What's your favourite COOKBOOK?

[Popbiscuit]

The one that you reach for over-and-over again? Either for everyday things or special occasion (or one that covers both) or for baking / desserts.

Always looking to add to my collection .

I lived in Italy for a few months as an au pair when i was younger and grew to love Italian cuisine. I now really enjoy cooking Italian myself and love the cook book "The River Café Classic Italian Cookbook" which a got for Christmas a little while ago.

Thanks. xxx

Delia's complete cookery course.

Love to read Nigel Slater. Great writer. Love his fast food book (can't rem name).

Have about 3 million cookbooks at home, rarely cook more than one or 2 recipes from them.
And of course, have another 3 million recipes torn out surreptitiosly from waiting room magazines, tucked in v. v. tidily here there and everywhere.

Jane Grigson's "English Food"
Madhur Jaffrey's various books
"Sunday Times Cookery Book" circa 1984

We are veggie, so:

'Veganomicon' (and others from the 'post punk kitchen'), wonderfully inventive, comprehensive and practical.
River Cafe 'Green' has been very good for learning a number of 'proper' Italian recipes.
Yottam Ottolenghi's 'Plenty' has been a tiny bit hit and miss but mostly hits. Full of really tasty recipes and ways of doing things, which extend our repertoire.
Madhur Jaffrey's 'Eastern Vegetarian Cooking', so much information in one book.

An obscure one, 'Rainbows and Wellies' was written by people running a veggie B+B in Scotland and just has some great, inventive recipes, especially for occasions, that don't really make sense until you try them.

I don't generally like having to have a recipe book in front of me when I cook so I prefer books that are not too detailed and prescriptive but rather stress basic techniques which one can then adapt on the spur of the moment according to what is available. So:

Rose Prince: The New English Kitchen. (Especially good on the virtues of buying high quality stuff but making it go further)

Xanthe Clay: Recipes to know by Heart

Len Deighton: French Cookery for Men

I'm not sure why "for men" - perhaps because quite a bit of it is in the form of comic strips ...

It has some fantastic charts showing all the classic french sauces and how they are interlinked and derived from each other. I hadn't known until I got the book that Deighton had trained as a chef in France.

Yup I 2nd Delia's complete Cookery course for basics a brilliant book IMO. and all her others of course.

Jane Grigson's vegetable book which gives you ideas if you have a veg. you don't know what to do with (she's bizarre though 'cos she's critical of anything "healthy".)

A fabulous book which is a good read as well is Elizabeth David's English Bread and Yeast Cookery

I also have a slightly scruffy file of my own and other recipes from colour supplements, magazines etc.

Keith Floyd's books are good

And Rick Stein esp. for easy prep of fish that you're not sure of.

I 2nd Madhur Jaffrey's World vegetarian book but I don't know why it annoys me a bit !!

Claudia Roden's Middle Eastern Food is one I look at and cook from regularly.

At the moment, I'm loving Ottolenghi (Plenty and his original Ottolenghi). For example, I make his roast chicken with sumac, zatar and lemon when I fancy a roast. And I love most of the recipes from Plenty.

I love new cookbooks and cooking new recipes, so I don't go back to the same things much. But if I have to pick long term faves, it's all those fast 10-30min weeknight books. I have Nigella Express, and Slater's real fast food and 30min food. Use all of them a lot.

Oh and for anyone who have a serious cookbook addiction. Check out http://www.eatyourbooks.com. I'm not related to them at all, just a happy customer. I really help me make use of my cookbooks better. I type in ingredients that are seasonal or that I fancy cooking with. It came up with a list of recipes from books I have that uses that ingredient. For example, I got pistachio left over from making Nigella's pistachio fudge (really really nice from Nigella Express). I use eatmybooks to get inspiration on what to do with the rest of my pistachio!

I want all of these!

Lottie - love Veganomicon. Try the quinoa and pineapple stir-fry and the cauliflower pot pie with black olive crust.

OneLittleBaby - That website is exactly what I need. Brilliant! I use Nigella Express quite a bit too.

i love culinaria so informative.

Lottie
Do you use the 'Magic Broccoli Forest by Mollie Kantzen*? Or any of her other books?

Another vote for Madhur Jaffrey's Eastern Vegetarian Cooking - I prefer it to World Vegetarian, although I have that too.

And the original Cranks Recipe Book. Fab.

Rachel Allen's Home Cooking. or Nigella's Kitchen. Prefer simple not complicated with pictures of what is actually meant to look like!

I've heard of the Magic Broccoli Forest, not used it, recommended?

therugrateref are you me? We certainly have the same taste in books!

Ottolenghi - the cookbook, everything is amazing, although his oven his a bit fiercer than mine so I have to amend everything down a bit
Moro - sheer brilliance, amazing flavours that will cheer up even the dullest day
How to Eat, Nigella - a fabulous 'go to' book. I've had it ten years and still use it every couple of days!
Roast chicken and other stories, Simon Hopkinson - classic, in act am making his chocolate tart as I type.
HFW new VEG book is lovely and I have to say great for watching waistlines and cooking on a daily basis, lovely stuff. Only had it a month or so and already used it loads
The River Cottage numbered books. I have Bread and Preserves and use them loads. the bread one has got me making my own sourdough that's better than Hobbs (according to my VERY critical husband). Great stuff.

Kids love the giraffe cookbook,quite often ask for stuff from that.

I am useless at actually following recipes so tend to use them for inspiration mainly. Recently have used Rachel Allen home cooking and Real Food quite a bit

I have just bought Recipes to Know by Heart by Xanthe Clay - (I think my mum used to work with her husband)

Rachel Allen's home cooking book every time. It is a great basics cookbook and I couldn't be without it!

Oh God I have hundreds...a bit of an obsession.

The one I like reading as opposed to cooking from is Maya Angelou's Hallelujah! The welcome Table.

I love som eof the old school classics - Claudia Roden, Elizabeth David.

I have all Nigella's and rate Feast and Kitchen most highly.

And a shock contender for most recipes actually cooked is by Tana Ramsay.

I have at least a hundred cookbooks but the ones I use regularly are the Claudia Roden ones, the Silver Spoon and two Ain cookbooks, the Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham and Fuschia Dunlop's Sechuan book.

I also rate (but for some reason don't cook from) Simon Hopkinson

I'm not keen on Jamie Oliver, Nigella. Rehash merchants. i like her, but her food is all fur coat no knickers

Roden is the best food writer, although I like Jeffrey Steingarten for humour (he doesn't do recipes)

Online i like David Lebowitz and Rasamalaysia

oh, forgot Jim Lahey's bread book

Paradiso Seasons Dennis Cotter - this man is a genius with vegetables and he has a lovely way of spinning language. His recipes are often quite involved but you are always rewarded with great results. If I am craving something a bit special - I will always turn to Mr Cotter.

The BBC Good Food series. After I was widowed my daughters started me off with Simple Suppers, Cakes and Bakes and One Pot Dishes. I have expanded the range since.

Pop It could cover everything you need for a full and varied culinary experience

The Bero book, I still have my grandmothers from the 1950s.