Any cookbooks you can't live without?

[DIna00]

It seems the days of printed cookbooks are going by the wayside, with all the recipes and information available on the internet.

Are there any cookbooks you consistently use and couldn't live without? Or are most of them just good for a recipe or two?

When I was young my dad bought me a Purity Flour cookbook. I went through it and tried almost every easy baking recipe, I still use it today. But other than that I haven't found any great resource that I couldn't do without.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

all of the ones on my bookshelves - it is the only reason they are there. If they are useless, they go.

https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/name-your-most-used-cook-book.1603/#post-8760
https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/just-bought-another-cookbook-veggiestan.2621/
https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/cafe-paradiso-resturant-cookbooks-cork-ireland.15/

saves me typing the entire list out again... but there are a few more that have recently been added. the great thing about the changes that are happening with people considering ebooks instead is that paper books are getting much cheaper 2nd hand and that is usually how I get most of mine (veggiestan being the exception recently).

 

[missbishi]

I still use a battered copy of Delia Smith's "One Is Fun" which my uncle gave to me when I left home for college 20 years ago! There are some cheap and quick recipes in there which I still make today.

 

[worldmachine]

My favourite cookbook is the Chinese restaurant cookbook by Pat Chapman, i have owned this book for over twenty years. I am a big fan of Chinese cookery and culture and this book not only contains great easy to follow recipes but discusses the culinary background of the dishes.

The book has an interesting section on Chinese history and philosophy and the part it plays in the food. The book also breaks down the different regional styles and dishes in Chinese cooking. I will never stop using this book as a reference or experimenting with the recipes.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Betty Crocker.
I try to get every new edition possible!! I think the newest edition is out now!

 

[Berties]

Le Répertoire de la Cuisine,a book written by a student of escoffier over 100 years ago ,it is not a newbies book as there are no amounts ,but it gives a introduction to thousands of ideas

 

[GadgetGuy]

Also, I have the older Betty Crocker cookbooks from the '72 edition up.
I also have the one & only Family Circle cookbook that I've ever owned! Made the sad mistake of selling it to a used book store. Got a perfectly good used one from Amazon.com. The first used one that I got from there was so bloody raggedy!! It only cost $1. Get what you pay for! The 2nd one was $20 or so, but it is in far better condition than the other one was!

 

[Beer]

The complete farmhouse kitchen cook book (the big one). Based on Yorkshire Television programme from the fifties maybe later. Obviously with more than hint of the war and rationing but by no means only that.
I rarely use any cook book, this one being the exception. Note I often read it as if reading a history book as opposed to a book book. I have a liking for contemporary history.
Over a thousand recipes including wine, beer and cider making. Preserves, baking bread, (without a machine) cheese and butter. Obviously game is included. Think I picked up mine in good condition for about £4 including postage from Abe books. Absolute bargain. I will have a read now as an excuse for not getting off my arse and doing something!!

 

[Dianemwj]

All 15 of my America's Test Kitchen cookbooks. And when number 16 comes out, I'm buying that too. Also ATK's Cook's Country series. Oh, and of course my ancient Betty Crocker with the broken, taped up spine. And Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home. I'd better stop or I'll be listing all night.

 

[cupcakechef]

I have a few cookbooks but I wouldn't say any are ones I couldn't live without. The recipes I can't live without are committed to memory, and for any new things that I want to try, I look things up on the internet (or get a lot of inspiration on here!)

I think these days because information is so freely available online, the use of cookbooks probably isn't as high as it once was. I still like getting cookbooks mainly from a beautiful photography perspective - I really appreciate great food pictures in many of them!

 

[Morning Glory]

All 15 of my America's Test Kitchen cookbooks. And when number 16 comes out, I'm buying that too. Also ATK's Cook's Country series. Oh, and of course my ancient Betty Crocker with the broken, taped up spine. And Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home. I'd better stop or I'll be listing all night.

I'm afraid I don't know what America's Test Kitchen cookbooks are... or ATK's series. But (triumph!), I have heard of Betty Crocker. I think she was a bit like our Marguerite Patten. No idea about Julia and Jaques either. I will google these references.

I don't think there is one book I couldn't do without. I've learned enough about cooking to not really need cookery books - but I do like the inspiration and ideas. I recently acquired Yotem Ottolenghi's Plenty More, which has lots of fascinating flavour combinations.

 

[Dianemwj]

I'm afraid I don't know what America's Test Kitchen cookbooks are... or ATK's series. But (triumph!), I have heard of Betty Crocker. I think she was a bit like our Marguerite Patten. No idea about Julia and Jaques either. I will google these references.

I don't think there is one book I couldn't do without. I've learned enough about cooking to not really need cookery books - but I do like the inspiration and ideas. I recently acquired Yotem Ottolenghi's Plenty More, which has lots of fascinating flavour combinations.

America's Test Kitchen is a Public Broadcasting System cooking show which has been on for 15 years. The premise is that they test recipes by cooking them dozens of times until they come out with the perfect technique for cooking for whatever dishes they're preparing that week. I have most recently made their recipe for Singapore Noodles which was incredibly delicious and I'm planning to make their recipe for Pork with Garlic Sauce this week, which I've made before and is also very good. They have started a new series called Cook's Country using the same cast and premise, but focusing on American regional cuisine.

Julia and Jacques are Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. They also had a cooking show on PBS which was quite fun to watch. Julia Child is famous for making French cooking approachable to the American home cook back in the 60s and Jacques Pepin is well...French. Their personalities meshed quite well. They were very cute together. I make Julia's recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon and Jacques' recipe for French Onion Soup. (amongst other things.) My English friend said that Julia Child is the American version of Delia Smith.

I checked Yotem Ottolenghi's book Plenty from the library and tried several recipes. Although the food looked beautiful in the photos the recipes never really worked for me. They weren't bad, but they always seemed to be missing something indefinable. It was more likely something I did wrong than the recipes themselves.

 

[Morning Glory]

Julia and Jacques are Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. They also had a cooking show on PBS which was quite fun to watch. Julia Child is famous for making French cooking approachable to the American home cook back in the 60s and Jacques Pepin is well...French. Their personalities meshed quite well. They were very cute together. I make Julia's recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon and Jacques' recipe for French Onion Soup. (amongst other things.) My English friend said that Julia Child is the American version of Delia Smith.

I checked Yotem Ottolenghi's book Plenty from the library and tried several recipes. Although the food looked beautiful in the photos the recipes never really worked for me. They weren't bad, but they always seemed to be missing something indefinable. It was more likely something I did wrong than the recipes themselves.

Oh, I have heard of Julia Child! Yes, I think she may be a bit like our Delia.

I must confess I haven't actually tried any of Yotem's recipes yet - although I've used some of the flavour combinations. I think I've got to a stage where I tend to pick and mix ideas from various sources rather than slavishly follow a recipe. I suppose that's good in some ways but on the other hand it can be useful to 'go back to school' as it were, to avoid getting sloppy! I know that's happened with me when I've made curries. I've got to the point where the process is so automatic (caramelise onions, add garlic/ginger puree, add ground dry roast spices, add turmeric, add tomatoes etc!), well, its so automatic, that I forget , for example, that you can make curry without onions and/or without tomatoes.

Pork with garlic sauce sounds good...

 

[Dianemwj]

Oh, I have heard of Julia Child! Yes, I think she may be a bit like our Delia.

I must confess I haven't actually tried any of Yotem's recipes yet - although I've used some of the flavour combinations. I think I've got to a stage where I tend to pick and mix ideas from various sources rather than slavishly follow a recipe. I suppose that's good in some ways but on the other hand it can be useful to 'go back to school' as it were, to avoid getting sloppy! I know that's happened with me when I've made curries. I've got to the point where the process is so automatic (caramelise onions, add garlic/ginger puree, add ground dry roast spices, add turmeric, add tomatoes etc!), well, its so automatic, that I forget , for example, that you can make curry without onions and/or without tomatoes.

Pork with garlic sauce sounds good...

I will also combine various elements from recipes from different sources for the same dish. Except for America's Test Kitchen recipes, which are best followed precisely, I rarely follow a recipe exactly. I improvise a lot. And of course there are some things I just cook automatically as you do with your curries.