my cooking bible. and that's saying a lot; i'd been using my mom's better homes and gardens book since i was a kid, and this book actually usurped even ITS authority.

I am not a very good cook, but I do know how to read. If you also know how to read, get this book.

It covers all the basics like roasts and cookies, and it also has some fantastic, simple recipes that will knock the socks off the folks at your table. I personally recommend the artichoke dip, my speciality. I refuse to tell anyone where I got the recipe - but I just told you, didn't I?

I really could not live without this. My family would starve.

This book is my go to book when I am cooking and come across terms I don't know. My baking improved considerably when I realized that there were actually different ways to mix stuff and that it mattered.

I bought this for my dad, who is a fantastic cook, hoping he would find some value in it. He actually refers to it all of the time because it is the one book that covers everything.

A must have.

I learned to cook after my husband recommend this book.

The absolute BIBLE!! What would I ever do without this book??

A classic. I can't remember the last time I actually used a recipe for anything, but when you can't remember exactly how much baking soda goes into two cups of flower or why fresh pumpkin doesn't taste like squash, this is the source. What your mother told you and you forgot. It's all there.

The best basic book in the world of cooking. There are so many ideas in every version. The old ones are really fun too.