BOOKS WE LOVE : Handicapping the Basics : COOKING A to Z: The Complete Culinary Reference Tool, <i> By the California Culinary Academy</i> .<i> (The Cole Group: $24.95; 631 pp.</i> )

A recent (1992) and good try at making a dictionary-style reference book double as a basic cookbook. A strict A to Z order for all the necessary kinds of material would be as educational as the phone book; here the authors come up with a modified arrangement that may lead you on some merry chases. Except for a sometimes confusing grouping of subjects, this could be a fine working tool. Focus is on the elements of careful, ambitious, from-scratch cooking, not convenience foods. Wide-ranging ethnic coverage; microwave information; many color photographs (both decorative and instructional). No treatment of nutrition and no nutritional data for recipes.

THE JAMES BEARD COOKBOOK, By James Beard . (Dell: $12.95; 353 pp.) I wish more young cooks were familiar with this modest-sized work first published in 1959 (this is the second revised edition, 1987). Hardly sure-fire box-office for the ‘90s, it still shows an affectionate common sense about food. Emphasis is on old-fashioned American (some European) recipes, not procedures or background. Some service information, but none on microwave, little on food processor. No treatment of nutrition and no nutritional data for recipes. Decorative (and a few informational) line drawings. No longer a good one-and-only choice--too much of current interest is missing, and ideas about reasonable fat content have changed, but someone who already has another basic manual could well study this one for culinary insights.

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS COMPLETE GUIDE TO FOOD AND COOKING, From Better Homes and Gardens Books . (Meredith Corp.: $29.95; 480 pp. )

A handsome dictionary-format volume with a large variety of recipes. Not in the running as a cooking guide on its own, but it surely would complement a not terribly reference-oriented manual (like the current basic cookbook from the same group). It doesn’t claim to be a professional cooking tool or a complete encyclopedia for the academic-minded. Its appeal is to the home cook ready to move a bit beyond just following recipes. Far less comprehensive but more lucidly laid out and better designed than “Cooking A to Z.” Good information on nutrition, microwave cooking and a host of service matters. Lots of clearly printed color photographs (many instructional), a few instructional line drawings. Some reliance on convenience ingredients.

JOY OF COOKING, By Irma Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker . (Macmillan: $21.95; 915 pp.) Though not reworked since 1975, this is still an amazingly timely, comprehensive source of information. Also No. 1 for charm, original viewpoint and sense of engagement with issues beyond the kitchen. But it bulges at the seams with not terribly easy-to-find material. Much crucial culinary background is packed into essay-style discussions in three scattered chapters. Recipes are in an unusual though clear format and cover a sprawling range similar to “Doubleday” (but less up-to-date, somewhat more convenience-food-oriented). No microwave or food-processor information. Recipes have no nutritional data, and the beautifully presented nutritional background information is sometimes obsolete. Good, occasionally hard-to-find service information. Nice instructional line drawings. The index can be frustrating. An earlier (1964) edition is available as a trade paperback.

THE NEW DOUBLEDAY COOKBOOK, By Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna . (Doubleday: $35; 967 pp.) This and “Joy of Cooking” share the palm for exhaustive attention to cooking basics, encyclopedic coverage in countless reference areas and millions of recipes. This is more straightforwardly organized for reference purposes, but still so huge and super-inclusive that finding a small piece of information can become a project. “Doubleday” is a no-nonsense book--more solid than charming--with a wide range of international recipes--from simple to elaborate, light to rich, ethnic to free-spirited. The latest revision (1985) strongly tones down the use of convenience foods. Detailed microwave information. The very limited cross-referencing of recipes will sometimes be a bother. Good service information. No discussion of nutritional issues as such, but recipes have tallies of calories, cholesterol, sodium. Instructional line drawings.

THE NEW SETTLEMENT COOKBOOK, Edited by Charles Pierce . (Simon & Schuster: $25; 814 pp.) A 1991 update of a famous work (the great document of Midwestern Jewish cooking in the early 20th Century) not seriously revised since the 1960s. Despite worthy efforts to preserve some of the cooking “Settlement” offered in its glory days, the new version fails to link old and current material into one coherent book. It has enough up-to-date service information and background instruction for a new cook, but decisions about what to add, delete and update for a 1990s audience don’t add up to anything very purposeful--or related to the silly dust-jacket claim, “The First Classic Collection of American Ethnic Recipes.” Don’t look for much on the present ethnic scene. Skimpy microwave information. Brief mention of a few nutritional issues.

THE FANNIE FARMER COOKBOOK, By Marion Cunningham . (Knopf: $24.95; 874 pp.) More up-to-date than “Joy” or “Doubleday,” more methodical than the latest “Settlement.” An even-handed, gently common-sense approach links a large assemblage of reference material and recipes. A good, simple page design does wonders to make huge amounts of information accessible. Recipes are drawn from a wide regional and ethnic range but don’t attempt as far-flung coverage as “Doubleday.” Background is somewhat more concise and less exhaustive than “Joy” or “Doubleday.” Abundant service information. Good instructional line drawings. Detailed microwave coverage. No nutritional data, but a table on the makeup of foods provides much information. Emphasis is on fresh rather than convenience ingredients. This revision (1990) has a new chapter on vegetarian dishes. A prior edition (1979) is available as a small mass-market paperback.

THE GOOD HOUSEKEEPING ILLUSTRATED COOKBOOK. (Hearst Books: $27; 528 pp.) A pity this 1989 volume and the “New Good Housekeeping” couldn’t be combined, as they share many of the same recipes. For my money this is the better learning tool. The selection of recipes is somewhat smaller but geared to the same taste. The difference lies in this book’s attempt to convey both cooking basics and particular recipe details in visual terms. Thousands of line drawings illustrate the actual recipes, usually with a mini-sketch of the dish and step-by-step pictures. Some are redundant or make-work, but they’re wonderfully clear and often go straight to the heart of an ongoing process. Service information a little reworked and nutrition section shortened from “New Good Housekeeping,” otherwise there are few real departures. The index is a little more detailed.

THE NEW GOOD HOUSEKEEPING COOKBOOK, Edited by Mildred Ying . (Hearst Books: $23; 825 pp.) Handsomely designed and well organized; primarily a recipe collection rather than a reference work. In many ways it’s easier to use than the big three (“Joy,” “Doubleday,” “Fannie Farmer”) because of its more restricted focus. But much lies outside the ken of this 1986 revision, even something as simple as homemade broth. Good service information, but little attention to basic culinary processes. Much use of convenience foods with gussied-up “gourmet” touches. There’s a brief guide to nutrition, and recipes have calorie tallies with some notes on nutrients. Abundantly illustrated with drawings (mostly instructional); two sections of (decorative) color photos. Good microwave information. Index is rather skimpy.

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS NEW COOK BOOK, From Better Homes and Gardens Books . (Meredith Corp.: $22.95; 472 pp.) In this ring-bound, loose-leaf book, you go straight to the recipes; some explanations of procedures are gathered in a brief final section titled “Special Helps,” and more are given in individual chapters, but this isn’t meant as a teaching manual or reference work. The large recipe selection concentrates on undemanding dishes with a strong convenience-food emphasis--mostly leaving ambitious productions and ethnic adventure to others. Color photos (many instructional), some instructional line drawings. A lot of service information and some background on nutrition. Abundant microwave information. Nutritional tallies for recipes appear in chart form on chapter table of contents pages--a little hard on at least my eyes, as is the index. Also available in a trade paper ($12.95) and larger-type hardback format ($24.95).

BETTY CROCKER’S COOKBOOK. (Prentice-Hall: $22; 432 pp.) This loose-leaf, ring-bound book looks like a near-clone of “Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book,” but with a roomier page format and a little more attention to things still new to many-- tomatillos, monkfish, various mushrooms fresh or dried. A brief opening section mentions a few basics; there’s a bit more reference material and attention to procedures. Again the main focus is on recipes--a slightly wider-ranging selection, but with a pretty similar balance of convenience and from-scratch. I find the service information (e.g., on shopping for vegetables or fish) ample here. Color photos (some instructional), some instructional drawings. Nutritional and microwave coverage comparable (“Crocker” is somewhat more up-to-date on nutrition). Nutritional tallies for recipes (also in chart form with chapter tables of contents) and index are easier to read. This is the 40th anniversary edition (1991). A prior (1986) edition is available as a small mass-market paperback.

THE FAMILY CIRCLE COOKBOOK: New Tastes for New Times, By the Editors of Family Circle and David Ricketts . (Simon & Schuster: $23, 648 pp.) The subtitles say it all. This loose-leaf, ring-bound book works hard at putting the last generation of American food in its place and creating other models--”mom’s classic” macaroni and cheese gentrified with sharp Cheddar, Parmesan, Gruyere, blue cheese and hot red pepper sauce. It has almost no basic-formula recipes such as plain sponge cake or white sauce. Though ethnic cuisines themselves are not emphasized, there are many recipes in an ethnic-experiment vein. Little on general cooking principles or procedures; lots of information about a range of ethnic or specialty ingredients. Good service information (which often has to be searched for in nook-and-cranny sidebars). Recipes have tallies of calories, protein, fat, carbohydrate, sodium and cholesterol. Microwave information. Color photos (some instructional). This is the only cookbook I saw showing familiarity with Uncle Sam’s current four-food-group guidelines on dietary choices.