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There is not much that is down-home about microwave cooking. In fact, that odorless, near instant preparation may take all the romance out of the kitchen entirely, obviating as it does the appreciation of a dish that cooks long and slowly, filling the house with its perfume as the ingredients develop. Nevertheless, Microwave Gourmet, by Barbara Kafka (Morrow; 575 pages; $19.95), should help those who have bought these electronic miracles and now wonder why. A restaurant consultant and food columnist, Kafka stresses cooking in a microwave, not heating. She emphasizes dishes made from scratch, many of them traditional in origin if not in execution. However, one might argue with her overwrought prose and with many of her food preferences (mayonnaise on gefilte fish, garlic in Manhattan clam chowder, bottled spaghetti sauce). Kafka suggests the microwave for ridiculous purposes, such as preparing white sauce and melting butter. A more serious caveat: manufacturers, concerned about the danger of burns, disagree with Kafka's recommendation to deep fry in a microwave.
A few other attractive if less ambitious down-home cooking candidates deserve passing notice. Certainly, bread baking has strong nostalgic appeal. Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads (Simon & Schuster; 748 pages; $24.95) is a revised and expanded version of his previous, standard work. He explains new equipment and techniques with improved yeasts and flours. Onion- triticale bread and a cheese bread ring are two of the more intriguing additions. It is doubtful that one could think of a single type of bread not represented here in at least six variations.
Finally, no sampling of cookbooks would be complete without one of the genre's inevitable celebrity offerings. A typically vacuous entry this season is The Jill St. John Cookbook (Random House; 259 pages; $19.95), a bit of fluff that begins with the actress's expression of gratitude to Eastman Kodak for providing film and processing. "Thanks, Kodak!" she says, and well she might, for the collection of glistening photographs, mostly of the monthly food columnist herself, are this volume's main, albeit limited, attraction.