Food Network's batch of cookbooks

Tyler's Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Anytime

By Tyler Florence

How to Boil Water: Life Beyond Takeout

Meredith Books / 2006 / $24.95

Of the three, this book is the most fun and, if you don't know how to make a pot roast or a cheese risotto, has the most to offer. For my girlfriend, who had never used a cheese grater before we started dating, the book got her enjoying her time in the kitchen.

Instructions, such as "smash, peel and mince the garlic," refer back to a "know-how" section that, in this case, deals with how to smash, peel and mince garlic. The book carries a nice mix of basic but not embarrassingly basic recipes for chicken curry, sesame tofu stir-fry and a quick marinara sauce, for example.

It is easy to read, well-illustrated and - though it carries the Food Network logo - is remarkably celebrity-free.

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