The Best Cookbooks for Beginners of 2024

Finding the Right Cookbooks for Beginners: A Buyer’s Guide

While there is no shortage of cooking recipes online, the ones found in cookbooks have made it in after rigorous testing. So you can trust them to turn out well. Plus, when you have a physical book, you can easily mark your favorite recipe, write your notes in the margins, and use it as a tool for learning. But this also means you have to choose one carefully. Here’s a buyer’s guide to help you find a suitable cookbook for beginners:

Key Aspects To Consider When Buying a Cookbook for Beginners

The right cookbook can educate and inspire you to cook your own meals at home. That’s why you should consider the following aspects before making the purchase. 

Your dietary preferences 

The first thing that you should check in any cookbook is whether it matches your dietary preferences or not. There are a plethora of cookbooks whose content is specifically curated for novices, and there is no need to rush. Take your time to find the cookbook that aligns with your current lifestyle choices. This is very important, especially when you have severe food allergies or are practicing a vegan or vegetarian diet plan. 

A reassuring language 

Cooking may come naturally to some, but others find it an overwhelming task. This is the reason why some authors employ a reassuring voice in their cookbooks for beginners. If you find cooking difficult, a cookbook with kind and understanding language helps you build your confidence. It encourages you to keep trying even if the results don’t turn out so great. 

Good photography 

Photography is the feature that attracts most buyers to cookbooks. According to Josh Mouzakes, Executive Chef of ARLO at Town and Country Resort in San Diego, “You can study a lot about a dish by looking at it, such as the texture of the sauce, the color and brightness of a finished product.” When you know what your finished result is going to look like, you’ll be more motivated to try out the recipes. Hence as a novice, you should choose a cookbook that contains clear and colorful images of every recipe it covers. 

Clear and simple directions 

Being a beginner, you’ll already be quite confused. Any cookbook whose instructions leave you more perplexed can worsen the entire situation. Between the two recipes, one with a streamlined ingredient list and simple instructions and the one that leaves you more confused, which are you most likely to try? The first one, of course, because it is easier to follow. You should look for a book that relays recipes in clear instructions and simple language. Helpful pointers (when the onions are brown) and time indicators (cook for five minutes) also help you learn faster. 

Suggestions and substitutions 

Beginner cooks don’t have as much knowledge of the ingredients as seasoned chefs do. So, they don’t know what to do when they are unable to find specialty ingredients. A good cookbook for beginners either leaves out such ingredients from its recipes or gives the option to substitute them with a more readily available ingredient. You should also keep this point in mind when shopping for a beginner-friendly cookbook. 

Glossary 

The culinary language is very specific. Knowing the difference between boil and broil or steam and roast can have a huge impact on how your food turns out. Look for a book that mentions such culinary information and references towards the front rather than the back, so you know what you are doing before starting the recipe.  

Some Cooking Techniques Every Beginner Should Know 

If you want to be successful at cooking, you should first learn about the different cooking techniques. Below we have listed the ones commonly used by home chefs to create tempting dishes. 

Bake

Baking is a cooking technique that involves preparing food with dry heat, typically inside an oven. Bread, cookies, pizza, and cakes are the most common baked goods. 

Poach

When you poach food, you cook it while submerged in a liquid, such as water, stock, milk, or wine. It is different from boiling because poaching is conducted at a low temperature.

Caramelize 

While the term is usually associated with sugar, you can also caramelize a lot of other things. The technique involves slowly heating the food until its color changes to dark brown or golden. 

Broil

Broiling involves cooking food by exposing it to direct heat. You place the food in the broiler and subject it to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. The high temperature gives it the same seat as a grill gives to meats. 

Sauté 

The word sauté French roots meaning to jump. It is a dry heat technique in which you cook a small amount of fat while tossing the ingredients around the pan.