The Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook: Full Color and Everything You Need To Bring Your Cooking to the Next Level!

For years, my husband and I have had a really old set of cookbooks that had great how-to instructions and photos that we have loved and relied on, but that all changed with the Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook, which has beautiful step-by-step instructions (most of which have full color photographs) and scrumptious recipes just begging to be mastered and shared.

Did I mention the full-color photographs? And how many there are?  That is what sets this book above a lot of others.  With the exception of the index, I do believe that every single page (there are 320) has at least one full-color photo.  I'm fairly picky with my cookbooks now, and I really do value those that take the time and resources to include what a dish is supposed to look like.  Sure, my version of the dish very rarely looks as nice, but a picture can help us know what things are supposed to look like when they are done, and they can occasionally help us figure out something that is stumping us.

Speaking of stumping, I don't think you can be stumped with this Cooking School Cookbook, because there are such great instructions for how to do things (which include pictures as well) step-by-step.  This includes some basics in the introduction, like how to measure different ingredients the correct way (shown below), and How-To's, Tips and Information shared throughout the book in the outer margins.

In addition to great instructions with full-color pictures, the book has a great variety of recipes that cover simple to extravagant in each main area: Appetizers, Drinks, Better Than Takeout, Soups, Beef & Pork, Poultry, Seafood, Vegetarian, Side Dishes, Breakfast, Baking, and Deserts.

Here is one recipe I can't wait to try out at one of our upcoming Football Sunday Family Get-Togethers:

This cookbook would be a great gift, or a great addition to anyone's kitchen.  (Shhh - I'm actually thinking about replacing that old set we've been using for years).

Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook  
by Catherine Cassidy and Taste of Home  
Readers Digest; Original edition (March 15, 2012) ~ 320 pages
Non-Fiction / Cooking

Edition Reviewed:Paperback - Review copy received courtesy of the FSB Associates, many thanks to both the author and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

About the Book:

Learn to cook with confidence with The Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook based on the popular Taste of Home Cooking Schools attended by millions.

The Taste of Home Cooking School Cookbook, "is just like having a Cooking School instructor in your very own kitchen," says Catherine Cassidy, Editor in Chief, Taste of Home. "This essential cookbook captures the highlights of our cooking school lessons and presents them in a way that allows people of all skill levels in the kitchen, to create memorable holiday meal moments in their own homes with family, friends and neighbors."

Learn fresh techniques, tips, secrets and entertaining ideas straight from the Taste of Home Cooking School team. Each chapter builds from simple, beloved classics to spectacular dishes handed down by families from generation to generation that are sure to impress family and friends. Better yet, all of these recipes can be created with affordable ingredients available at your local grocery store. As you move from one recipe to the next, you will enhance your cooking skills and discover new favorites.

Highlights Include:

- Low-effort "Cheat It" recipes with big rewards like the refreshing Lemonade Icebox Pie, the     10-minute Zesty Salsa and Chocolate Cooking Cupcakes
- More than 400 simple to spectacular recipes including mouthwatering Gnocchi in Sage Butter, snappy Sweet & Tangy Wings, and Fresh Cherry Pie
- 140 how-to's, secrets and tips shared by Taste of Home Cooking School experts from how to shape drop cookies to the best techniques for shredding meat for sandwiches and grilling salmon fillets
- Exciting twists on all-time favorites like burgers, pizza, Chinese takeout and more

About the Author: (from Amazon)

Catherine Cassidy, Taste of Home Editor-in-Chief.
Catherine M. Cassidy is Editor-in-Chief of Taste of Home, overseeing the development of four national cooking magazines, the entire book program, and more than three-dozen newsstand specials, "bookazines," and wall calendars.
She has toured the country doing events and national and local TV, radio, and newspaper interviews in support of the best-selling Taste of Home Cookbook, Taste of Home Baking Book, and Taste of Home magazine.
Most recently she has been named One of America's 50 Most Powerful People in Food, for the second year in a row, according to The Daily Meal.
Taste of Home’s unique staff of field editors is made up of more than 1,000 experienced home cooks located in each state and Canadian province, who regularly share recipes, well-liked menus and kitchen tips. Taste of Home is published six times a year and has five sister magazines, Simple & Delicious, Slow Cooker, Appetizers, Cooking for 2, and Healthy Cooking.

 *Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate. I get a very small amount for any purchases made when you click through a link from Wendi's Book Corner, which I then save up to buy more books. :)