Classic Home Cooking picks up where Betty Crocker left off years ago. This cookbook includes more than 1,000 recipes illustrated in full-color with easy-to-follow directions and tips for beginner cooks. Each chapter starts with a color-coded index showing a photograph and description of each recipe, and divides recipes into categories according to the preparation and cooking time of each dish. Serving numbers, calorie counts, and recipe page numbers are also included. Chapters include: Hot & Chilled Soups; First Courses; Eggs & Cheese; Fish & Shellfish; Poultry and Game; Meat Dishes; Vegetarian Dishes; Pasta & Rice; Vegetables & Salads; Yeast Baking; Pies, Tarts, & Hot Desserts; Chilled Desserts; and Cakes & Quick Breads. For each recipe, there are helpful side bars on technique and boxes of "Cook's know-how." Generally, the dishes featured are modern updates of classic dishes from around the world. For example, a recipe for Bouillabaisse in the soups chapter explains the dish as the classic fish stew from Provence. The side bar illustrates how to make rouille (smashing garlic, whisking olive oil into mayonnaise, and seasoning with chili, lemon juice, and salt and pepper), a classic garlicky, chili-mayonnaise sauce served on the croutons that accompany the soup; the "Cook's know-how" feature details the types of fish included in the soup. From Thai Chicken Satays to All-American Strawberry Shortcake, Classic Home Cooking is an indispensable basic cookbook. The majority of the 1,000 recipes are neither new nor wildly original, but there are many cooks looking for such favorites as caponata, huevos rancheros, Christmas roast goose, toad in the hole, paella, pommes Anna, challah, and key lime pie. Turn here, too, for an excellent grasp of cookery organization. The know-how section spotlights certain techniques and provides general instructions for microwaving, freezing, and storage. Streamlining dishes for time and convenience is also discussed. Barbara Jacobs Over 1,000 recipes are packed into an easily-referenced cookbook which includes the basics along with traditional dishes from around the world, adjusted for the novice. Plenty of step-by-step color photos throughout assure that novices receive plenty of clear details on procedures. -- Midwest Book Review Dorling Kindersley