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Original poster

Please recommend me your best cook books.

120 replies

Milliways · 10/01/2006 17:59

I have some very old books with nothing inspiring in them, + delias Christmas, Summer & Autumn books - which I like.

Nothing fancy, and we don't do fish.

Toying with a Nigella & a Jamie. Are they worth the money, which are best. Or someone else.

I have vouchers to spend

OP posts:
melrose · 10/01/2006 20:00

BBc website is great too if you are feeling uninspired by the contents of the fridge as you can search by ingredient (use it lots for my veg box)

Milge · 10/01/2006 20:00

For basic, everyday meals for little ones and adults, I really like the Dinner Lady here

kate100 · 10/01/2006 20:01

I have Gordon Makes it Easy and it's very good, but it has a lot of fish recipes in it.

I have loads of cook books, the ones I like best are;
How to Eat
Happy Days with the Naked Chef
Jamie's Dinner's

I also get lots of recipes from the Waitrose Seasons magazines, which are free quarterly.

Agree with people about Feast, I haven't used it much. The chocolate cakes are delicious, although the quantities are a bit out.

robinpud · 10/01/2006 20:06

MT- do you ever get fed up with the recycling of recipes in Good Food ? I stopped my subscription and only buy it now from time to time. I have a huge folder with all my favourite recipes in from old mags and use it loads.
No one has mentioned actually using Gordon.. why?
I like Delia and Nigella- never use Jamie - they just sit collecting dust. I want another one with good family meals in but not too fattening or with outrageously out of season ingredients.

Mercy · 10/01/2006 20:09

Moondog, my MIL has a huge collection of Australian Womens Weekly - she's a great cook. Sadly the only copy she bought me wasn't as good as the others she has

yoyo · 10/01/2006 20:13

I also have a rather extensive collection which can be broken into categories i) rarely used - Leith's Bible, Nigella Bites, JO's Naked Chef, Nigel's Appetite, Huw F.W's Meat; (ii) good solid family cooking - Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step (ancient but foolproof and varied), Lindsey Bareham Just One Pot (excellent and has become one of my favourites), Nigel Slater's Real Food, Real Cooking and 30-min Cook are all worth a look but Real Food would be my favourite, JO's Happy Days and Return of the Naked Chef have a number of good recipes; (iii) Good reads as well as good cook books - Nigella's How to and Simon Hopkinson's Roast Chicken and Other Stories; (iv) promising ones but not had much time yet include Just Like Mother Used to Make by Tom Norrington-Davies and The River Cottage Family Cookbook (if you want to involve the children.

Kitchen Diaries is stroked lovingly (it is a thing of beauty) but haven't started it yet.

Pruni · 10/01/2006 20:14

Message withdrawn

yoyo · 10/01/2006 20:16

Should have been a colon and open bracket not sad face but maybe it is indicative of my obsession with cook books!

Mercy · 10/01/2006 20:34

Pruni, harrissa chicken, garlic/sherry/chicken sound delish. But boar cooked in milk?????????

What does it taste like?

Pruni · 10/01/2006 20:36

Message withdrawn

CarolinaMoon · 10/01/2006 20:40

that reminds me, I used to use the River Cafe book a fair bit, but it is obv a bit 90s now...

There is a fab pork-cooked-in-milk recipe in that (with chunks of lemon peel - the milk curdles and gets quite a nutty flavour).

sunchowder · 10/01/2006 21:08

I love the Australian Women's Weekly Series of cookbooks, I am obsessed and must have about 30 of them. I also love Nigel Appetite, I have the entire Moosewood Series and the Joy of Cooking which is a fabulous reference--the last two are American so the measurements would be a bit wonky for you though.

hoxtonchick · 10/01/2006 21:23

most things by nigel slater, kitchen diaries is a wonderful read, but i cooked a recipe from it the other night which was not nice at all. how to eat is excellent. i have a katie stewart book my mum gave me on my 21st which she & i both use a lot.

hermykne · 10/01/2006 21:35

ENID fabuous wedding banquet no doubt
what u have? hijack sorry

Original poster
Milliways · 10/01/2006 21:40

Wow - sooo many replies

Thanks

OP posts:
MrsSpoon · 10/01/2006 21:59

Reading through the posts have reminded me of some more, I used to use Leiths Bible a lot but not so much these days. Also think Moro is fab, cooked a chicken in white wine casserole from there, harissa chicken, flat breads, lentil and cabbage soup, good for entertaining. The Dinner Lady is great for basic family staples.

MrsSpoon · 10/01/2006 22:36

That was the other one, Muffins Fast and Fantastic. Use that one loads.

jennifersofia · 10/01/2006 23:05

Just made dh's birthday party meal from Moro cookbook - things that went down particularly well were grilled chicken wings with tahini, marinated olives and fatayer.
I use NS's Appetite a fair bit, and also American 'Joy of Cooking' (for proper american recipes and an interesting read) 'Fields of Greens' by Annie Somerville for good Californian vegetarian meals (fab, not stodgy), Roald Dahls' Cookbook and Elizabeth David for a good read and basic standard english/ french recipes.
oooh this thread makes me want to buy more cookbooks that I don't need!

Heathcliffscathy · 10/01/2006 23:20

hoxton, which recipie, i'll avoid it!

Medea · 11/01/2006 00:57

Agree with jenifersofia about Moro. It's also very visually appealing as cookbooks go. Have given the book to 3 friends over the years. . .went down very well in all cases.

kitegirl · 11/01/2006 03:52

Silvana Franco's 'Family'

has been a godsend. Simple home food, stuff that you can put together in half an hour, lovely inspiring pictures, I cook something out of that book every week.

kitegirl · 11/01/2006 03:53

Silvana Franco's 'Family'

has been a godsend. Simple home food, stuff that you can put together in half an hour, lovely inspiring pictures, I cook something out of that book every week.

Hallgerda · 11/01/2006 09:30

I like the Moosewood series (apart from "Sundays at Moosewood" which I donated to a charity shop after realising I'd done nothing with it for three years other than laugh at the bit about the cream tea being very popular for Los Angeles power lunches). I don't mind the cups; I spent a year in the United States getting used to them. I also like the Australian Womens Weekly vegetarian and almost vegetarian books. There are some really good recipes in the Lesley Chamberlain Russia and Eastern Europe books (I can't remember the exact titles). Good Housekeeping Vegetarian Cookery is another book I use a lot, as is the New Cranks book. I haven't seen any good new veggie books though - has anyone else?

lapsedrunner · 11/01/2006 09:32

I always come back to Delia, they are just soooo reliable.

harpsichordcarrier · 11/01/2006 09:37

Nigel Slater, Real Food
anything of Nigel Slater's actually
Delia's How to Cook
I wojldn't bother with Jamie or Nigella tbh, though it might be worth getting ONE Jamie because they are ALL THE SAME