Before you answer with your favorite web link, note that I am asking specifically in-game.
A friend of mine recently started playing Minecraft for the first time, and found very basic things like getting wood, creating tools, and making shelter to be very difficult. It occurs to me that an in-game guide to crafting recipes would be helpful, but updates lately have gone in so many directions, I don't know if such a thing even exists in the game.
Is there any guide or indicator in vanilla Minecraft that would help a user figure out crafting recipes without having to resort to an external reference?
I am also not looking for a mod that creates one – if you can recommend one that would be alright, but it would not answer my question.
Best Answer
In the console versions the crafting menu shows all the recipes and provides hints about their use. It even shows the proper arrangement of materials for the PC version's crafting system so you can use it to learn.
There's also a tutorial world in the console editions which covers most of the gameplay basics (including things like potion brewing, entering the Nether, and making golems). Really console edition is the place to be for new Minecrafters.
If you have to play the PC version you'll just be stuck looking up everything in the wiki.