Recommend a Cook book
Discussion
What's you favorite cookbook and why? at the moment i'm looking for a book that teaches me advanced cooking techniques rather than just giving step by step recipes.
Books I use regularly:
1. Meat by Hugh FW- a really good guide to all sorts of meat.
2. Delia- complete cookery- pretty good guide to the basics on everything
3. Leaths- Prue Leath- as for number 2
4. Cookery Year- Nigel Slater- has some really good recipes and interesting ideas, but not the easiest to find things
Books i have dut don't really use (but really want to like):
1. Nigella Bites N Lawson- love her, but this book is turgid, vapid and useless
2. Return of the naked chef- a bit empty really and some of the recipes aren't fully developed.
3. Cooking for friends- G. Ramsey- some interesting recipes, but nothing "magical" really.
So where next in the cookbook world?
Books I use regularly:
1. Meat by Hugh FW- a really good guide to all sorts of meat.
2. Delia- complete cookery- pretty good guide to the basics on everything
3. Leaths- Prue Leath- as for number 2
4. Cookery Year- Nigel Slater- has some really good recipes and interesting ideas, but not the easiest to find things
Books i have dut don't really use (but really want to like):
1. Nigella Bites N Lawson- love her, but this book is turgid, vapid and useless
2. Return of the naked chef- a bit empty really and some of the recipes aren't fully developed.
3. Cooking for friends- G. Ramsey- some interesting recipes, but nothing "magical" really.
So where next in the cookbook world?
I second MEAT. The only recipe book I have ever read all the way through!
A couple of surprisingly good books are Ainsley Harriot's Barbeque Bible and Big Cook Out. I'm not a big fan of Ainsley's presentation style but the books are excellent: i.e. tasty, different, easy to do on the B.B.Q.
A couple of surprisingly good books are Ainsley Harriot's Barbeque Bible and Big Cook Out. I'm not a big fan of Ainsley's presentation style but the books are excellent: i.e. tasty, different, easy to do on the B.B.Q.
Nigel Slater - Appetite, Real Cooking and Real Food
Fuscia Dunlop - Land of Plenty, Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook
Thrill of the Grill - cant remember the author, but its a great American meat book
Chris Caldicott - World Food Cafe cookbook (cos its veggie and i have a veggie other half)
err i actually find myself using the "Bowl Food", "Fast Food", "Home Food" series of small books a lot as well.
Fuscia Dunlop - Land of Plenty, Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook
Thrill of the Grill - cant remember the author, but its a great American meat book
Chris Caldicott - World Food Cafe cookbook (cos its veggie and i have a veggie other half)
err i actually find myself using the "Bowl Food", "Fast Food", "Home Food" series of small books a lot as well.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Japanese-Cooking-Simple-Sh...
Edited by dcw@pr on Tuesday 29th September 08:52
The 25 year old copy of Delias complete cookery course that I inherited from my grandmother get's a fair bit of use.
The Cooks Pocket Bible by Roni Jay - Very usefull for quick reference, eg how long things take, what's in season when, etc.
Curry by Mridula Baljekar - about the best indian book I've come across
Indian food made easy - Anjum Anand, worth it just for her corriander lamb burgers
The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia - quite a bit of good stuff in there.
The Cooks Pocket Bible by Roni Jay - Very usefull for quick reference, eg how long things take, what's in season when, etc.
Curry by Mridula Baljekar - about the best indian book I've come across
Indian food made easy - Anjum Anand, worth it just for her corriander lamb burgers
The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia - quite a bit of good stuff in there.
I have found most of the TV Chefs books a disappointment (the ones from Mr Oliver being one example - even picking them up for peanuts on sale, I wasted my money). And I find it better to get ones from experts in the topic/region, rather than because a big name has decided to stick their name on the cover of "The complete guide to xxx food", which is doesn’t come close to authentic recipes of the region.
There are a few exceptions to that though...
There are a few exceptions to that though...
escargot said:
To be slightly controversial, the Jamie at Home book is really good I think.
Then again, I actually don't mind the chap himself, he strikes me as a nice bloke who's really passionate about what he does.
the above is completely true- but his cookbooks are, in general, very lihgt on recipes, techniques and know-how. Almost a lifestyle book rather a cookbook- Nigella's are even worse for this! Then again, I actually don't mind the chap himself, he strikes me as a nice bloke who's really passionate about what he does.
escargot said:
To be slightly controversial, the Jamie at Home book is really good I think.
Then again, I actually don't mind the chap himself, he strikes me as a nice bloke who's really passionate about what he does.
i enjoyed the tv program, and hinted (successfully) that I would like the book for my birthday. Only problem is that I haven't had much luck with the recipes - they just aren't that good...Then again, I actually don't mind the chap himself, he strikes me as a nice bloke who's really passionate about what he does.
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