ON THE BOOKSHELF: 3 cookbooks for Dad

Get the dad in your life a little culinary know-how this Father's Day. Whether he's a griller or just trying to fumble his way through the kitchen, there's a new cookbook to suit him.

- For guys who just love their meat, there is Cree LeFavour's "The New Steak," a collection of more than 50 lively recipes for numerous cuts of steak, plus recipes for nearly 100 sides.

The book is lushly photographed and offers grilling and grill-pan alternatives for each recipe.

- For Dad's who make no claim to culinary greatness, but are eager to do more, there's Sam Zien's "Sam the Cooking Guy: Just a Bunch of Recipes."

Zien takes a no-fuss, entertaining attitude to cooking, and his recipes reflect it. Offerings include his "two favorite emergency sandwiches," cheese-stuffed hamburgers and banana bread French toast.

- And for the would-be pros, there's Norman Weinstein's "Mastering Knife Skills," a serious how-to manual on selecting, caring for and using the most basic of kitchen tools.

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BOOKS:

Cree LeFavour's "The New Steak" (Ten Speed Press, 2008)

Sam Zien's "Sam the Cooking Guy: Just a Bunch of Recipes" (Wiley, 2008)

Norman Weinstein's "Mastering Knife Skills" (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2008)