Topic: what is your favourite cook book

[valmarg]

The Robert Carrier Cookbook and the Carrier's Kitchen weekly series are probably my favourites, and several of his other cookbooks.

I love a lot of the Australian Women's Weekly cookbooks.

I have such a load of cookbooks, The Roux Brothers, Gary Rhodes, Mary Berry, and, of course, Delia.

I could go on listing, but they are probably a few of my favourites.

valmarg

[hellohelenhere]

Oh and then, there's this one:
http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html

:D :D

I cried laughing at this. Definitely the *funniest* recipe collection ever...

[tim]

I suppose we have 80 or so!! Impossible to single one out, but it all depends upon what you mean.

1. If you want a vade mecum, then for decades I've sworn by Joy of Cooking's 900 pages of help.

2. If you want titivation, then you have to have glossy photos, & these are SO good these days. And, of course, therte are the step by step books.

3. The other choice is your favourite style/chap/chapess of the day. A fickle choice, influenced by others in the family, trends, advertising etc.

4. But I'm ashamed to say that I do agree with Hyacinth - I more often than not go to the net these days - much quicker than wading through all those books!

5. Anchor points, however are McGee on Food & Cooking, Lundberg etc in Understanding Cooking, John Humphries' Saffron Companion, Delia's Complete, the Yoghurt Boook, Jill Norman's Complete Book of Spices. And several others!!

[hopalong]

Anything by Nigel Slater, but particularly "Appetite". His sheer enjoyment of food shines through on every page (you only have to read his touching little autobiography "Toast" to understand why food is so important to him). He is very clear without being rigidly prescriptive. I particularly like the variations he suggests for each recipe. Genius. :D

[calendula]

does anyone have Nigel's 'Calender' (I think this is what it is called) - it is a month by month cook book and I looked at it once and thought seriously about buying it but would like to know if anyone has it and their thoughts on it - probably similar to Jamie's 'At Home' book where he goes through the seasons and cooks what's available in his garden - wouldn't really ant 2 books like this but I agree Nigel Slater always makes me feel hungry even with the simplest of recipes   :)

[hopalong]

does anyone have Nigel's 'Calender' (I think this is what it is called) - it is a month by month cook book and I looked at it once and thought seriously about buying it but would like to know if anyone has it and their thoughts on it - probably similar to Jamie's 'At Home' book where he goes through the seasons and cooks what's available in his garden - wouldn't really ant 2 books like this but I agree Nigel Slater always makes me feel hungry even with the simplest of recipes   :)

Calendula - I suspect you are thinking of "The Kitchen Diaries" which records recipes that Nigel cooked on nearly every day of the year, some of them very quick and simple, some more time-consuming and complex.  It is especially good for people who grow their own fruit and veg.  The recipes use veg and fruit that are in season at different times of the year. It is a great book to dip into.

[lolabelle]

I love Nigels Kitchen diary to cook from and just  good bedtime reading  :D :D

[tim]

Forgot to acknowledge that Nigel answers questions in a very friendly & helpful way.

[calendula]

Calendula - I suspect you are thinking of "The Kitchen Diaries" which records recipes that Nigel cooked on nearly every day of the year, some of them very quick and simple, some more time-consuming and complex.  It is especially good for people who grow their own fruit and veg.  The recipes use veg and fruit that are in season at different times of the year. It is a great book to dip into.

many thanks, am sure you are right, will be difficult to resist methinks  ;D

[calamityjayneuk]

Interesting thread!

My family always buys a newly wed couple a Dairy Diary as part of their wedding pressie. So handy for all the basics and some good British favourites.

I quite enjoy Jamie Oliver's 'Jamie at Home' book, the one about cooking from the kitchen garden.

And the River Cottage Preserves book which is absolutely fab, I have jars and jars of chilli jam, pickles and chutneys - yum!

[KathrynH]

I'm another one who  has too many cook books to list but have to add my vote to Delia's Complete Cookery Course as well as her Summer and Winter Collections. Haven't bought her How to Cheat though as the reviews were enough to put me off.

I also love the BBC Good Food magazine, to which I am a subscriber. Many of their recipes ase now on their website and so I no longer have the need to tear pages out before passing the magazines on ( a terribly annoying habit according to my firends!)

Probably my all time favourite is Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries though. I start to look through it for ideas, get so engrossed that I end up not having time to cook whatever it was I was thinking of!

[grawrc]

Sometimes my cookbook is a quick look in fridge, freezer and larder followed by a think about what I can do with what is nearest its use by date. i only really use cookery books for guests and important occasions and then really only to get more ideas. Do love them though and I have a fair-sized coll ection.

[gordonsveg]

My two loose leaf folders full of recipes from the internet, trouble is I probanly wont get round to making them all. ::)