Cookbook recs for someone who never learned to cook

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was starting I learned a lot following Alton brown recipes. His stuff is simpler and more about the methods rather some silly over complicated way of doing things.

I agree with the recs for Mark Bittman and Alton Brown. The recipes are usually pretty straightforward, well-written, and turn out well.

Julia Child recipes are often a little more ambitious, but they are also well-written. And by well-written, I mean the directions make sense and are easy to follow. Those meals also turn out well.

[Anonymous]

Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

Alice Waters, The Art of Simple Food

James Peterson, Meat: A Kitchen Education

Weber's Big Book of Grilling (not sure it is still in print, but there are copies of Amazon. Red cover. This is the superior Weber grill book, imo.)