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Food/Recipes

Recommend a cookbook

26 replies

Catinthecorner · 30/12/2017 00:12

I’ve decided 2018 is the year I’m going to build a good cookbook selection.

I’ve borrowed persiana from a friend and it’s on the must buy post now and received Rick Stein’s Mexican book for Christmas. So assuming maybe one book a month with the aim of covering most cooking styles what would you recommend?

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Blondie1984 · 30/12/2017 02:17

Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi

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LadyWithLapdog · 30/12/2017 02:38

Mildred's for vegetarian cooking.

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FlukeSkyeRunner · 30/12/2017 06:56

Made in India, Meera Sodha or River Cottage Veg Everyday.

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Appleandcinnamon · 30/12/2017 06:58

Charity shops are the best place for this you will find some really interesting ones by accident

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KTD27 · 30/12/2017 07:11

The roasting tin by Rukmini Iyer. It’s gorgoue and easy and yummy!

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KTD27 · 30/12/2017 07:11

*gorgeous even.

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IWouldLikeToKnow · 30/12/2017 07:13

The Spice tree by Nisha Katona is great if you like Indian food. I just got one for Christmas called Fearless Food by Lynda Booth. It’s got great recipes I’m looking forward to trying.

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StripySocksAndDocs · 30/12/2017 07:21

One not by a celebrity chef.

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StripySocksAndDocs · 30/12/2017 07:25

Whenever I get out of bed I'll post the names of the two books I have I find invaluable

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SofaSofaOnTheFloor · 30/12/2017 07:26

Thank goodness there are only eight replies - I've already just put one of these in my Amazon basket. May have to hide thread.

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Joskar · 30/12/2017 07:56

Get them out the library or out of newspapers/magazines (online BBC Good Food). It's not just about cooking style it's also about writing style and what you need. Cooking for a family is totally different to cooking for one.

Personally I like Yotam Ottolenghi, Diana Henry, Rick Stein, Nigel Slater, Madhur Jaffery, Meera Sodha. But if you are just learning to cook then Delia Smith and Jamie Oliver are better places to start.

Try before you buy in case you end up with a shelf of expensive books full of beautiful photos of food you never cook.

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TitsalinaBumSqoosh · 30/12/2017 08:09

Nigella - How to eat,
Jamie Oliver - Ministry of food

Both of these are simple but really good delicious meals.

There was an Italian one recommended on here that apparently brides are given as a cooking bible of sorts but I can't remember the name. Blush

River cottage everyday is great too.

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finks100 · 30/12/2017 08:12

Charity shops are great for this, for a couple of quid you can pick up a book...cheaper than a magazine.
I love wandering through charity shops and picking up books, in fact my resolution should be to get rid of some!

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MissSueFlay · 30/12/2017 08:12

Save with Jamie - I actually love most of Jamie Oliver's books, my kind of food.

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finks100 · 30/12/2017 08:48

I have quite a few Jamie books, they are great and easy to cook. Again often found second hand!

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coastalchick · 30/12/2017 08:53

Gino's italian escape book 1 - I've done several recipes from there which have been outstanding (the butternut squash risotto is addictive!!)

But I love Persiana too which you've borrowed (lucky enough to be going for a cookery lesson with the woman herself - made her spiced perfume shoulder of lamb last night - was outstanding, but I'd also serve it with natural yoghurt)

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Catinthecorner · 30/12/2017 15:19

Some lovely suggestions. I hadn’t considered charity shops (silly really as they’re my main source of fiction for holidays) but that’s a lovely idea.

To the poster who asked, I’m already a good and confident cook, I’m just bored and stuck in a rut. There’s just two of us (infertile) but I host quite a bit (as a side effect of DH’s job). Which is probably why I’m bored actually, I cook a lot of old faithfuls that I know will work.

For those who suggested specific books I have made a list and will visit the library to see what leaps out at me before I invest money

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AnnaMagnani · 31/12/2017 09:49

Anna Jones - DH bought it for me for Christmas last year. I wasn't sure about it but it was on lots of the 'best cookbook lists' and DH hadn't noticed it was vegetarian Shock Became one of my most used books and I've made nearly all the recipes.

Claudia Roden will always have a special place in my heart as her books really got me into cooking. They aren't just cookbooks, you learn about the whole culture of the place she is writing about. She also doesn't care if you make mistakes, change stuff or it doesn't look like the picture as most of her recipes are home cooking from before Instagram. Her book on Jewish Food is a classic, as is her Middle Eastern Food but the more recent Arabesque is probably easiest and has lovely pictures. I also love her Spain book - when I was in Spain I asked for a recommendation on a book to buy to really know Spanish food and that was what they recommended, which I already had!

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KTD27 · 31/12/2017 17:41

Oh also perfect by felicity cloake
Love her column. Love the book.

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TheOriginalNNB · 31/12/2017 17:43

The Silver Spoon

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AlbertandVicky · 31/12/2017 18:58

Fae's family food

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calilark · 31/12/2017 19:02

I really like the new Jamie Oliver 5 ingredients book, it has definitely helped us get out of our food rut.

I also really like Allegra McEvedy's book, something like Bought, borrowed & stolen. All about the different knives she uses and a load of interesting recipes alongside. The Turkish tapenade in there is lush, we make it a lot

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finks100 · 31/12/2017 19:56

Just bought the Allegra book on amazon, 57p+postage. Same price as a charity shop purchase. Looking forward to trying tapenade.

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Unescorted · 31/12/2017 20:04

Taste Thesaurus by Niki Segnit no recipes as such but great ideas of what flavours go together and examples of different types of cooking where you will find them.

Leith's how to cook. Has loads of base recipes that can be flavoured using suggestions from the Taste Thesaurus.

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NoStraightEdges · 31/12/2017 20:06

Yy to Mildred's for veggie food.

Also vegan Indian street food by that Jackie that won masterchef.

And rich steins India.

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