Delia's How to Cook Book One

Delia's How to Cook Book One is aimed at beginners: people whose staple diet comprises heat-and- serve or take-away meals. Television cook and bestselling author Delia Smith's aim is to equip her readers with the basic techniques of cooking which, after some practice, will help them discover the pleasures of home-made food. With the aid of very detailed instructions that accompany her recipes, readers are taught how to work with the staples: eggs, flour, rice, bread and pasta. But the book goes beyond boiled eggs and baked potatoes. There are recipes and photographs which will inspire: moussaka with roasted aubergines and ricotta, wild mushroom tartlets with poached quails' egg and apricot galettes with amaretto. Many of the recipes have several extra photographs which show the dish at various stages of preparation--these are useful if the recipe includes a gravy which needs to be "thickened" or if potatoes need to be cut into "chunks". Healthy options, like fat-free white sauces and chips you don't have to fry, are also included.

View other editions of Delia's How to Cook Book One.
View books by Delia Smith.

Delia really is the best - Rated
I already had several of Delia's books, and I didn't really think I needed another. I received this book as a gift at christmas, and like many of the other reviewers have already said, it really is fantastic.
Her recipes are as always easy and simple to follow, written in such a way that inspires, even the most novice of cooks.

Sod Nigella! - Rated
This book is fantastic- does exactly what it says on the tin and more. Delia does more than teaches you how to cook- she understands WHY you can't cook, and steers you away from a pitfall before you walk into it. We've all tried to follow a recipe and it's screwed up, but delia explains the techniques properly to begin with. I've never made one thing out of this book that has gone wrong.

The difference between this and all the other cookery books i've read is that Delia doesn't say "beat the egg whites"- she tells you HOW to beat the egg whites correctly and warns you against scenarios where you make a mess of it, so that you can continue with the recipe. I couldn't cook anything before I read this book, and i couldn't understand why, but delia's simple hints made me realise potentially disasterous things i was doing wrong, that were resulting in my cooking being dodgy at best!

Her recipes are simple and down to earth and with as much scope for making a quick snack as for making a 3 course meal. Her ingredients are not obscure, and unlike Nigella, does not expect you to have a huge american fridge with an ice crusher to hand, letalone a walk in larder full of delicacies you discovered on your year out in italy whilst at Oxford. Delia'd recipes are for real people and focus on mastering basic ingredients like eggs, flour and potatoes, and the recipes are made with things youre likely to have knocking about the house.

Incidentally, I just made her 3 cheese souffle omlette- it i did it at midnight and it took me 10 mins at the most- that's how convenient a lot of her recipes are. Like others, i credit delia with teaching me how to cook. This book is wicked- buy it! that's all!

From Start To Finish - Rated
I read this book along with the two other parts and although I already know how to cook this book taught me some things that I didn't previously know. It doesn't just cover recipes, but it goes into detail about different types of ingredients and freshnesses and when to use certain ingredients. One of my favourite parts is how to check the freshness of an egg in water and what they are best used for at each stage.

Where wouold we be without Delia? - Rated
A truly rare thing, a chef who is not too arrogant to write a cookbook which actually explains in the simplest terms how to cook every ingridient, assuming you have no knowledge at all. I always found with other cookbooks that they just threw a bunch of long words at you and some complex ingridient lists and told you to get on with it. What if you dont know what sautéed means? not only does Delia exlain every step in great detaill, but also, like all good chefs, her passion for the food comes oozing through the narrative, and there a sections dedicated to the reasons WHY things like durum wheat pasta, proper bread, and organic chicken matter and taste so much better, while being a lot better for you. Also there is an awesome photo of her cat inside. This book got me so into cooking that it is now a passion that I have and enjoy every day.

Teaches you How to Cook - Rated
This book is fantastic. It explains everything clearly in minute detail. Was able to make the leek and goats cheese tart that looked exactly like the picture and tasted wonderful. My mother ate some and gave me the highest praise. I love Delia, because her recipes are foolproof, clear and relaible and are guaranteed to give you yummy results.