Any good Cookery Books??

Clár

I am looking for a recommendation for a good Cookery Book. My sister suggested Gordon Ramsay but looking through it today i dont like the look of any of the recipes.

It would be for my boyfriend as a stocken filler for Xmas as he enjoys cooking and he would love something like that.

Ideally it would have have receipes for things like Omlettes, meat dishes and salads. Gordon Ramsays look like all fancy casseroles (yuk)!

Any recommendation would be gratefully appreciated

Fitzer123

There is an old Delia book in the shops and it has everything I will ask my other half and post it here tonight. I know its good because I can follow it. Cooking terms are broken down into english every time and there are practical ingrediants used to creat great meals.

dudara

Nigel Slater's new book looks great and is half price in Waterstones at the moment, I think.

Clár

Fitzer123 wrote:

There is an old Delia book in the shops and it has everything I will ask my other half and post it here tonight. I know its good because I can follow it.

That would be gr8 thanks a mill.

I will also go and check out that on in Waterstones, im going away on Friday i might even check in duty free as you can get good offers in there.

i am a lady

dudara wrote:

Nigel Slater's new book looks great and is half price in Waterstones at the moment, I think.

i just spotted this thread, and i have to agree with dudara. i have nigel slater's "real food" and the recipes are gorgeous, just normal food like spuds, cheese, garlic, bread, chocolate etc, and pretty easy too. rachel allen's book is nice too, and neven maguire's. i have about 40 cook books, i just buy them for inspiration though really, but these three generally cook with ingredients that most average people have at home (or have heard of!).

Ay Cee

I've been trying for AGES to find a good cook book. All the ones I've looked through have maybe one or two recipes I would actually eat.

Very hard to find something with a bit of everything in it. I was looking for something that would have recipes for a good Sunday roast to a curry to pastas etc.

If any one comes across a good one let me know please.

yer wan

I have seen and tried them all and the only book that you need (for the starter up) is Delia Smiths, "How to Cook" book. The best thing I find with it is,it is easy to follow and the flavour of what you are making always turns out the way she says it will. it also takes the fear out of cooking something that seems difficult. Enjoy!:)

Ay Cee

Thanks for that Y.W. I'll keep an eye out for that.

blorg

I have Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course which is inexpensive and really does cover a whole lot of ground indeed. Apart from the recipies themselves there is a lot of advice on the other stuff - equipment, terms, where to buy your meat, different cuts, etc. The recipies are basically all standards and generally easy to make. Thoroughly recommend it, may well be what Fitzer is thinking of -first published 1978 although revised in 1992. Start off with this and then update it with more recent books. Ay Cee - it certainly covers everything you are looking for, with Sunday roast, curries and pasta all included!

tirl

I have a copy of Naked Chef 2 that I can email to anyone that wants it just pm me

Dellgirl

The best book i have found is Darina Allens Ballymaloe cookbook - the big thick grey one. All the recipies are bang on and there is a good range from the very simple to the downright smancy. Def wotrh investing in as a core reference.

BaZmO*

tirl wrote:

I have a copy of Naked Chef 2 that I can email to anyone that wants it just pm me

No you don't.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/nakedchef.asp

B.

frobisher

I have a collection of massive cook books from the 70s that cover everything. They might not be brillant for compiling cutting edge fusion cuisine but they can be surprisingly inspirational and can have some really good basic info covering types of eggs, cuts of meat and seasonal veg calenders etc.

fenris

The Avoca cookbooks - good for easy one pot dished that look like loads of effort have went into them and some nice breads/ cakes

"What to eat when you can't eat anything" - written by two wicklow teenagers with really bad allergies, the book has some very tasty stuff that has ingredients that you can actually buy in real shops, plus it is healthy without that "tastes like muck but it is doing me / the environment good" kiss of death that goes with most healthy (must resist rubbish recipies go to health food books rant)

"What to Eat" Nigella Lawson - Real people cooking, she cooks food that she , her friends and family like to eat and tends to include the bits that other writers leave out, like how to cook and what to watch out for when cooking particular dishes

Also check out some of the many Annabel Karramel books, she has some fantastic recipies for babies and toddlers (feeding them) as well as for adult food. Some of the recipies sound horrific but taste fabulous, many of the toddler / baby ones tend to become really nice soups for adults and almost everything is freezable and really easy to prepare (written for busy parents). Her "lovely lentil" recipe is a really good thick soup that most people will not believe came from a baby food book!

The BBC food magazine - has lots af really good recipes and proper instructions on making them.

Bear in mind that most celebrity recipes don't give you the real quantities, just watch some of the programs and watch thos mugs of cream being called teaspoons and pinches of salt that would empty most salt cellars in two go's !

fjon

I would recommend this one:
Complete Cookbook by Mary Berry. Has pretty much everything you'd need, and is very easy to understand.

holly_johnson

My fave cook books are the Autralian Women's Weekly books. They do loads of differnet ones (their chicken one is brilliant) and they are reasonalbe too. I have bought them in Roches and in Kitchen Complements in town.

I would definitely recommend them.