I have the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and the Betty Crocker cookbook.
Betty Crocker was good as I was learning how to cook, and it's nice because it's a binder so I can take specific recipes out without bringing the whole book into the kitchen. I can also print recipes from the internet (allrecipes, cooks.com, and Mr Food are among my favorites).
BH&G is fantastic - I bought it because it has the stuffing recipe that my mom used for years and years for Thanksgiving, and I was missing mom one year so I bought it so I could bring it home. Since then, I've put about seventy five little tabbies in to mark recipes I want to try. I've tried about half of them, and most of that half have been absolutely fantastic. Today I made potato soup out of that cookbook (actually, cream of potato) and I will definitely be taking that with me to the office this week for our potluck.
I do have two recommendations with cookbooks that I think anyone who uses them must do: First, keep a pen (ballpoint, so it doesn't smudge or run when it gets wet) in the kitchen and don't be afraid to write in the margins. Keep the cookbook out while you're eating and clean it up after you're done. Write in the margins what you'd change, what conversions were (for example, you get 12 oz of tomato juice in a can, but you need three cups - that's two cans - do the conversion before you shop because it's a lot easier that way), and whether or not you liked it.
Second, get post-its or tabbys (I use post-it
durable index tabs) and mark any recipe that you're thinking about making, have made and liked, will need for special occasions (like Thanksgiving), or will use often (like mashed potatoes or something).
I've tried so many new recipes this year - it's been very successful and both of us are happy with the amount of leftovers we have AND the new and exciting things we've tried!
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