Reddit reviews Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking (2 Volume Set)

this two volume set of cookbooks is really the only two cookbooks you need until you get super-advanced. They cover everything from beginner to advanced, everything from cuts of meat to pie crust and fancy deserts. Not all these books look alike - there were several printings in the 50's. My Mom owns the set that has a green cover... they are falling apart now but are worth being rebound. They are what I learned out of. They teach the types of things you're looking for in bullet (1).



Equipment: borrow it from friends & family until you've used it five times, then buy it. (it can get expensive, and if you're not careful you'll end up with a bunch of stuff you've only used 3 times and stored 20 years.)


Start with a good knife, a two quart sauce pan, a tall/big soup pan, a frying pan, and a cutting board, a cookie sheet, a casserole dish. Those are things you'll use forever. Surprisingly, you don't always have to go top-line. I'm still using a set of aluminum sauce pans my Gran was using... um...85 years ago. Metal lasts. In fact, while you're learning, it's probably better not to use super-expensive pots... I've burned a few, especially when I first started doing a lot of cooking. ;) Check out Goodwill. They'll have most of this stuff.






I don't have much experience with spice growing. Just starting myself.




You were asking what to stock your kitchen with? Flour, sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, yeast. Basic spice set. Rice. Pasta. Then try to do everything else as fresh as you can... for me it works best to buy 1 or 2 days of groceries at most... that way I cook what I have, avoid spoilage, and am buying what i'm in the mood to cook (not having to cook what i was in the mood for last week).




Hope you have fun!