I have quite an obsession with cookbooks. Among other things, a love for cookbooks is one of the things that I definitely inherited from my mom -- I love not only to be inspired by and cook from cookbooks, but also to just read them. For that reason, I love Nigella Lawson's and the Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks that always offer a little bit of a story to go with each recipe.
In any case, although I probably don't NEED any new cookbooks, I am in search of cookbooks that are well-loved by you. On a sidenote, I'm also looking for cookbook ideas to find a cookbook that I can work through almost every recipe, to continue expanding my cooking and baking repetoire.
So, I throw out this request to you -- what are your favorite cookbooks? What is a cookbook that you reach for time and time again for new ideas, delicious recipes, or just to read? Feel free to post a comment here directly about your cookbook, or if you blog about it, post the link to your blog as a comment! At the end of next week, I'll post a round up of favorite cookbooks.
Thanks to you ahead of time!!
Cheers!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
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9 comments:
Hi, Jackie. I don't often follow cookbooks as I make up a lot of my own recipes. But there are two cookbooks that are an exception - Jean-Georges: Cooking At Home and Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges. I love those cookbooks and have made practically every recipe. These recipes are wonderful and feature some very unique flavor combinations.
I'm looking forward to your cookbook round-up!
Please don't laugh but when my husband and I married 15 years ago, my mother gave me the Treasury of Campbell's Recipes! For the longest time, this book ensured that my husband ate something reasonably edible (beyond ramen noodles).
Today, I usually make recipes found in magazines and on the Web; however, during a recent family visit to the Philippines, I picked up "Kulinarya: A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine" (I'm not sure if it is available in the US yet). I am trying to re-discover my heritage through food and since there are no Filipino restaurants in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, I must make it for myself. This book is a gorgeous primer on the most well-known, traditional dishes. I've already made few of the recipes that I hope my mother would be proud to know I learned!
We're not big cookbook users, so this is hard...almost impossible. We'll think long and hard on this, but no promises! :0
I love Mario Batali's cookbooks. All of them.
I share a similar love for cookbooks, and there are many favourites:
- Nigel Slater's Real Cooking - one of my first cookbooks and a real modern classic. Simple, exciting recipes and techniques, beautifully written. It's well worth following Slater's weekly cooking collumn at http://observer.guardian.co.uk/
- Hugh fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Cookbook - this is just a goldmine of obscure advice and is truly inpirational. Includes instructions on everything from rearing your own livestock to making your own bacon, which incidentally is easy and delicious. FW's other monolithic book, Meat, is similarly excellent. the title says it all.
- Larusse Gastronomique - just Titanic, including an answer to every culinary question ever asked. I posted about this a couple of weeks ago. It is brilliant.
- Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course - I'm embarrasssed about this, because it's so unfashionable it's untrue, but it has a wealth of solid recipes on standard, staple things, the sorts of things you know you should just be able to cook, but can't.
- Jamie Oliver - I also have a soft spot for jamie's books. Strip away all the style and the laddishness and you're left with some really very good recipes that are easy to follow, easy to make your own and very rewarding.
There are more. Of this lot, I'd take Slater's as the best.
rich
What a great question! I love all Ina and Nigella too, as well as Tyler Florence.
Are you thinking baking too? Or just cooking?
Totally open for baking or cooking! I LOVE to bake, so I'm always open for new baking book ideas :)
I love cookbooks, and especially enjoy purchasing them used, as the personal notes and inscriptions are priceless.
My favorite: First Edition of "A Taste of Aloha" by the Junior League of Honolulu. Printed in 1983 and filled with recipe favorites from Hawaii's top chefs, when their culinary reputations were built upon first hand experience and passed by word of mouth throughout the world...no food network support, yet. A multitude of cultures and tastes are covered in this book, all tried and true!
I love cookbooks, particularly old ones, and especially very old ones. I have some in storage I'm itchin' to get to, and I do reviews on my blog from time to time.
Here's a link to what's in my Review Queue: http://curiousdomestic.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/a-treasure-trove-of-cookbooks/
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