From the James Beard Award-winning duo behind the Canal House, "the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue of the food world," simple recipes to rely on for the rest of your life (Bon Appetit).
Cook. Cook something. Cook something for yourself. Cook something for others. It will satisfy you more than you know.
Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer are home cooks writing about home cooking for other home cooks. From a lifetime of cooking dinner, every single night, they've edited their cooking experience down to the essentials: 300 simple recipes, the building blocks of all good cooking, that will make you a better cook.
Each chapter of Cook Something is a lesson that teaches you to master a key ingredient or powerful technique, moving from simple (a perfect soft-boiled egg, and how to make it uncommonly delicious) to ambitious (a towering chocolate souffle). Recipes for salad dressings, sauces, braises, roasts, meatballs, vegetables, and even perfect snacks and sweets help novice and experienced cooks alike reach for the perfect dish for any occasion. Inside, you'll find:

• Poached salmon with lemon-butter sauce
• Fettucine with ragu bolognese
• Oven-braised chicken with gnocchi
• French onion soup
• Canal House's classic vinaigrette
• Classic Italian meatballs
• Caramelized apple galette
• And so much more.

Filled with step-by-step photographs and indispensable kitchen wisdom, it is a perfect gift for beginners and an ideal reference for confident cooks.