Is there a thread for 'recipes from cookbooks which are fab' and

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recipes which are crap and you shouldn't be seduced by? If not, can we start one? I mean specific things like 'in Jamie Oliver's Naked Chef 2, the smashed chick pea dip is fabulous' and Nigella's brownies, page blah, blah of How to Eat don't work.

Have spent my weekend cooking/baking and thoroughly recommend Delia's pitta bread in How to eat 3, her lentil and scallop dish in the same book, and said JO dish above.

It just strikes me that loads of us are keen cooks and have lots of popular cookbooks and that we could maybe combine forces to recommend the best dishes from them all as well as outing the duds

Any takers?

DH makes Nigella's brownies all the time and people can never get enough, they are lush. Will have to ask if he tweaks the recipe!

Her spaghetti carbonara is eaten at least once a week in this house - hardly any ingredients but really hits the spot.

I've also got an Ainsley Harriott book (Meals in Minutes), and though he seems to be rather looked down on generally (he appeared on the twat thread, I noticed! )I have found his recipes completely failsafe and verrrrry tasty, a bit different some of them too. He does a haddock recipe with mayonnaise, cheese, spring onions and tomato and we all wolf that down.

Have never yet been able to get on with a Jamie Oliver recipe but then I only have one book of his (Return of the Naked Chef) so maybe it's the wrong one. Hard-to-get indgredients and stuff that just turns out oddly watery and flavourless.

absolutely love Rachel Allen - Oven Baked Risotto, shoulder of lamb with Moroccon spices - amazing.

I bought Bake just to look at the pictures!

JO in that big black book has an amazing slow cooked beef stew which is winter comfort food.

Rachel has a recipe for brocoli with grated parmesan and almond flakes - delicious.

DH swears by Delia.

Bought 'Spoon', you know the big Italian one? And havent been hugely impressed.

I don't have any problems with Nigella's brownies now that I make it in exactly the same size tin as she does and don't use the fan oven. And I have to remember to melt the chocolate and butter early enough so I can let it cool.

What a good idea!

Now having been making desserts for tomorrow, the oreo cookie cheesecake from Take Three Cooks, is to die for. I'm always asked to make this one, and also today I've made cherry chocolate fudge from The Jewish Princess:feasts and festivals (although I do realise this may not be on everyone's shelf!). It's delicious and we're keeping it . I've also made pear and chocolate crumble from the same book and will report back when I've tried it.

I don't think Mary Berry's chocolate fudge cake can be beaten....so easy to make and always a success!

this thread made me so hungry this morning, I immediately went downstairs and made pancakes for everyone for breakfast!

Armadillo, I've had that potato and pea curry in my mind all day! Will go and look at that book too.

Some great ideas on here, thanks!

Another website I've found great for recipes is waitrose. I regularly make a lamb and flageolet bean casserole on there that is delicious (always praised at dinner parties). slow braised lamb

but they have a lot of recipes on their website which are good I think.

I would second what procastinatingparent said about the Nigella brownies, you definitely need to let the chocolate cool a bit first. I do have a fan oven but I've worked out that they take exactly 22 minutes and then they have to come out! [Rather depends on how much you want to eat brownies as to how many experimental attempts you want to make...]

I don't get on with JO at all, apart from his moroccan chickpea flatbreads which are good stuff.

I make a lot of Nigella, as you may have gathered. Some of the best ones are as follows:

scones (HTBADG)... never make them any other way.
Italian sausages with Lentils (Nigella Bites)
Chocolate Cloud Cake (NB)
Courgette & feta fritters (Forever Summer)
Cacek (FS)
Salmon Kedgeree (NB)

Big errors & wastes of money:

flapjacks
most things requiring small joints of chicken or sausages to be roasted in a roasting pan (cook way too fast)
buttermilk birthday cake