1.   Although making a good crust is not difficult, it scares away some, especially novice cooks.

2.   And few of the recipes are for a novice cook.

3.   Aptly subtitled Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart, this is the right gift for novice cooks and busy homemakers looking for a lift.

4.   At worst, the insecurity, the anxiety, the downright panic that can ensue can shred the confidence of any novice cook facing their first turkey.

5.   All recipes in the book are precise enough to reassure a novice cook, yet they are often open-ended to allow room for improvisation.

6.   Cunningham manages to get inside the head of the novice cook, understanding befuddlement at something as seemingly simple as dredging meat in flour.

7.   Either one is easy to whip up, even for novice cooks -- and bound to impress.

8.   Even a novice cook can handle the following menu without getting stressed.

9.   If the recipes seem particularly long, keep in mind that novice cooks require more detailed instructions than experienced ones.

10.   Novice cooks, especially, would benefit from pictures showing the lesser-known greens and how to present the finished salads.