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. It isn't about long hours in the kitchen, complicated recipes and fiddly ingredients - cooking should be simple and fun. Lesley starts by providing a list of must-have utensils and essential ingredients. Then she explains basic techniques like boiling, poaching, steaming, microwaving, frying, braising, roasting and baking. Once you have mastered these skills, you can move on to recipes for suppers for one, lavish dinners for friends and lots more. Ideas include Tomato Tapenade Salad, Rich Red Pepper and Bean Soup, Mediterranean Fish Stew, Mushroom, Leek and Thyme Puff Pies and Coconut and Lime Ice Cream.