Delia"s How to Cook Book One is aimed at beginners: people whose staple diet comprises heat-and- serve or take-away meals. Television cook and bestselling author Delia Smith"s aim is to equip her readers with the basic techniques of cooking which, after some practice, will help them discover the pleasures of home-made food. With the aid of very detailed instructions that accompany her recipes, readers are taught how to work with the staples: eggs, flour, rice, bread and pasta. But the book goes beyond boiled eggs and baked potatoes. There are recipes and photographs which will inspire: moussaka with roasted aubergines and ricotta, wild mushroom tartlets with poached quails" egg and apricot galettes with amaretto. Many of the recipes have several extra photographs which show the dish at various stages of preparation--these are useful if the recipe includes a gravy which needs to be "thickened" or if potatoes need to be cut into "chunks". Healthy options, like fat-free white sauces and chips you don"t have to fry, are also included.