What every beginner should know, simple recipes and ingredients, so be sure to have it in adult sections. There are many grown-ups now taking over the kitchens for the first time and this will save the expense of cooking courses. Section one is bursting with tips such as how much to buy for instance, ""one pound of string beans will serve four people""; a good list of staples; substitutes and equivalents, such as ""for one cup of pastry use 7/8 cup of all-purpose""; care of the kitchen; safety; sketches of thirty-six most useful utensils; a chapter called ""how to...."" which includes hints on peeling and preparing. Section two is devoted to cold foods to be used for summer or before you dare use the stove. Section three contains recipes for hot dishes. Section four lists menus at the end of each of which it gives the order of preparation. All through the recipes the ingredients mentioned are italicized. The index seems excellent.