Something else to consider: I was just talking with my kids about the new service from Whole Foods – the “Produce Butcher.” Really think the idea has merit depending on price point, not only for the “busy” but for those like my mother with arthritic hands. Will be interested to see how this moves forward.
http://www.newser.com/story/238068/whole-foods-now-has-someone-wholl-cut-your-fruit-for-you.html
https://www.tastingtable.com/cook/national/vegetable-butcher-whole-foods-chefs-defense
He might enjoy Brothers Green Eats, a YouTube channel/video series by two (young adult) brothers who love to cook. I think one of them was on Chopped, and that is how I found out about them. Actually, they might have both been on, competing against each other.
Not a cookbook (sorry!), but we bought our D13 an Instapot Electric Pressure Cooker, for her first year in an apartment.
Even if she just uses it for hard boiled eggs and rice at this point in her life, it’s a win for saving time + perfect-every-time results.
Depending on how much you want to do, you could go directly to you tube, message him the links for 10-15 different types of dishes that you know he would like. Our kids love, and live by their phones. You tube is a great teaching tool. You preview a few pasta recipes or meatloaf, etc. Send him the links that you think are best and easiest.
He will get more out of that then from a book. Thing is, you will probably enjoy it as well
I still use my husband’s copy of Sunset Easy Basics. His mother gave it to him after grad school in the mid 80s. It’s simple, has pictures to show complicated techniques, but also uses interesting ingredients. I’m sure it has been updated since the 80s.
For websites, he should visit the home cooking page at Chowhound. People there are great at giving advice to novices in a respectful way.
My first recommendation would be the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook in the 5 ring binder. I still use my copy.
If you can find it, The Best Simple Recipes by America’s Test Kitchen is good too. The dishes are tasty, and the step-by-step instructions are easy to follow.
I went online and made a cookbook for each of the kids with their favorite recipes and recipes that didn’t require a ton of spices (expensive) and produced a ton of food (3 very big boys)…like a lasagna, crockpot pulled pork, a pasta bake casserole, white chicken chili…the sorts of food you can buy with cheap meat and inexpensive ingredients that make volume of food etc. They all 3 had worked in restaurants so were comfortable around the kitchen, but very used to having every condiment, spice, and needed utensil at arms reach to make fancy meals people pay money for - none of which they had on a limited budget with a limited kitchen.
How To Boil Water by the Food Network Kitchens is a really great basic cookbook. I bought it for my daughter a few years ago. She and I both loved it. Lots of basic recipes and information.
I recommend the Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook. The recipes are easy to follow with step by step instructions which may give him the confidence to try some new dishes. The vintage 1980 edition was one of the first books in my cookbook collection and I have also gifted it to a few brides.
@csdad My mother made me a cookbook when I was in college that had 50-80 mostly family recipes (some kind of uniquie, some just things she prepared over the years). I lost it, of course. When my mother died I found her cookbook, but it’s missing a few of the recipes; I don’t know what happened to them. Anyway, you might consider just putting one together.
Cooking Light’s “5 ingredient 15 Minute Cookbook”. It is my go to weekday cookbook. A good variety of good tasting recipes. They are actually full meals so that makes it even easier to plan and prepare. 15 minutes may be a bit optimistic but they are relatively quick meals. I’ve used ours for over 10 years and think I’ve made every recipe. It is easy to read and includes a shopping list and photos of the the finished meal for each of the menus.
I probably have 200 cookbooks and subscribe to 3-6 cooking magazines, depending on the year. I still go online for recipes! For basics, I prefer Joy of Cooking. Even though it is large, I don’t think it is intimidating, and the recipes are overall better than other basic cookbooks like Bittman or Betty Crocker. The pancakes and cheese fondue in Joy are better than fancier cookbooks. It also has helpful references for cuts of meat and illustrations. My 16 year old prefers the Martha Stewart “Martha’s American Food” cookbook for her basics, so that might be an option if he likes photos.
We have dozens of cookbooks, all of them H’s, including Joy of Cooking, Silver Palate, Cook this not that and the like. I look through them, come across one ingredient I don’t like and move on. I use allrecipes.com to give H ideas.
The one cooking hint I will give is this: When our kitchen was under renovation, I suggested to H that we microwave rice. He laughed at me but since rice is relatively cheap, we decided to try it. We will never cook rice on the stovetop again. The rice was fluffy and delicious although we had to experiment a bit with the timing, which depends on how much you use and your own nuke.
My D is my only child living away from home and she is fairly vegan so I haven’t bought her a cookbook since I am really not up on veganism.
I got my S Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Fast. He claims he has used it. 
I think that the 12 Recipes book looks interesting.
IMNSHO too many of those “easy” cookbooks just teach people how to be bad cooks.
I have a LOT of cookbooks, and I use them and use recipes online in addition. There are plenty of bad recipes on line, too. I think a person has to have a certain level of cooking skill to be able to pick out a good recipe from an unknown source.
@Consolation ^^very true
Our kids cooked from the time they could reach the counters…with help,when they were young. Both had children’s cookbooks that included things that didn’t require sharp knives, etc.
By the time they got to college, they knew the basics…they could make eggs every way possible. They could bake chicken parts. They could make all shapes of pasta. They knew how to make rice, noodles and toast. They could assemble a sandwich. Both could make a meatloaf, and meatballs too. They could make baked and mashed potatoes.
Neither one was going to starve.
Both have said…“if you can read, you can cook.”
I think the OP wants their kid to know how to do the basics. I would suggest that some of this is best taught by example and practice…and not a cookbook or online recipes.
Additionally important is having the necessary tools to cook. Kid will need the appropriate cooking vessels, measuring cups and spoons, some way to mix things. A decent paring knife and a decent chefs knife. A
Vegetable pealer. Some kind of mixing bowl.
If he doesn’t have the tools, all the cookbooks in the world won’t matter.
We actually had fun outfitting kitchens for our kids.
https://www.leannebrown.com/cookbooks/
Good and Cheap by Leann Brown. Free PDF download or order a hard copy (like TOMS that will get a copy to a family in need also). She wrote it with SNAP recipients in mind but I thought the recipes were great for any budget cooking.
I printed Leann Brown’s cookbook and shared it at a board meeting. Somehow, the recipes weren’t really to my taste, but I can see how it might give folks ideas. The concept is nice–inexpensive meals.