fancy dinner”. lol. Hope the book helps you have fun in the kitchen!
Kristen I am with you – love chicken… could really eat it every day…. 😀
Sounds like one I would have gotten a lot of use out of when I first started cooking. Or even now for that matter.
Carol I picked up some tips in this one! 🙂
I’m with you…cooking isn’t my #1 forte. This would be a good book for me and I know I would get lots of use out of it.