What's your cookery bible?

[ilovemydogandMrObama]

Mine is Margaret Costa's 'Four Seasons' but am looking to expand my horizons. What's your most dog eared book for cooking/baking.

Need suggestions please!

Mine is a folder with a sheaf of recipes torn out of magazines, given by friends or copied out of cookbooks I have borrowed!

The cookbook on my shelf that looks most used is Nigella's How to Eat.

Most useful is probably Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cookery Course (she's MIL to Rachel)

I also love my Nigella, but the one I wouldn't be without is Tamasin's Kitchen Bible by Tamasin Day-Lewis. It does all the classic recipes other cookbooks don't bother with any more plus great variations and lots of modern stuff too. Nothing is fussy, but it is all well thought out and described. Ummm!

David Herbert's Complete Perfect Recipes is brilliant. I've cooked more out of it than I have any other cookbook.

Mine has to be the Cranks Bible - interesting, easy and original vegetarian cooking. And it looks beautiful (although mine is covered in food splashes now!)

I've never cooked any recipe from that book that has turned out badly.

Definitely the Good Housekeeping cook book. Does all the basics in a no nonsense fashion. I always refer to it for Meringues, sponge, pancakes, etc. Although some of the other "fancier" recipes aren't that appealing.

I also like a Betty Crocker cook book I have for retro American food.

I have a ton of cookery books, but I do have a special fondness for anything from Good Housekeeping.

I have to say though that these days I turn to the BBC Good Food site mostly now. I love it and the comments that other people make about the recipes are so useful. I feel I'm really getting good advice as to whether a recipe is worth persuing or how it could be improved.

Thanks! Have been spending time looking at all of them. It's like book shopping, without the crowds!

Nigella's Feast book - it was a 21st present and I like the way it has all kinds of things from the very elaborate to much more simple 'late night' feasts. Also, her prose in the book is an entertaining read in itself.

Another vote for the Good Housekeeping cookbook. I use it all the time. My other favourite is Nigella Lawson's Domestic Goddess book. I love that book!

My Bero baking book.I'm on my 3rd copy now as they fall to pieces from over use.Otherwise I use my 1001 Curries book,which is also on the point of collapse.

Sarah Raven's Garden cookbook. At this time of year, I use it every week. Her new book Food for Friends and Family is brill too. Tasty, sometimes inventive but not overly fiddly food.

My most used though are my ripped out pages collection of Sainsbury's magazine recipes. Every single one a winner.

I'm with TMOAS, I use BBC Good Food website, it's brilliant and I just print out the recipes and put them in a folder. I have had loads of compliments on the stuff I've made and their ultimate chocolate cake and raspberry cheesecake are firm family favourites in our house!!

If you can get your hands on it in the UK - the Stephanie Alexander number. She is the Australian equivalent of a Darina Allen etc. It is sorted according to primary ingredient - ie. beef, eggs, potato etc. It is a good 1000 pages. I have both editions and both are very well thumbed.

That and the Silver Spoon translated from italian. Amazing.

Another vote for 'Tamasin's Kitchen Bible' here. It's really excellent - a good variety of recipes; things you'd actually cook day-to-day (although there are plenty of more 'special' things in there) and written in a very clear and no-nonsense way, with just enough prose to keep you entertained and interested without waffling on (she's amusingly forthright, in the best sense of the word).....however, it's also more than just a straight book of recipe lists.

I do read Nigella's books but mainly for the writing, like a book of good prose. I don't often feel like putting the recipes into practice!