This is modified from another thread. The reason why I put it here is that this book has some great stuff in it on how to do things I normally buy, but can't here in China, or for things I don;t know the name of, it has pics, etc.
Cooking, a commonsense guide. (no author, but murdoch press)
It has the meat cuts, plus how to make everything from scratch. A guide for the compleat idiot, but when doing things like making basics such as flaky pastry, marmalades, pickled onions etc or pasta or gnocchi or stocks and such, which I never had to do back in Oz, I need an idiot's guide. Plus it pictures the herbs, vegies, etc so I can ask the wife, wassis in Chinese, and try to get it, for example brown onions or "american" or "French" beans (they call them american beans here, french in Oz, dunno why). All the tools and implements, too, like a bread knife. It;s been a big help. The paper is also food-resistance and wipeable as long as not too wet or oily, and spiral bound so it stays open flat.
I use the net for other things such as I am going to be making sausages soon, which I haven;t done before either. MMM real sausages. And I am going to try to replicate my mum's world famous profiteroles. O(K, not world famous, but better than anywhere else I have tried)
Anyway, it's a big help. Mum sent it when I started complaining about the lack of basics.