Recommend me a cookery book!

[Lottie]

Hello all,
I am hankering after a new cookery book and have my Amazon ordering fingers at the ready. What is your favourite cookery book and why? It doesn't have to be the best of all time or even the most versatile, just one you really, really like at the moment. If you can't choose just one then even better!

 

[SapphireLover]

Ohhhh... my favourite subject! And you are in the UK like me which makes it easy to recommend.

My top ones are, in no particular order are
- Darina Allen- the Ballymaloe Cookbook. Truly amazing book, beats Delia any day, much more up to date version of classic favourites.
- Nigella Lawson- How to Eat another awesome one, the newer ones are terrible and sloppy, but this was her first and is great.
- Nigel Slater- Appetite He's done a few but I like this as it was the first grown up cookery book I bought myself
- Claudia Roden- Arabesque

 

[Lottie]

Thank you Sapphire Lover, great recommendations. I have got Apetite and its such a good book - I learnt how to properly cook rice, steak and a mean dauphinoise with this book and his pork chops are such an easy fallback. My stained, stuck together, greasy copy is very loved! I completely agree with you about Nigella, lately I feel that not only has she become a parody of herself, her books don't feel as though she has anything to do with the production any more.

I have never heard of Darina Allen, thanks for the recommendation, sounds good. Is she any relation to Rachel Allen?

 

[Lottie]

Sorry Sapphire Lover, I forgot to return the favour with a recommendation of my own -

Fat Witch Brownies from the Fat Witch Bakery - the best brownies and blondies I have ever made and lots of variations.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fat-Witch-Brownies-Blondies-Legendary/dp/1605295744/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317929071&sr=8-1

Have any of the New Yorkers on PS been to this bakery?

 

[SapphireLover]

Its so true about that Nigel! I bought it when it first came out and it was my first recipe book at university. It taught me how to make bread, salsa verde, cook fish, steak and numerous other things. I still make quite a few things from it.

Darina Allen is Rachel Allen's mother in law and she basically taught her everything she knows. Do you remember Thomasina Meyers who won the first series of the revamped Masterchef (and did that tv programme about Mexico) f? Well before she went on Masterchef she spent three month's at Darina Allen's cookery school, Ballymaloe.

 

[Lottie]

Wow, thats one impressive family business! I do remember Thomasina Meyers and what a brilliant idea to do that before Masterchef, I was glad when she won.

 

[ksinger]

A must have, truly. I always recommend this one. Elegant, truly decadent desserts that you don't have to feel guilty about....

http://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Low-Fat-Desserts-Alice-Medrich/dp/044651666X

This one is worth it for the crab cake recipe and the citrus sauce that goes with it. The absolute BEST crab cake I've ever had. (I often substitute lightly poached salmon for the crab - it's great too, and easier to obtain where I am)

http://www.amazon.com/Miami-Spice-New-Florida-Cuisine/dp/1563053462/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317987660&sr=1-1

 

[Haven]

I don't often use cookery books, but I LOVE my Cook's Illustrated magazines. They're so informative, and well-reasoned, and just plain delightful that I think everyone should have a subscription.

 

[Octavia]

I don't often use cookery books, but I LOVE my Cook's Illustrated magazines. They're so informative, and well-reasoned, and just plain delightful that I think everyone should have a subscription.

Agreed. My parents gave us a subscription last year but we decided it would be easier to do the online version this year -- it's nice because the whole back catalogue is there, but I think I will miss the magazines themselves a little. But I still get Cook's Entertaining magazines, so overall it's a win-win!

The folks at the Washington Post's food section just highly recommended Lisa Yockelson's "Baking Style" -- I haven't tried it yet, but it's on my list.

 

[lliang_chi]

I'll have to second Claudia Roden. I have her "Book of Middle Eastern Cooking." I haven't made my way through it yet, but it's in a word: AWESOME. It has little stories and also other country/cultural variations of dishes.

Otherwise I rarely cook by recipe anymore. I'd love to check out "Baking Style" thanks for the suggestion Octavia.

 

[JillyC]

YES to Claudia Roden! Very easy to follow and always delicious! I'm a huge fan of Lydia Bastianich and have several of her books. Her recipes are also easy to follow and are all very good everyday Italian.

 

[JulieN]

Not that I know a lot of UK coookery books, but the Ottolenghi ones are pretty popular. "Plenty" just came out (over here) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/14..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0GMJ6BHM1DNG7RTN620B

I did not really like Nigel Slater's latest, Tender. Perhaps a bit nit-picky, but I like it when the ingredients list tells me about the preparation, like 1 Tablespoon parsley leaves, chopped. In the middle of making something, I had to chop parsley leaves... (or something like that.)

 

[ladypirate]

In line with those who love Cook's Illustrated, we received the Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe cookbook as a wedding gift and it has been so useful!

http://www.amazon.com/New-Best-Recipe-All-New/dp/0936184744

 

[pixgirl]

Italian Vegetarian Cookbook by Jack Bishop. Everything I've ever made from this book is delicious and you an always add meat if you are not a vegetarian.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Italian-Vegetarian-Cookbook-Essential/dp/1576300447

 

[SapphireLover]

YES to Claudia Roden! Very easy to follow and always delicious! I'm a huge fan of Lydia Bastianich and have several of her books. Her recipes are also easy to follow and are all very good everyday Italian.

I have Claudia Roden's Book of Jewish Food which is another immense book. I love how her books are not just recipes but a study of cultures. I learnt more about Jewish Britain through her book than anything else.

I read Yotam Ottelenghi's recipes in his column for the Guardian every week, but can honestly admit I've never been tempted to try one. I have no idea why.

As for Slater's latest, I have both volumes of Tender and agree, I don't read them anywhere near as much as I do Appetite, Real Cooking etc.

For a recent birthday, my husband bought me the top 10 of the Observer Food Monthly magazine's top 100 cookery books ever! I have him well trained (I also think it was more of a gift for him as he gets to eat the end results!).

Can I also suggest an alternative to a cookery book? How about a six month subscription to Delicious magazine? If you google it you can get some cheap deals, like 6 months for a tenner.

 

[autumngems]

I love Paula Deen's books, she is amazing and every recipe I have tried has gotten rave reviews. She has many books.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=paula+deen

 

[Lottie]

Thank you for your fantastic recommendations! I have in the past had subscriptions to both Delicious and Olive but find that i prefer the solidity of a book. I tear out the odd recipe from a magazine but most end up in the recycling, whereas I return to my books again and again. My daughter will be four at the end of the year and has already started leafing through my books and making birthday cake demands that I am not sure I can fulfill - I should have thought twice before I bought Peggy Porschen.

I have ordered -
Claudia Roden - The Book Of Jewish Food
Darina Allen - Ballymaloe Cookery Course
Nigel Slater - The Kitchen Diaries

And for something sweet I also ordered The Primrose Bakery Cook Book. I probably pick up a cookery book a month so its a rare treat to have this many come at once. I look forward to the cooking frenzy that will ensue!

 

[gardengloves]

I love Nigella too.. she is so earthy and yummy,-I love watching her cook -

but some other of my favorite cookbooks are Giada De Laurentis because everything is so fresh and simple, really quick and easy to make

AND Mark Bittman, he used to write an amazing column in the NY Times, and when I heard they stopped the column I went out and bought several of his books- very intuitive chef, using what you have on hand, fresh healthy ingrediants, seasonal foods - -mixing it up- very much a life style of great eating, and healthy life style.

 

[HollyS]

Pioneer Woman's cookbook. Lots of simple, yet tasty dishes.

 

[Gypsy]

My ultimate favorite is out of print. http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Cooking-Today-Pol-Martin/dp/292084556X/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I32DT0Y2TCJDNP&colid=2F10FSKBEKZ8V

I like Lidia's recipes A LOT : http://www.amazon.com/Lidias-Family-Table-Day-Improvisations/dp/1400040353/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=IDVU0HWKPF9NH&colid=2F10FSKBEKZ8V