Customer Rating: 
Summary: This Book Rocks !!!
Comment: Looking for a Christmas, Birthday, Wedding, Graduation, Housewarming gift. This is the best cookbook in the world. I use it everyday. It is simple and soooo full of info. I wish I had this book 20 years ago, great for a beginner or an experienced cook. Great reference tool.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: A great intro to the kitchen, whether you're young or old
Comment: I just bought Anyone Can Cook for a recently-retired family member who's as unfamiliar around the kitchen as I am in an auto shop. I wanted something with a solid foundation and ample descriptions of basics such as choosing, storing, and prepping fruits and veggies (a step which is often overlooked in "regular" cookbooks), a primer on kitchen tools (knives, utensils, appliances), and step-by-step guidance in addition to easy-to-prepare recipes. The first hundred pages or so are devoted to the differences between produce and tool tips (red, yellow or white onions? Cremini, enoki, button, morel, or portabello mushrooms? Springform or cake pan?). Also, recipes are ranked according to skill level, with 1 being easiest and 3 being easy.
Enter Better Homes and Gardens: Anyone Can Cook. Like millions of other housewives, I grew up using the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, and have several reincarnations, so I had no reservations about investing in Anyone Can Cook. Its organization is similar to the traditional BHG cookbook; i.e., appetizers, soups, salads, meats (including detailed charts of the various cuts), poultry, veggies, desserts, breakfast and more. However, many of the recipes are simplified and rely heavily on store-bought shortcuts such as refrigerated dough and precooked meats (in that respect, it reminded me of Betty Crocker Quick and Easy Cookbook: 30 minutes or less to dinner (Betty Crocker Books), so if you're put off by the idea of using so many processed foods in your recipes, you might want to invest in the original BHG cookbook. Of course, once you have a little more experience, you can whip up your own pasta sauce or use leftover roast to achieve the same effect with fewer preservatives.
The layout is stuffed with step-by-step photos and can be visually overwhelming at times, especially with the choice of bright colors. I noticed that several of the recipes are carryovers from other BHG publications such as Vegetarian Cooking (Better Homes & Gardens). Also, many of the recipes are ethnically influenced, including many with a Latin/Asian flair. If "exotic" doesn't appeal to you, you might want to steer clear.
For everyone else, this is a perfect, step-by-step introduction to the kitchen, including some simple baked goods, that will allow you to graduate to more difficult standard recipes once you've mastered the basics.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good book & very informative!
Comment: I bought this book for my son who is just starting out. He is a pretty creative cook already, but I thought he could benefit from some "real" how-to's! This book has that and more. I even saw a couple of recipes I would like to try! I recommend this for the beginning cook and tips for the more experienced cook!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Anyone Can Cook
Comment: This is a great book for the first time cook. It gives clear directions along with great pictures. I've purchased two of these books for beginner cooks and they love it! One draw back would be the recipes tend to be more traditional and not as healthy as I prefer.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Comment: Well worth the price. Has a lot of great tips for both the beginner cook, and the " old timer"
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