A crucial guide for beginners and a fantastic reference for any great cook.
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Shawn Roarke is a freelance writer in Keyport, NJ.
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July 2005
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Joy of Cooking
By Irma Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker
So, you want to learn how to cook? Then, grab a copy of the Joy of Cooking. It is the only cookbook needed to undertake the richly rewarding, often demanding journey from culinary neophyte to kitchen master. In fact, this book presents everything a cook could possibly need in a straight-forward style. The recipes, which cover the gamut from beverages to desserts -- without skipping anything in the middle -- are straight-forward and concise. Unlike more advanced cookbooks, each step is spelled out completely, and just as importantly, there is no bias of an assumed skill level inherent in the instructions. With that said, the book does not pander down to a beginner's level. While the basics are covered, including essential material on picking out and storing the proper ingredients, this book presents its fair share of complex and culturally diverse recipes. Most often, if you can not find a recipe in this 900-plus page tome, that recipe isn't a staple of cooking offerings. The thinness of the paper, addressed slightly in more recent editions of the book, and the size of the print, a necessity for the scope of this offering, are the book's only drawbacks.
—A favorite book of Shawn Roarke
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