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Posted by Ali-cat (U8666386) on Saturday, 27th June 2009
My long-time favourite is Nigel Slater's 'Kitchen Diaries' with lots of recipes in the narrative as well as more formal-type recipes. It made for happy reading during a cold dark winter a couple of years ago.
Another favourite is Ottolenghi, yummy carrot cake recipe in there.
Anyone any recommendations for me? I love baking, vegetables, all types of cooking which involve using fresh seasonal produce.
xx
Ali
I'm a fan of Madhur Jaffrey and Claudia Roden: it's like taking a holiday in exotic places, reading their books, where everything is colourful and fragrant and warm. Bliss.
Hi Ali
Me too, I have a ton of them. I like old ones from secondhand books stores with pics of pink food with odd fish piping. I am never going to do these recipes but I love looking at them !!
My recommendation is not one of the usual suspects( which I love as well) but a book which was brought for me by a friend in 1987. She sadly died very young but I have this lovely book and a rather nice note inside.
The book is called "la Cuisine" Edited by Valerie Letoile ( amongst others) and English lang. Ed. - Jill Norman. It has imperial/yanky/metric measures. It also shows cuts of meat/butchery in the three countries. Its a complete bible of French cookery. I happen to know its still in print as my dear yanky chum got hold of a copy I think from Ama*on.
Its fantastic, if you buy it check out the pear tart recipe if you don't let me know and I will mail it to you.
Enjoy your dinner tonight
BFN
Flakes x
I really liked the earlier Nigella Lawson books. Especially liked "How to Eat" and "How to be a Domestic Goddess" as the writing, as well as the recipes, was enjoyable. However, I think her later ones didn't keep to the same standard, with a lot of pages filled with pictures of Nigella (although, that's doubtless quite the selling point for some people!) and recipes which seemed to me to be re-workings of ones from her first books.
Having said that, I still use "Feast" and "Nigella Bites", but ended up giving away the Christmas one (partly because I have a silly amount of Christmas cookbooks anyway) and "Forever Summer". And letting books out of my sweaty little paws doesn't usually come easily to me.
Depends whether we're talking about cookery books or recipe books really.
For sheer good writing about food I think there is still nobody to beat Elizabeth David. Trouble is she's often virtually impossible to cook from, to vague about quantities, cooking times etc.
But a few years ago I discovered The Asda Book of Mediterranean Cookery which is based very heavily on David and has all the most popular Mediterranean recipes but in a usable form
I'm a self taught cook so the book I find really invaluable is the Penguin Cookery Book. It's very clear, has a tremendous amount of information because everything is cross referenced and nothing is repeated. It's also got a brilliant index.
Rose Elliot's Bean Book is vg as well and anything by Mahdur Jaffrey.
Can't abide Delia, too fussy and pretentious.
I love Nigel Slater's books too. I find I can't read 'Kitchen Diaries' if hungry as I'll end up picking at something while I do. His 'Real Food' is also good on both the cooking & writing front.
I find there are fab bargains to be had in 2nd hand bookshops of classic cookbooks where I enjoy the writing about food as much as the recipes. I've picked up a couple of Jane Grigson books that way and also a great book by Eliza Ayrton called 'The Cookery of England'.
For a practical all purpose guide the Leith's Cookery Bible works for me.
I'm not keen on Delia either, Reggie (although I do have a couple of her books and use some of the recipes regularly), but I do find her tiresomely long-winded (I know I am too, but I don't expect people to pay for my prose!).
My dislike stems from the fact that I glance down at some dish or other and think, "Blow me! That goes on for ages - must be fearfully complicated; I've not got the time". Then, reading it later, I find it's actually ok but because she tends to add every little detail (eg "Break the egg into a bowl..."; thanks, Ms Smith! I might just have smashed it straight onto the table otherwise) it looks like it's going to be a science project.
I don't mind Delia's recipe books but just cannot watch her on TV - it's like being back in the classroom!
My favourite recipe book - for sentimental reasons - is an old tatty copy of Be-Ro recipes that belonged to my Mum. I thought it was long gone but found it among her things after she died. My scones still aren't as good as hers though!
I used to swear by St Delia and still use a number of her recipes - or variations thereon - mainly from the Summer/Winter/Christmas books.
I was given her latest(?) How to Cheat.... as a present. I thought it was awful - does anyone really buy frozen mash or tins of cooked mince? I have quite a number of really good "cheats" but they tend to involve fresh supermarket stuff mixed in with other basic fresh ingredients (ever tried hurling a pot of Hot/Cool Salsa into your pasta sauce? I could go on.....).
I enjoy reading nearly all of them and pick up the odd recipe as I go along - Nigel, Nigella, Jamie to mention but a few. I also love the Elizabeth Davids etc. They may be a bit vague for you, Reggie, but surely, that's the point? By the time you've graduated to reading ED, you (presumably) know how to cook and she's giving you ideas about how to put various ingredients together and how to cook them.
I also have a stack of old(er) books which would have the authors locked up these days - take half a pound of butter, a pint of double cream - and that was just for the starter.
I just enjoy reading cook/recipe books and adapting stuff to what I want to do.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:14 GMT, in reply to Portia Antrobus in message 9
Oh, I love a cookery book thread.
Can't bear Delia on the telly, but the original big black book is so useful for basics and techniques.
Nigel Slater seems to be infallible - good writing, recipes always work and nothing precious about him at all.
Another big vote from me for Madhur Jaffrey and Claudia Roden.
I also like Rose Elliott - have a very old one called a Foreign Flavour, although I think it may have a more modern name now. My other veggie Bible is the Cranks Recipe Book.
But I also love the Australian Woman's Weekly cookbooks and have heaps of those - Thai, Vietnamese, Malay. And I have a couple of Good Housekeeping books too which are both very good.
Final vote is for my own recipe book which I'm slowly filling up with all the various recipes I've pinched off mum at one time or another.
, in reply to message 8.
Posted by Lady Trudie Tilney Glorfindel Maldini (U2222312) ** on Saturday, 27th June 2009
Reggie is right - writing about food is different from cookbooks.
For the latter I use Mary Berry and my tattered copy of the M&S cookbook I took to college when I was 18.
Linda I remember the BeRo book too - don't know what happened to my mum's but there is this now -
Apart from those sources I tend to get ideas from newspaper and magazine articles. That scourge of MLers, the Mail on Sunday magazine, is often very good I find (although I have been inspired to try lentils again by the Telegraph piece today).
Thanks for that link, Ermintrude. I also looked on e*ay and the book is now available in its 40th edition!! Might have to buy one to compare with Mum's!
I am about to replace my Marguerite Patten Cookery in Colour. My copy finally fell apart after x number of years use.
I have a couple of Delia's books. To be fair to her, when she did her cookery course on TV, she did discover that were many people who did need to learn to cook from basic steps. And that is why they may seem tiresome to people who understand what tins and pans to use and how to set up, and maintain, a decent store cupboard. And how to boil an egg. Those were the days when she caused a national shortage of cranberries and set up an omelette pan maker with more orders than he had ever dreamed of. And all because " Delia says".
Can anyone recommend a good vegetarian cookery book.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:40 GMT, in reply to silverjenny in message 13
definitely Cranks -
Most of Rose Elliott is reliable, and I've used my Sainsubury's one heaps over the years too -
another here not keen on Delia, I was given a copy of one is fun when i went to college, soon passed it to someone else.
Fave books include the old Cranks recipe book, Madhur J's Eastern veggie cooking (very battered and splattered!) lovely lady too, according to the X who once gave her a lift in his taxi and got her autograph for me (!)
I have most of the range of small recipe books that Sainsb used to publish which are also really good. Worth poking around in charity shops for em if you want them, they often crop up there (If I havent beaten you to it *blush*)
depends on what you want to cook SilverJenny, I have an embarassingly large number of veggie books. Specific country, or general?
Silver jenny, as a former veggie myself I can suggest - The complete vegetarian cookbook by Anne Marshall published by Lansdowne - first published in 1993. A great book and still good, even though I eat meat these days.
Each recipe tells you if it has either or both milk and egg/diary so provides a quick ref. if you have Vegan chums.
Flakes
Flakes, the Anne Marshall sounds perfect; I am not a veggie myself, though I do like veggie recipes. It is just useful to have something on hand for when veggie guests come round. I used to have a good one which walked [as they do - and I think I know who has it!] but for the life of me, I can't remember who it was by. I think it was Katie somebody which is not much help.
Guzzinut, can I whisper; I work in a charity bookshop. It has got to the point where I take only my bus-fare and a fiver with me or would be tempted to buy something every week! And somewhere about there is a Madhur Jaffrey.
I like Lebanese food.
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:23 GMT, in reply to silverjenny in message 18
I like Lebanese food.聽
for Middle Easter, as well as Claudia Roden, I have a book by Rosemary McDonald which is v good.
, in reply to message 19.
Posted by Reggie Trentham (U2746099) on Saturday, 27th June 2009
Rose Elliot is definitely the queen of vegetarian cookery and anything Indian is good because Indian cookery is basically vegetarian.
Apart from a recipe for bread which works amazingly well without kneading but makes your hands incredibly sticky the Cranks Cookery Book is a dead loss, imo.
Can I mention The Good Housekeeping Cookery Book, which I inherited from my mum. Wonderful for jam making and preserving. Also suet puddings.
, in reply to message 6.
Posted by San Fairy Anne鈩 (U2230890) on Saturday, 27th June 2009
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:21 GMT, in reply to PinaGrigio in message 6
I've picked up a couple of Jane Grigson books that way and also a great book by Eliza Ayrton called 'The Cookery of England'.聽
What good taste you have! These two are my favourites too. Both writers were wives of poets. Perhaps that's why the writing is so good. I take them on holiday just to read when I have run out of other books. Elizabeth Ayrton's timings for roasting meat are second to none.
I was given a version of Mrs Beaton which I use for basic proportions and timings, as a wedding present in 1962. And I constantly use Mum's handwritten loose leaf recipe book lots of wartime recipes, useful for the credit crunch!
So why do I have at least 1 metre of other cook books on the shelf and that is /after/ I moved a few dozen on to the Charity shop? SFAnne鈩
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:23 GMT, in reply to Reggie Trentham in message 20
do you mean the first Cranks book, Reggie? That really surprises me - I think their soup recipes are brilliant. Celery and cashew nut is my all time favourite, but all the others are good too. And the mushroom stroganoff is good. And the mushroom burgers.
crikey! are you sure about that Reggie? well, I'm with you Geepers.
The first Cranks recipe book is just great, its one I take with me when working away for any length of time where I have access to a kitchen and several of the recipes translate V well to the slow cooker, especially aubergine and red bean stew.
another battered and splattered book of mine
Pal's well stroppy teenogre daughter loved the Cranks nut roast recipe when I made it at their place too. Much to pal's total astonishment.
The Cranks salad one is OK too, some good dressing ideas.
SFAnne, I was helpng a friend sort her books prior to her downsizing. We spent several Sundays doing this [not all day since lunch and the glass of wine or two tended to go on a bit!] but it was hard work and fun at the same time. Finally we got to the cookery books: large bookshelf, 5 shelves crammed to breaking point. We sorted out possible auction stuff, books to keep and books for the charity bookshop. I got up, and stretched, feeling quite chuffed it was done. Some amazing antiquarian and collectable cookbooks, and all the favourites mentioned on the thread plus Jewish, Polish, Czech.
Shall we have a cup of tea then start on the last cookery bookcase, said friend, rather faintly! Next week, please, was my fainter reply! In her defence, I should say she had inherited collections from various family members over the years.
Hi Everyone.
Lovely posts with loads of interesting hints and recommendations. I love the idea of picking up secondhand books, Flakes. I remember watching a Nigella programme and she went into her library and there were literally hundreds and hundreds of cookbooks. How I envy her. And I will look for the 鈥淟a Cuisine鈥 you mentioned.
I love the Nigella 鈥淒omestic Goddess鈥 book, I have made most of the 鈥榩lain cakes鈥 section now and am working my way through.
Jane Grigson is another author I want to look out for and also the Eliza Ayrton 鈥楾he Cookery of England鈥. Many thanks for these suggestions.
This, by Doctor Darling, really made me laugh
she tends to add every little detail (eg "Break the egg into a bowl..." thanks, Ms Smith! I might just have smashed it straight onto the table otherwise) 聽
and I know what you mean. I do, however, revert to Delia when I need an absolutely accurate recipe, and I鈥檝e never ever had any of her recipes fail on me. Can鈥檛 stand the 鈥榗heating鈥 ones though, for heavens鈥 sake we can all open tins! Just a bit of a 鈥榡umping on the bandwagon鈥 thing I think, and a shot in the arm for a certain football club.
I was interested in the BeRo book, I have the McDougall鈥檚 book, it was my first ever cookbook, is spiral bound, and covered with splotches. I鈥檇 never part with it. It has a recipe for rhubarb and orange meringue in it and I thought this was SOO sophisticated when I was 20.
I鈥檝e just been given the Jill Dupleix 鈥楾otally Simple Food鈥 and there are some excellent recipes in there. For starters yesterday I did the salmon and egg pies, very easy, and absolutely delicious. And you can prepare them in advance, always an advantage with dinner parties. Going to sit in the sun today and browse through it for more ideas.
No one鈥檚 mentioned any Chinese Cookbooks 鈥 unless I鈥檝e missed something. I love Chinese food. I have a book called 鈥榃ok & Oriental Cookery鈥 which lays out the recipes in the most simple format (very necessary for me) published by Dempsey Parr. It鈥檚 one of a cookery series and doesn鈥檛 have a 鈥榥ame鈥 as an author.
Xx
Ali
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:45 GMT, in reply to Ali-cat in message 25
Does anyone else find that they only use *one* recipe out of a whole book?
I did not buy Delia's Cheat book, but I make the Pancake-dried fruit&rum/brandy pudding all the time. Don't use bought pancakes (get some H/M out of the freezer-as they are what I make in idle moments to use up milk and eggs when there is a bit of a surplus and no more room in the fridge).
Same with other books, perhaps I should just remove the page and put that into a folder..... Philistine vandal? Moi? SFAnne鈩
Yes, sadly I have often bought a whole cookbook for that one recipe. The internet has changed that though, and I often search the internet for recipes. It's an invaluable source isn't it?
xx
Ali
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:10 GMT, in reply to Ali-cat in message 25
No one鈥檚 mentioned any Chinese Cookbooks聽
I use 'Cooking the Chinese Way' by Nina Froud, but it's so ancient Amazon doesn't even give you a picture for it. I also have a couple of big 'all Asia' books with large Chinese sections, and something by Ken Hom, but it's generally Nina I revert to.
<>
Oh yes! I have a very large cookery book which is only ever used for its wonderful chocolate mousse recipe.
I agree that it would be sensible to remove the relevant page and put it in a folder but I couldn't possibly tear a page out of a book! My Dad was a librarian and I was brought up to Treat Books with Respect!!
Oooooo i love to cook and I love cook books
An Aussie icon is Maggie Beer.
Maggie's Harvest is a beautiful book. Great recipes and stunning to own as the cover is embroidered fabric.
Prue Leith's Bible is well thumbed as is Alastair Little's Tuscan jobs.
Nigel Slater is a cooking guru as is Hugh F-W.
His book "Meat " is a must to any cook.
What a great thread BTW
Morning (evening!) Mrs O!
What's your take on Donna Hay? S in l, based in Sydney, swears by her ("Bu&&ar me, that Donna's good!") but she's also very keen on Jamie Oliver and I just don't find his books all that inspiring. So am not sure if I should order one or not.
Evening DD
DH mmmm I have tried some recipes from Mags etc but the cook books don't inspire.
Lindfield-Lady may be able to comment.
We both like Bill Granger who LL refers to as a well trained puppy.
Neil Perry. Got one of his but haven't used much from it yet. Kylie Kwong too. I have a chinese friend who says she isn't very good.
Alas we also have the "4 ingredient" people. A blight on cooking IMHO.
So it appears that the Blighty blokes and ladies are my favs.
My daughters love JO who has single handedly got my DD1 to cook where I failed for years.
We have a wonderful indigenous chef called Mark Olive "the black olive' , his specialty is bush tucker but he is classically trained . Outback cooking books have been a bit of a draw for me recently as I live in a remote area
Hi Ali
You cannot go far wrong with Ken Hom's Chinese cookery first published in 1984. I think it tied in with a 主播大秀 series.
I must stick up for Delia a bit, her winter collection is great. Although I have to say I do not often follow a whole recipe without going off piste !!
I would like to suggest The hot and spicy cook book by Moira Hodgson. It covers recipes from India,Mexico, Indonesia,South America, middle East, West Indies etc. Really good, Its not as handsome as some books but fabby.
BTW I love this thread also cheers Ali
Flakes x
The hot and spicy cook book
Oooo i have that one
The Rogan Josh recipe is great.
When I was a veggo I love Sarah Browns books
Thanks, Mrs O!
I'm sure the JO thing is my problem, not his, as so many people seem to like his books. I've only got one (based on s in l's recommendation), so maybe I need to borrow some others to see if I get on better with them.
Mrs O
What page is the rogan josh recipe on I cannot find it.
Flakes
DD
I have 4 children and two steps.
They all love JO and I think the attraction is the chuck-it-all-in-and-bake-philosophy.
Keep it simple
i think that Bill Grainger is very similar in that he too keeps it very simple.
He does a wonderful Paprika chicken and chirizo dish.
Lovely
In fact guess what is for supper tomorrow.
I also have a few Slow cooker cook books.
They are really useful here in the summer. I get up early prep the food chuck it in and then cook. This leaves the desperately hot middle of the day for me to read and nap. Jobs a good 'un
I know that we have some wonderful MLders from this part of the world who are fantastic cooks.
Hope they pop in
, in reply to message 35.
Posted by goldilocks exits pursued by bears (U1859740) on Sunday, 28th June 2009
In reply to Doctor_Darling in message 35
I think my problem with Jamie is that because his cooking is based on simplicity, he is not telling me, as somebody who can cook a bit, anything I can't think up by myself. I find the same with the River Caf茅 recipes - very good, but nothing I can't throw together without the aid of a book.
I have inherited Mum's big Good Housekeeping book, which is great for cakes.
And I agree about the little Sainsbury's books - very good.
I don't appear to have any very recent cookery books. Maybe I am in a bit of a culinary rut......
Just been checking the cookbook shelf.
I appear to have every Rick Stein book.
I love Nick Nairn's New Scottish Cooking.
I also have a lot of generic cook books especially the vegetarian ones.
one of my favourites to simply pour over is a Spanish Culinaria. Beautiful book.
Come to think of it they all make me miss Europe.
mango anyone?
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 09:45 GMT, in reply to goldilocks in message 38
(~~~~~ to goldie)
JO's recipes seem to lack some kind of depth, I think. They work out fine, but there's always a feeling that something's missing from them. Although his bread is v nice. I have issues with being able to see people's tongues, and that kind of puts me off him too.
, in reply to message 40.
Posted by goldilocks exits pursued by bears (U1859740) on Sunday, 28th June 2009
In reply to geepers (formerly I_w_L) in message 40
Hi geepers ~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have issues with being able to see people's tongues聽
Especially when they are eating!
Yes, I agree about the lack of depth in his recipes. Although that is not necessarily a bad thing, not all of us need a book for that sort of cookery. Sounds as though his books are really good for youngsters who are just starting out on the great cooking journey that is life, though, so definitely a good thing in their own way.
The simplicity of JO means that newbie cooks get success quickly and hopefully this will lay the foundations for a love affair with food.
I tried for years to get my lot interested in cooking but 30 minutes in front of the box and then the book and they were queuing up to play in the kitchen.
What about Italian recipes?
I've got a book by Antonio Carlucci and one of those 'Little Books of...' on Italian cookery.
Any recommendations?
Ursula Ferugino Real fast veggie food is Italian based and really rather good. The 30 minute Italian book is good too IMO, actually they all are in that series, there is a Mexican, a Thai and and Indian one too.
The Easy Italian book that Lakeland (sorryBella) sell is quite good.
I just darent go onto Amazon for fear of getting any more slow cooker recipe books...
Linda lee
I rather like The River cafe cookbook by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers or The Italian cooking Encyclopedia by a bunch of people but the first name is Carla Capalbo. first published in 1997 by Anness Publishing.
Hope this is helpful.
Flakes
, in reply to message 45.
Posted by Fire-Pig - proud to wave the protest banner (U12231213) on Sunday, 28th June 2009
I have various cookbooks produced as fundraisers for various groups where people have sent in their favourite recipes. I have been involved a couple of times. The first was in Borneo, in about 1980, where we ensured each recipe was tested by someone from a different ethnic group so that the instructions could be followed. That is very useful to me, and just last week my Mum said she was making a recipe from it!
I like the black Delia book and don't have any of her later ones. I love Elizabeth David, her choccy mousse is one of my standbys (French Country Cooking).
I have far too many recipe books and should have a cull!
F-P
, in reply to message 46.
Posted by Auntie Clockwise (U8040384) on Sunday, 28th June 2009
Another cookery book fanantic. Most of my favourites (Jane Grigson, Claudia Roden, Madhur Jaffery and on and on) have been mentioned already. Someone asked about vegetarian ones. I got this one in the 70's and found lots of good recipes, including some really nice breads
I also bought one off Readers Digest called The Cookery Year and used that lots.
I'm a big fan of the big Constance Spry cookbook, for all its chutneys, jams, traditional puddings and so on. The recipes it contains for curry are amusingly dated, but for standard british cooking it contains everything you could possibly want.
My other great cookbook love is Claudia Roden's book of Jewish recipes (I can't remember it's name). Its got lots in, of all sorts of food, simple enough recipes and lovely stories about the people who taught her the recipes.
I do like The Two Fat Ladies cook books to browse through. I think I have only ever used one recipe but good to browse through.
Rick Stein on fish is a must, and Keith Floyd on travel, fish and almost anything to do with cooking.
Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:11 GMT, in reply to silverjenny in message 49
The best veggie seasonal cookbook imho is Denis Cotter's Paradiso Seasons. If you're searching on Amazon his name has only one 'n'. The restaurant is definitely worth a trip to Cork as the food is divine.
Another thumbs up for Madhur Jaffrey. OH also likes the Ottolenghi recipes in the Guardian's Saturday magazine. We've enjoyed food from the Modern Vegetarian by Maria Elia, which we've just bought recently.
mags
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