Title:	The Essential Cookbook for Men: 85 Healthy Recipes to Get Started in the Kitchen
	Author:	Manuel Villacorta MS, RDN,
	Published:	December 27, 2019, Rockridge Press
	No. of Pages:	148
	Cover Price:	$14.99 Paperback, $6.99 Kindle

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Manuel Villacorta is really taking a chance, naming his excellent cookbook The Essential Cookbook for Men: 85 Healthy Recipes to Get Started in the Kitchen, in that it is actually a cookbook for beginners and those who are unfamiliar with all things cooking and kitchens. And there are plenty of women who fit into that category.

In the beginning, Villacorta introduces the elements of kitchens along with equipment and gadgets that are essential for preparing meals, including a good primer on caring for knives and information on ingredients, how to shop for them, and making a grocery list. He even covers the basics of measuring and reading a recipe.

After the basics, (good for men, but also good for every new cook whether male or female), Villacorta presents mouthwatering recipes that are both easy and healthy. Villacorta is an award-winning dietitian-nutritionist and has authored several cookbooks on health and wellness. Although it is sometimes boring to eat strictly healthy, Villacorta has included recipes that are not only healthy, but are very appealing, even to those of us who are skeptical; these recipes are for dishes that real people actually want to eat. Favorites include Latinx-Style Fried Eggs, Sheet Pan Lemon Salmon with Zucchini (very simple – very delicious), Avocado Mango Salad, Sirloin Steak Mushroom Soup (minimal ingredients – maximum flavor), and a Pineapple Roasted Pork Sandwich. There are also delicious desserts, and a sandwich pictured on the cover that is awesome. The only thing this cookbook is missing is photographs. There are a few excellent ones, but only a few, and readers are left to their imagination as to what the dishes are supposed to look like.

All told, however, this is an excellent cookbook and will be used by everyone, even those who are experienced cooks. Easy recipes appeal to everyone, and even these recipes are supposedly geared to men, those of us who aren’t men appreciate the simplicity of preparation and healthful dishes.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.