How to Cook Everything

If there's one cookbook you should buy it's "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman.  Or maybe two books- "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian", also by Mark Bittman. 

These two books have over 4,000 total recipes, hundreds of illustrations, demos, and techniques. And there's literally a recipe for every imaginable culinary category out there. If you're not much of a cook- all you need to do is get these 2 books and you're all set.

If you're an experienced cook, you basically need to get these 2 books and you're pretty much all set. I know people who have 50 cookbooks for recipes from each state. No need. Mark Bittman's recently updated books have everything you need.