Book excerpt: The essential and much-loved student cookbook, now in a new edition, From Pasta to Pancakes is filled with easy recipes for the budget-conscious student cook and aimed squarely at those who have never cooked before. With step-by-step photography illustrating every recipe, it covers key basic skills such as how to cook pasta, pizza, pancakes, couscous, rice or bake a jacket potato, each with many variations. With over 90 recipes ranging from Minestrone Soup to perfect Roast Chicken, Spanish Omelette to Thai Green Curry, and from Chocolate Brownies to Vodka Watermelon, this book makes student cooking fun, fast, and affordable.