2016 cookery book challenge

[Whataboutreindeer]

I received four new cookery books for Christmas, these join my rather large collection. Some of my cookery books have barely been opened, I tend to google for recipes or cook dishes from Good Food magazine. So, this year I aim to cook at least one recipe from every cookery book I own. I'm hoping this will allow me to let go of the books that aren't to my taste and make better use of the books that are.

I do online shopping on a Sunday evening so during my meal plan and shopping evening I will select a book and decide on my recipe. I need to count my books to see if it will be one a week or more / less.

I'll post back here with a picture of my pile and how many recipes I need to get through!

[1frenchfoodie]

Sounds like a good plan. I do something similar, picking a book ahead of online grocery shopping. When I get new cookbooks I always look through and list the recipes I want to make on a sheet of paper I put inside the front cocer. That makes the process of choosing when it come to meal planning a bit quicker.

[OvO]

Great idea! I've got about 70 cookbooks and tend to use the same few but also mainly get my recipes online now. I'm going to steal your idea!

Might get a DC to randomly choose a book as I'll spend ages choosing the book and then another age choosing a recipe.

[Cookingongas]

Nice idea. I collect cookbooks and have two 5ft bookcases dedicated to just cookbooks.

I have a ten recipe policy over a year, so each cookbook I keep I must have made and enjoyed 10 recipes from it within a year ( ish) of owning it. Otherwise it's charity shop headed.

Good luck

[Whataboutreindeer]

Gas this is my thought, if I'm not using them then they need to go. Somehow because they are cookery books they are allowed to multiply and take up space unbidden.

[SellFridges]

I rationalised mine earlier this year but still have about 60. We have about 60 other (adult) books left in the house so they need to start earning their keep.

I'm back to work after mat leave in a couple of weeks so one of next week's jobs is to identify recipes to try. I also intend to start meal planning as we need to cut the food spend so we can move house.

[CiderwithBuda]

Like this idea. I'm a cook book fiend too. And look up recipes on line so don't actually use the ones I've got. Got four new ones for Xmas. And I'm constantly on a health kick or diet so have lots of diet/healthy eating ones too.

My aim is to cook a recipe from one book a week.

[FeelingSmurfy]

Wow, I have so many there is no way I could do this. I want to start using them more though

[Whataboutreindeer]

If I had too many for this id be aiming for four new recipes a month. I'm feeling perhaps I need to buy more cookery books to keep up with some of you..

[TheScottishPlay]

Great idea. I have a good few cookery books too but mostly cook tried and tested recipes I know inside out or google for new ideas.
I got a couple for Christmas too and will try some of them out on my days off next week.

[Chewbecca]

I'm doing two recipes from my newest book this week - Jamie Oliver's superfoods book.

I'm trying the chicken curry (sort of) with cauliflower and the salmon with peas & mash.

[Whataboutnodetox]

That's one of my new ones. I'm going to crack it open tomorrow while ds1 is at preschool and find something to make this week!

[Whataboutnodetox]

Please let me know how they go, always nice to hear how someone has got on with a new recipe! Thanks for the inspiration for choice of book.


I do need to find a way to list all the recipes that work so I can refer back to them when I need a recipe for the meal plan. Like most people i fall back on a few handfuls of recipes that I do on a loop.

[Chewbecca]

Well the Bombay chicken and cauli was okaaaay. Filled a hole and perfectly pleasant but no wow factor and won't make it again. DS grumbled about the brown rice and raw spinach and DH thought it was too dry.

Trying the salmon dish tomorrow, not sure anything can go much wrong with that?!

[Cookingongas]

The flatbreads with broccoli in the breakfast section of superfoods is really nice. It's also the only recipe I can remember of the top of my head so it can't have left too much of an impression on me as I only had it a few months back

[NeverNic]

Like the sound of this. I also have a subscription to Delicious magazine and I reckon I make 2 recipes a year from that! Will set myself a goal of one a month from the magazine and 2 a week from my collection. Baking wise I do refer to my collection rather than online but almost never for meals.

[Ditsy4]

What a great thread and idea!
Ah I see I'm not alone some people actually have more cook books than me!
I love cookbooks but now hope no one buys me one because I haven't any room on the shelves for them and a couple are shoved down the side. A few I have never used other than to look at. I'm going to join in. At least one a week.

[MummyToACheekyMonkey]

This is a great idea, as despite owning quite an impressive collection of cookbooks I do find I tend to head to the intanet for recipes and inspiration without a second thought.. I got "Naturally Sassy" by Saskia Gregson-Williams for my birthday and plan to choose at least one recipe a week from the cookbook...

[Chewbecca]

Well Jamie's salmon steaks with peas and mashed veg went down much better than yesterday's chicken offering. DS wasn't that keen on the fennel seeds on the salmon and we all agreed we really liked the mash & would like to have it again but it would probably be better with a protein other than salmon - sausages would be good... but not quite a superfood perhaps!

Still, the mash is healthier than usual and will likely become a regular side so all good.

2 new recipes in 2 days?!

[Whataboutnodetox]

Well done chewbecca! I've just looked through the whole of my Rosemary shrager book and all of the recipes require so many ingredients! I'll take tomorrow morning to look through a few others to see if there is anything I have ingredients in for. I'll definitely try the salmon and mashed veg, I'll update my online shop tomorrow.

[NeverNic]

Does anyone have the Cook Nourish Glow book?

[Whataboutnodetox]

No I'm afraid not, I'm not very glowy :-(

I've chosen Simply Nigella to start with, mainly because it was the first book I grabbed. I don't have all the ingredients to make any of her dinners this week, but I am going to make some flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies this afternoon with my two year old. I'm quite surprised there are a few dishes I will definitely make, some of her soups look good and filling (whilst also being something my toddler will eat, whilst he is adventurous his tolerance of chilli is not developed yet) and chicken Cosima is on the menu for next week.

I have realised one of the reasons I have stopped cooking so much, cost and cupboard space. Many of the recipes need multiple ingredients that are not needed in anything else. That's fine for "normal" store cupboard ingredients and fresh food but some of the other ingredients I'm struggling to justify purchasing. I need to assess how to deal with that, probably searching for recipes that use the same ingredients every couple of weeks.

[MummyToACheekyMonkey]

I found that to be the same issue Whataboutnodetox. One of my 'go to' cookbooks is A Girl Called Jack by Jack Monroe. Her recipes are simple, quick, easy, healthy, low budget, standard cupboard store ingredients - They're really tasty too..

[Whataboutnodetox]

Thanks cheeky, maybe I'll treat myself if I manage to declutter a couple of existing books.

[Whataboutnodetox]

My son and I made these cookies, I think they must be the least healthy thing in the simply nigella book! They were very easy but I only had crunch peanut butter in so the texture looks to have made them less flat than hers. They are dairy and gluten free which is handy for parties (if you have no guests with nut allergies!) and my two year old could almost make them alone!

[saltedcaramelhotchoc]

Those Nigella cookies are so easy and good! Mine came out looking different from hers too but still good.

Chicken cosima is very easy and very good!

I made leek and potato soup for lunch and it was vile! Too watery. Meh. My fault for following a low cal version. I won't repeat that mistake. Had to eat Stilton instead....