I just ordered this book for my son. Hasn't arrived yet. The reviews were mostly very good with the odd dissenting vote. I'll post about it when it comes this week.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Healthy College Cookbook

I know this is going to sound bizarre, but I highly recommend shopping at a used bookstore online and buying the "Alice's Restaurant Cookbook." It came out in 1969 and was old by the time I got a hold of it in 1978, but it taught me how to cook, and is really fun. Alice Brock really did have a restaurant and really was/is a good cook. The cookbook is packed with great informtion on HOW to cook--using spices, cuts of meat, sauces, how to improvise, how to jazz up convenience foods. It's very relaxed and a fun read. But it was written by an old hippie, so if the idea of that makes you cringe you might not like it. There's nothing "hippie" about the cookbook really, (other than one small entry on head snacks, which was silly even then), but to me it was very inspiring, its relaxed style gave me enough confidence to strike out on my own in the kitchen. But I'm a huge Arlo Guthrie fan to this day. Also, it's a thin volume, so not overwhelming. I think that's one of its strongest suits. I still turn to Alice for spaghetti sauce, latkes, vegetables, salads, desserts and many other sauces. Lots of meat stuff too, but I don't do much meat. Cool cartoon illustrations, along with photos. The photos might seem dated, but they are quaintly "antique" at this point, lol!

But if your son doesn't like slightly whimsical stuff, then this is probably a "What the ????" kind of thing.

My daughter loves her campbell soup cookbook as a beginner cookbook. It has pictures and she has highly recommended that I consider giving it as graduation gifts. It has only a few ingredients and nothing real unusual for a beginning cook. It does not teach you how to boil water, simmer, etc.

I also saw one at Wal-Mart that had great pictures and detailed instructions. I would also check out used book stores, good wills, etc. as I found a lot of them there. It will certainly depend on how much your son will cook and how much he has cooked in the past.

The healthy cookbook sounds great. I looked up the reviews. I think I will show it to my daughter. She will be starting her doctoral program this fall so will have at least three more years of full time school. Thanks for the suggestions. Deanna

I've made sure all my kids have The James Beard Cookbook. It's old, but everything in it is T&T, classic cooking. It's a great foundation for a novice cook. It covers all the basics and is user friendly. After using it for a while, he will be able to handle just about any other cooking.

Jim

Here is a link that might be useful: The James Beard Cookbook

I taught myself to cook from 'The Campus Survival Cookbook', now out of print, available used (but tattered), and I'm sure there are newer editions of the same idea out there.

It helped me set up my first kitchen from equipment to pantry, and had a month's worth of inexpensive and reasonably easy menus so I could get a handle on how to organize myself. I liked that it was aimed at college students. The general cooking books like JOC or the Beard stuff I consider essentials for after college and when I got up a little on the learning curve.

From the linked page:

"This book aims to teach campus dwellers how to fend for themselves for the first time away from the home hearth--and it does a great job. Taking the learning cook from the very basics--hardboiled eggs--to more complicated recipes, it presents one month of meals that are cheap, easy and quick to prepare, nutritionally balanced, and tasty. Some vegetarian meals are included. Every student should go to college with this book, particularly if their previous kitchen experience was limited to reheating frozen burritoes. Not for the gourmand, it will help keep pizza runs and the "freshman 15" to a minimum."

Here is a link that might be useful: The Campus Survival Cookbook

I suddenly realized I got my first copy of The James Beard Cookbook when I was a junior in college. How appropriate that I am recommending it in this thread!

Jim

I made my own note book of recipes and "how tos" for my kids when they got their own college apartments.
They must have had a cook book too....but I don't remember buying one for them.
Linda C

Our daughter's first cookbook was Better Homes and Gardens-- it comes with how-to's, photos and essential measurements etc. I think I picked it up at Target or Walmart.

As a twenty-something, I was a bit of a foodie and read cookbooks and Gourmet magazine like novels. As an 18 year old I was desperate not to starve or embarrass myself if I had to feed someone else, too. I could make cookies like a star! My son asked me to teach him to cook a few things but I suspect Little Caesar's "Hot and Ready" pizzas will make up the bulk of his diet.

The book I chose looked like it might be a youthful guide to feeding oneself. We'll see! It will be the beginning of a library of cookbooks, perhaps.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll go to the book store and look at some of them. It's hard to buy on-line because I can't see the inside of them.
Teri

I did as Linda did. I made a cookbook for my daughter when she went off to University. Actually I bought her a student "survival" cookbook too but she never used it.

She used the recipes I put together for her because it was food she was familiar with and loved. Stirfrys, pasta sauces, quick breakfasts, fajitas, meatloaf, instructions on how to roast a chicken, steam or boil veggies etc. The trick was to make sure I gave her recipes that were, fast, healthy, cheap and foods she liked.

Chase - that is exactly what I started doing for my daughter (actually last week!). She does not have any interest in cooking. I decided to make a cookbook of the foods that she does like, with very DETAILED recipes (where to put the oven rack, where medium heat is on the dial, etc.). She still have 2 years until she's off to college, but I figured she'll have to start at home soon in order to WANT to cook for herself when she's on her own.

Maybe this is too late, and maybe too cheesy, but... I like the first two Rachel Ray books for college kids. In the FIRST TWO 30-minute meal books, she simply explains very basic techniques and the recipes, while easy and full of shortcuts, are a step up from the Campbell's cooking I began on. Also, her fame makes the books a little more likely to get used, I think.

And The Joy of Cooking is always great for really teaching someone how to cook. My sister, who has been historically terrified of even browning hamburger meat, has begun using it regularly and loves it.

~Amanda

Amanda, Ashley and Amanda both like Rachel Ray, I even got one of those cookbooks for Ashley. Not that she'll use it for a long time, she's living at home and commuting to college, so I still do the cooking. (grin)

I know Amanda has one of those "5 ingredient" cookbooks and she really likes it. It's not Rachel Ray, I think it might be Taste of Home.

Annie

I'm a strong advocate of starting young people out with a "real" cookbook, something like Joy of Cooking, BH&G, James Beard or possibly Rachel Ray (I'm not familiar with her books, but I think they are about "real" cooking, not just shortcut stuff). These kinds of books will get a young person off on the right foot. Young people can cope with plenty of the regular recipes and it's the right time for learning. Remember, young people have more energy and ambition than we seniors. They will tackle harder tasks than we do if they are motivated. Also,they pack more activities into a day than we do (Annie excepted, but she's not really a senior yet).

Jim, posting from his recliner.

I have the aforementioned cookbook. It's pretty basic in technique. There are some recipes that a 5 year old could make. Some recipes have more sophisticated ingredients but instructions are very, very simple. Each recipe has nutritional info next to it. They are mostly low calorie. Lots of recipes with veggies. Lots of vegetarian recipes, too. It also contains boxes with tips and wisdom here and there.

I showed it to my 16 year old daughter. She liked it. I think it's a good addition to a beginner's cookbook library. I agree with including a "real" cookbook with more advanced information for when time permits and interest grows. This one isn't really educational like "Joy of Cooking" or Julia's "Way to Cook" or the other volumes mentioned above. It's quick and easy healthful cooking with most recipes made to feed 2-4 people. Perfect for one plus a roommate or one person with leftovers for lunch.

Remembering my stupid ( just kidding) 20 year old son in his first apartment with his much stupider room mates. They cooked like "can of soup, pour over meat, put in oven until brown, throw away the pan"....where my son was a little more into "sprinkle chicken with tarragon and oil and grill until not bleeding".
I remember once he went back to school with some dried herbs in baggies from my garden. One of his room mates went ballistic, off the wall....thought he was dealing dope! LOL!
Linda C

Matthew has a copy of my cookbook and has passed it on to many of his friends. I've given him a few other cookbooks too. One of his favourites is a Jamie Oliver cookbook. Cook with Jamie. I bought that one for him last Christmas.

Ann

As the mother of six kids who each went to college armed with a good cookbook or two and a few good cooking tools, I suggest you save your money! I swear my kids didn't open their cookbooks until after they graduated. But they called home frequently to ask me how to make this or that favorite dish. Most college kids are too busy and too social to shop and really cook. Remember?

Go with the notecard/notebook suggestions, keep your telephone nearby (they always call at suppertime, just when you're preparing your own dinner) and wait it out. Like Ann t's kids, some of my kids' friends are now making some of our old family favorites. Some of my kids are now excellent cooks who consult cookbooks, love to read them (like I do); a couple kids still don't have any interest in cooking, just making what is required to sustain themselves. They still love to come home to my cooking, though!

Sherry

I have actually eaten in Alices Restaurant in Mass early in the 70s.I feel very very old now.
I don't plan on my DD every cooking until she gets her own place- she will eat in the DH again this year as a junior. I learned much from the joy of cooking and recommend it highly. I have begun assembling a notebook of our family favorite recipes for both of my children.

My daughter is off to college Sept. 1st. She will be a sophomore. She asked me to put together our family recipes in an expandable recipe folder for her. She is a very good cook for her age. (better then I was at her age!) She loves to cook at college but she also made friends with a guy who works at the students' favorite Asian restaurant! Smart cookie that girl. lol NancyLouise

I would recommend giving him Ann T's cook book. You can even have it in PDF format on CD so that he can print single recipes as needed. You can also give him the Moe's Diner Cookbook, which is downloadable free from this link.

As for books, I vote for Joy of Cooking, which is encyclopedic, or The Frugal Gourmet, which is easy and gives very good results.

Lars