Cookery for a n00b

[Neo_VR]

Heres a question for the budding hexite cooks amongst us...

Can anyone reccomend a cookery book for a "begginer"? - something that will help me get a grip on how to cook things generally rather than making some exotic dish's.
Basically it has dawned on me that i cant cook very well, my previous experience being limited to packaged foods that can be done in the oven/under the grill and have instructions for them... (im off work all week, and for lunch today i had sausages and spagetti hoops lol.. not really slap-up scran for a 27 yr old

Also... where/how did all the other hexites on here learn to cook...any tips?

Cheers

[Salazaar]

Delia Smith's How To Cook books are meant to be pretty good.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delias-How-C...6332843&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delias-How-C...6332843&sr=8-3
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delias-How-C...6332843&sr=8-4

[Flibb]

Stupid question, have you asked your Mum, Nan, Aunt, etc? Thats wehere I learnt to sook.

[handscombmp]

Stupid question, have you asked your Mum, Nan, Aunt, etc? Thats wehere I learnt to sook.

Same my mum taught me the basics and when i moved out i got a cook book. Just read the instructions and your fine

[Tumble]

I started out with the BBC Good Food books - 101 cheap eats and that sort of thing- I still do stuff from there (although I don't need the book so much anymore) because it's all good. If all else fails though, just try some stuff - and remember Gordon Ramsay's advice: "If it's brown, it's cooked, if it's black, it's ****ed"

[Zak33]

"Good Housekeeping" New Step-by-step Cook Book

is bloody superb. It's been re done a few times and any version is good
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Houseke.../dp/0091864941

it's an inspiration, I swear.

[steve threlfall]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jamies-Minis...6486315&sr=8-1

Awesome book

[chicken]

This website's pretty good if you're just getting started:
http://jamesoff.net/site/fun/random-recipe-generator/
Just hit "refresh" for a new recipe

[emzallan]

I would def say Delia Smith has good tips on everything cooking related and some of her recipes are too good! If anyone has her classic book try the chocolate squidgy log, its the best thing ever! But if you are after a particular recipe there are plenty of cooking rescources online.

[Vini]

I concur with Jamie's book. I'm guessing 75% of people want to do the Chicken in Parma Ham, I did.

I class myself as an expert at that recipe now, it's dead easy too! Ridiculously rewarding/tasty for so little effort. My kind of cooking.

The good thing about Jamie's book is that he talks to you like an idiot and lays it out in simple terms. It really is a cook book for "n00bs" - perfect for me!