Reddit mentions of The New York Times Cook Book

For learning methods and the science behind cooking I would say The Food Lab by J Kenji Lopez-Alt. It is a textbook of cooking methods, analysis, and expliantion of the science of how cooking works and how to get the best (or just different) results from recipes. It also contains a ton of excellent recipes.

For just recipes, I would say The New York Times Cookbook by Craig Claiborne. It has hundreds of incredible recipes from a variety of cultures. Some of them are quite complex, but most are very approachable for cooks of all levels. It is not an advanced cookbook for the most part, but has a lot of solid classic recipes. One does need a basic grasp of cooking terms and techniques to get the best out of it.

• Go to a park. Talk about people behind their backs. Stage fights. Enjoy the weather.
  
  
• Go hiking. Even if it's just on a baby trail. Spending time with each other in nature is one of the coolest things you can do.
  
  
• Visit museums. Even ones you would never go to for fun. Mutual disgust is almost as much fun as mutual joy.
  
  
• Cook together. Buy a recipe book (I'm fond of [this one](http://www.amazon.com/French-Cooking-Ten-Minutes-Adapting/dp/086547480X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240422047&sr=8-1 "for the truly light-hearted"), [this one](http://www.amazon.com/York-Times-Cookbook-Craig-Claiborne/dp/0060160101/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240422076&sr=1-2 "for those with 6 hours to dedicate to lobster butter") and [this one](http://www.epicurious.com/ "for the truly cheep")) and try new things.
  
  
• go to art walks. First Thursday in some places, first tuesday in others. You'll find them.
  
  
• go to farmer's markets. Try new food. Sample everything. Come home with a vegetable you've never seen before and try to figure out how to eat it.
  
  
• read to each other. Find a good book, hang out on the couch, and take turns reading chapters. The other person can knit, chop vegetables, whatever. SURFING THE INTERNET IS NOT ALLOWED.
  
  
• plant a garden. Tend it together. Eat what you make.
  
  
• crosswords. No shit. You learn a lot, you get to be collaborative, and it makes you smarter. Just avoid that douche Frank Longo.
  
  That'll get you started. You'll figure out pretty quickly what's a fun way to spend time together and what isn't. I recommend active entertainment - something that requires you to participate (rather than watching a movie or something passive like that). Focus on mutual experience, where the experience is built by you, rather than inhabited by you. You'll do fine.
  
  
• then have sex. I mean, the dude went on a fucking art walk with you. He went to a goddamn museum. He let you read something ghastly like Jane Austen to him. Throw him a bone. He'll be a lot more open to cuddly shit like this if he knows he's got a blowjob coming.

this has always been one of my faves:

http://www.amazon.com/York-Times-Cookbook-Craig-Claiborne/dp/0060160101

The New York Times Cook Book

It has the basics for just about everything, great reference for cooking meat, making sauces, and any other food staples. I take it and adjust to my liking and we're gold!