How To Boil Water: The Confidence-Building Cookbook for Beginners with Food Network Recipes

The recipes are easy to follow and I love the step by step explanations.

This is such a great entry level cookbook, I have very limited skills and was looking for something easy to understand and with simple ingredient's and this delivers. I like that there’s also lots of pictures of what it’s supposed to turn out as well. Super recommend!

This is a fantastic book! I'm a self taught cook in the kitchen and consider myself a good cook, but this book has helped me to become even better. It is full of helpful advice and detailed instructions about preparing the most basic of foods that most of us enjoy on a regular basis. It is a must have for new cooks or for those starting out life on their own, which includes cooking all those foods that mom used to. It has simple and easy to understand instructions. It gives definitions of cooking terminology. Great and delicious recipes! The lasagna was amazing! Better than my moms! You won't regret your purchase on this book. It is definitely worth every penny!

I purchased this book for my 17 year old son, as he wanted to learn how to cook more than microwave popcorn and mac & cheese. There are instructions in this book that cover cooking basics and really fit the "How to Boil Water" title. However, the recipes themselves often require multiple sets and can be a bit complex for the "beginner" cook. I will say that my son has enjoyed using this cookbook, even though it takes help from mom to "coordinate" steps and/or a second person to handle one part of the recipe while he does something else to complete the 'next step'. In terms of the actual recipes - we have tried many, many and have yet to be disappointed. This is my son's 'go to', and he really enjoys 5 or 6 recipes that have become staples in our house. This book as been so utilized since Christmas, it's getting a bit ragged (remember the book is being handled by a teenager, not that the book itself has binding issues). I might need to purchase another one this Christmas. So, I think the book is a little more advanced than "How to Boil Water" but if you are willing to put in the effort the results are well worth it.

Let's start with a disclaimer: I've never cooked and it's always been intimidating to me. However, I'm 24 now, and I decided to buy a beginner's cookbook. Well, I bought this cookbook 2 weeks ago and I have already mastered five delicious recipes: pasta, green beans, soup, fried eggs, and brownies. I served them to friends, to rave reviews! The best thing about this cookbook (besides the pictures) is how the recipe will include even the smallest, most seemingly obvious details (instead of saying "cheese," it will say "use a handful of freshly grated Parmesean and grate it with a box grater"). I never knew how much better pasta tastes with fresh herbs and freshly grated cheese, but now I do! My only complaint about this cookbook is that it's VERY meat-heavy, so if you are a vegetarian like me, you can only use about half of the recipes (sigh). Otherwise, a life-changing gift for yourself or someone else.

I bought this for an ex-boyfriend after he called me once to ask how to make blue box mac and cheese. I read the book before gifting it to him and loved it so much I bought a copy for myself. The first time he cooked I supervised but otherwise, he did everything himself and plated up a dish that was totally Instagram-worthy. The mustard chicken is my go-to date night chicken dish, and the crispy garlic broccoli is a regular at my house. I use this as a reference if I'm unsure of a cooking method, temperature, or whatnot. The book gives you a few basic recipes in every category - from dips to dinners you could easily serve to your mother on a Sunday. A great book for beginners and experienced cooks alike.

You don't know how little you know about cooking until you are on your own and in college. I did not know how to boil water and as it turns out, I also do not know how to properly crack and egg. Or at least I didn't. This book more than prepared me for college so I could cook for myself and prevent myself from having to eat ramen noodles my entire college life which would have been boring and not very nutritional. The pictures, instructions, and recipes are very great and I found the meals delicious. I highly recommend this book for new cooks or people who have never cooked before.

It's a pretty good book for starters. I like how simply put the instructions are. I also like the tips and vegetable section. The colors are bright, the book lies (mostly) flat, and the pictures it does have are nice. However, there are not enough pictures, especially considering that this book is for beginners and you have no idea what the dish is supposed to look like. As you can see, there's plenty of room to put pictures in. It'll also be nice if some pictures showed techniques or illustrated how to do some steps. I'm an avid cook and can follow a recipe well without much fuss, but this book was for someone who doesn't cook and does not follow instructions well so I didn't find it helpful enough. If I'd been able to check the glossary, or skim through the actual book, I wouldn't have bought it in the first place so I'm including some pictures for others to see.

I bought this for my boyfriend because as much of a good cook that I am, I am so tired of cooking. I tried to teach him but I learned that I have no patience for that. This book really grinds down to the basics and teaches you everything from how to properly store your groceries to risotto! It has all the patience I lack. It is the perfect resource for anyone learning to cook/moving out for the first time.

This was a gift for a family member who needs to learn how to cook. I read through it before giving it over to make sure it's appropriate for her skill level (what skill is that?). It has super basic introductions and really explains the basic techniques - it's an awesome book for someone who just plain doesn't know how to cook eggs. Well done.

Good for beginning cooks and a good review for seasoned epicureans.

Bought as a gag gift for Christmas for someone who can't cook and it's actually a super informative, well laid out cookbook. Starts at square one and goes over everything you could possibly need to know to get started in the kitchen.

So far I've made quite a few of the recipes out of this book and I've loved them. They are easy, use simple ingredients and have great tips. Perfect for anyone trying to teach themselves how to cook from the very beginning.