Chef Linda Wadensten's book, Hooffinfeathers - Easy Fool Proof Cooking, is an excellent tool for beginners as well as a great reference for more-skilled cooks. It's filled with the eight basic cooking techniques (grilling, braising, frying, sautéing, roasting, baking, boiling, and cold cookery), along with tips, recipes, variations, helpful charts, information on entertaining, microbrews, wines, and basic kitchen needs. Order Linda's book online, or ask to purchase a signed copy next time you are in the restaurant! Received an average 5 out of 5 stars review by customers of amazon.com. Here is what one customer had to say: "Hooffinfeathers is an excellent cookbook for beginners. It lends cautioning tips so that you don't always have to learn from your mistakes. For the more experienced chef, Hooffinfeathers is an excellent resource. It combines basic recipes with with a number of variations inspiring creativity, and, allowing the novelty to return to old favorites." L. O'Brien from Portland, Oregon		Techniques that teach you how to cook- not just follow a recipe. Chef-quality cooking made easy; user-friendly recipes with recognizable, easy to find ingredients. Variations to transform basic recipes. Helpful tips and charts to make it all make sense. Easy fix-its to correct the "Oops" that may occur. Hints and useful information on wines, microbrews, and entertaining.