How to Cook a Turkey: And All the Other Trimmings is a winning entry into the Thanksgiving book sweepstakes. More than any other holiday, both newbies and experienced cooks seek inspiration, guidance, basics and something new to dazzle the family and friends on the day devoted to food.

This book, from the editors and contributors of Fine Cooking Magazine (The Taunton Press, $19.95), has everything one needs for a perfect holiday meal. There are charts to determine the right size turkey to buy as well as all those time and temperature directions. Make-ahead strategies, so important in the preparation of a complicated menu, are offered as are solutions to common disasters like how to present the pumpkin pie that’s cracked in the middle. It sounds like no big deal but sometimes it’s hard to have a cool head when things go wrong in the kitchen.

There’s also lots of attention paid to sorting out which bird is best for you and how to select a good roasting pan. You’ll find six different ways to cook a turkey.

The book is beautifully laid out with lots of how-to pictures such as how to trim Brussels sprouts and how to butterfly and stuff a boneless breast, an important kitchen skill. The keys to savory stuffing are debated and there are the guides to carving and making gravy and the four ways to cut a carrot.

But it’s the recipes, more than 100 of them, that will make the day. A lot of Thanksgiving recipes sound the same year after year but a Sweet Potato and Russet Potato Gratin offers the intrigue and play between the sweetness and the tanginess of those two ingredients. It has horseradish and Dijon crust and is shared here.

The Silky Pan Gravy with Cream, Cognac and Thyme also is an elevated recipe a cook might want to try.

If you know someone cooking Thanksgiving for the first time, give them this book today. It’s available at bookstores and will provide the go-to reference guide they need.

For the more seasoned cook, it’s a lovely hostess gift they can enjoy not just for the rest of the holiday season but for any special winter meal.

Of course, the link to Fine Cooking is very helpful in another way. Go to www.finecooking.com for more recipes and step-by-step videos.

gciampa@projo.com