The "I Don't Know How to Cook" Book: 300 Great Recipes You Can't Mess Up!

I'm not an absolute beginner when it comes to cooking. I know how to make the things I like but I wanted to expand my skills beyond just my tastes.Pros:1. Plenty of recipes to try; They are all rated from Easy to Hard.2. Most of the ingredients are typical things in a basic pantry or fridge (flour, sugar, olive oil, salt/pepper, cheese, bread, potatoes, etc.) I don't recall anything exotic that a trip to a typical grocery couldn't solve.3. Directions are clear enough for someone who has basic skills/experience in the kitchen.4. Almost half the recipes have tips regarding typical situations "How do I save chicken for another meal?", "How to choose the right olive oil", "What is evaporated milk?" .5. Quite a number of vegetarian and even vegan dishes (for a carnivore, I was very interested in these).Cons:1. There are NO pictures throughout the book. For a book geared towards "absolute" beginners and people who regularly burn things, this is not acceptable.2. Very small appendix which talks about typical kitchen utensils and cooking terms. The terms are no more helpful than just looking them up in a dictionary. You'd be better off Googling "How to juilienne *insert produce here*" The kitchen section pretty much saids "pots and pans, a cutting board, and some knives..."Overall, I'd recommend this book if it dropped below the ten dollar price point and if you're looking for a little guidance or ideas with meals. Absolute beginners should look elsewhere.

I can't give a user's total review since I bought this book for my grandson who is a college sophomore. All I can tell you, however, is that he looked through the book and was absolutely delighted with it. He is on his own cooking and after reviewing this book as well as the second book I reviewed and purchased he was absolutely delighted. The other cook book was titled "A Real Man's Cookbook". It seemed to me that each book offered something different that would be helpful to him as he learns to survive on his own cooking. I felt that the two books compliment each other.  The Real Man's Cookbook: How, When, What and Why to Cook

My friend told me, " girl you know I don't know how to cook". while I was thinking of what I would get her for her birthday and I thought she doesn't know how to cook so i'll get her a cookbook. The first cookbook that popped up was this one, almost exactly quoting what my friend told me. Needless to say she loves it and is planning to cook all these meals. The recipes in this book look very delicious and I love how it has the 3 levels easy, medium, and hard. Must have cookbook for people of all ages.

I LITERALLY can not cook. I'm the person who burns crock pot dinners, making it so bad I wouldn't even feed it to dogs. This guide has helped me so much. I've made dinner for my boyfriend and dad using this cookbook and they loved it. This book is written so well that even I can't mess it up (and that is pretty much amazing). I have no idea what I would do without this amazing resource. I'll definitely be on the lookout for other cookbooks by this author.

I bought this as a joke Christmas present for my boyfriend who is always claiming "I don't know how to cook" when it comes his turn to make dinner. He actually got excited about some of the recipes and made me lasagna a few days after he got the book. It's not 5 star quality food but it doesn't claim to be. All of the recipes are simple and they also cover basics like browning ground beef, scrambling eggs, and it's really good for someone who's cooking skills were previously limited to boiling water.

I am a baker and cook but both my twin sister and my best friend would rather eat out. I got this cookbook for my sister and when my friend saw it and like it I brought it for her. There were recipes in this book that I tried even before I gave it to them.The book itself has wonderful hints in it even for people who cook and great easy recipes and for those who seldom go into their kitchens, it takes nothing for granted.

I have lived on my own for a long time and I envy people who know how to cook. I never had anyone teach me and this book was the best. I have made a few recipes. They are simple and inexpensive but they taste amazing!! This has really opened the door to the cooking world. I love this book!

Gave as a gift. He said he uses it a lot. Would buy again. Promised to invite us over to dinner when he gets better at cooking something. Said he loved some of the recipes and could not wait to try some out.

The mistake lay in giving it to him at the start of his visit. He's setting up home alone and wants to cook "properly". So, start from scratch and learn the basics and go from there, we thought. Trouble was, once he started reading he couldn't put the darn thing down! Still, we get the occasional rave review and many pictures of his triumphs, so we know the book's a success. With bells on.

Arrived promptly,and in perfect condition, bit disappointed that its not really an illustrated book, which would have been better seeing as I bought it to try to teach my teenage boy to cook,but my mistake in choosing it. Fine for adults, but not sure its great to encourage someone with zero interest in cooking, whereas lovely images of food would be far more tempting for him to try to replicate.

An ideal for anyone who knows little to nothing about preparing meals from scratch

Excellent product. Really useful recipes, very helpful if one does not know how to cook as well as those who can cook. May good ideas therein.