Do you love good food but can't cook it? Are you keen to get going in the kitchen but not sure where to start? New to Cooking is the book for you. Cookery teacher and TV chef Lesley Waters guides you through all the basic principles and skills of cooking, giving you the confidence to take real pleasure in preparing food for yourself, family and friends. It isn't about long hours in the kitchen, complicated recipes and fiddly ingredients --life is too short! Cooking should be simple, liberating and most of all, fun. Lesley starts by providing a list of must-have utensils and essential pantry ingredients. Then she introduces you to basic techniques like boiling, poaching, steam, microwaving, frying, braising, roasting and baking. Once you have mastered these skills, you can move on to recipes for weekday dinners for one, lavish dinners for friends and lots more. Ideas include Tomato Tapenade Salad, Rich Red Bell Pepper and Bean Soup, Mediterranean Fish Stew, Coq au Vin, Mushroom, Leek and Thyme Puff Pies, Hot Whisky Pancakes with Raspberries, and Coconut and Lime Ice Cream.