What is your favorite cookbook?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

I want a few new ones...

The one I use the most is Bittman's "how to cook everything"

[Shell Beau]

1. If you like southern cooking, you should check out Paula Deen's

cookbooks!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. i will...

i like trying new things anyhow

[Duncan Grant]

3. Still a "Joy of Cooking" guy myself.

I have little aptitude in the kitchen. My husband always reminds me to 'stick to the recipe!'. :7

The "Joy of Cooking" is the best choice for people like me who are still learning the ropes.

[Frank Cannon]

13. Joy of Cooking is the gold standard of all cookbooks

There's a reason why it's been given as a wedding gift for DECADES. You really can't improve on a classic.

It's not fancy. It's not even halfway hip. You won't find any "nouvelle cousine" art projects in it. But it will get your family fed and the job done.

[ThomWV]

20. I Disagree

Actually I find it (in both editions) of very little use at all.

I love Julia and morned her death as anyone might, but to tell the truth if a person was looking for just one cookbook they would be better served by whatever Better Homes and Gardens has on the market at the moment.

[Frank Cannon]

32. And I disagree with you 100%

But that's what makes DU great!! :)

[Deja Q]

4. "To Serve Man"

:9

[Crabby Appleton]

15. me too

Greatings earth creatures - we're here to serve you!

[liontamer]

39. or How to cook for forty humans

;)

[swag]

5. Sunday's at Moosewood is a fun one. You may already have it.

I love making the spicy Bulgarian dumpling soup, but getting the dumplings right can be a bit of a test for me. I'm not the best folder in the world.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A2IUYGYQYIWN9H/103-8097759-3075837?ie=UTF8&display=public&page=6

I also am fond of several recipes in Jane Brody's "Good Food Book."

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/039302878X/sr=8-2/qid=1154037064/ref=sr_1_2/103-8097759-3075837?ie=UTF8

Have fun in that kitchen.

[progmom]

34. I have both of those

:)

[swag]

44. You're nice not to mention my mangling of "Sundays" with the

insertion of an unwanted apostrophe.

But really, you're just plain nice.

[Jean Louise Finch]

43. The Enchanted Broccoli Forest

By Mollie Katzen is also a great one. She's the one who wrote the Moosewood series, I think.

[LeftyMom]

6. Vegan With a Vengance

Isa's wierd, but she can sure cook. :9

I'll probably have to get a new favorite later on this year, a friend of mine has a book coming out and he's a fabulous cook.

[ThomWV]

7. We Have A Pretty Large Cook Book Library

The best overall cookbook I've found is "The New Basics Cookbook" by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, Thomas Allen and Sons Ltd. Eight hundred and fifty or so pages in paperback and just full of outstanding advice and receipts.

A cookbook from the 70's that's easily found (I see copys often at estate auctions) is the "Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook". We have the 1974 'New Revised Edition" but there are newer versions around. Its good for basic receipts of full bodied foods. Its also gives newcommer to cooking a good firm basis in meat cuts and general preparation methods one might consider for various cuts of various meats.

Of course if you want to go whole hog there is one bible of cookbooks. Get yourself a copy of "The Professional Chef" in whatever version your pocketbook provides for. This is a textbook from The Culinary Institute of America, need I say more?

[AngryAmish]

8. The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition (from America's Test Kitchen)

The way a recipe gets into this book is America's Test kitchen (the Editors of Cooks Illustrated - the best cooking mag) tries every different varient of a recipe until they think they find perfection. It is very scientific and gives me confidence to try new things because there is no tslk of magic or secret techniques I do not know.

If you don't like the exact recipe, just change what you don't like. Cooking is fun.

Also Rosso & Lukins "The New Basics" taught me how to cook many years ago. Good book.

[progmom]

9. Bittman's is my favorite too

As is Julia Child's The Way To Cook

[Nicole]

10. Joy of Cooking

I got it as a wedding gift in 1976. I still use it.

[Midlodemocrat]

11. Ooh, my favorite topic.

Lioness, I LOVE cookbooks. I collect them and 'read them' at night after the kids go to bed. Isn't that a tad nuts?

My newest favorite is the Barefoot Contessa line. I really like her recipes and her style.

[greendog]

12. The Tao of Cooking...

...Sally Pasley
Great Vegetarian Recipes.

[Xipe Totec]

14. Anything by Diana Kennedy

She is among the best Mexican cooks.

[trackfan]

16. I like anything by James Beard

I'm not sure what my favorite cookbook is - I probably have a few hundred.

[Mz Pip]

17. epicurious.com

A gazillion recipies at the click of a mouse.

I love that site.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[radwriter0555]

18. Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. The other gold

standard of how to actually cook books.

It's rather brilliant.

[yellowdogintexas]

38. you are so correct. Step by step explanations of stuff that

seemc complicated but really isn't.

I love institutional cookbooks the best, though. The ones where everybody puts in their favorite stuff. Some of my best and favorite recipes come from that kind of book.

If you can ever find it though, "The Cabbage Patch Cookbook", which was put together in Louisville Kentucky about 40 years ago is a real gem.

[Redstone]

19. Did you buy one of these last winter? If not, I recommend it.

http://balchlibrary.home.att.net/

You'll like it. I put it together.

Redstone

[bicentennial_baby]

22. i'm gonna buy one next month

bookmarked, thank you :)

:hi:

[Redstone]

28. Thanks, m'dear. I'll be up there in a couple of weeks and will get the

count of how many DUers bought a copy. (I promised to give DU a dollar for every copy bought by a DUer.)

I'm kind of slow about, well, everything, so I'll get the count from the library folks while we're there, and then send the bux to DU.

Better late than never, yes?

You're a peach. Did anyone ever tell you that?

Redstone

[bicentennial_baby]

33. awwww...you

:blush: I try, I try... :)

I really am going to buy one...I've become quite the foodie this summer. :9

[jobycom]

21. Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian is pretty cool

Lots of international dishes or dishes inspired by other cuisines.

Although probably the one I use the most is Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone." Not very original or creative, but very comprehensive.

[Magrittes Pipe]

30. Jaffrey is one of my favorite cookbook authors.

Haven't read "World Vegetarian," but I like a lot of her books on Indian cuisine.

[BrotherBuzz]

23. Women's Improvement Club cookbook

Hours of entertaining reading with recipes ranging from elegant to simple.

Our ex-mayor, and civic leader in just about anything worthy of getting involved, submitted a doozy:


Dump Cake

1 large can of crushed pineapple
1 can of cherry pie filling
1 package of yellow cake mix
One 3 1/2 ounce can of flaked coconut
1 cup of pecans, chopped
2 sticks of butter, sliced

Pour the pineapple, including the juice, into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Dump the cherry pie filling over the pineapple. Shake DRY cake mix over all. Then throw coconut and nuts over that. Drop sliced butter over all. Bake for one hour in 325º oven, then dash off to next meeting.

She does have a wonderful sense of humor. ;)

[Lisa]

25. those things really work!

My roomie used to make them. Her recipe was slightly different, but I can vouch for the results (surprisingly good, considering how haphazard the instructions seem). And she too is notorious for being incredibly busy all the time.

[BrotherBuzz]

26. In all fairness, I should give it a try.

I just thought it was a bastardized version of the world famous 'Pineapple Upside Down Cake' from the '50's, another surprisingly good dessert.

[Lisa]

27. her version had peaches instead of pineapple ...

... and no coconut.

But that one sounds pretty good too.

(When she wasn't in a rush, my roomie used to make a spectacular "real" cake that used sour cream and lots of poppy seeds, among other things ... I must pester her for the recipe sometime.)

[Lisa]

24. the Vancouver Aquarium's seafood book is pretty entertaining ...

I don't know if it's still in print, but it was put together from contributions from staff and supporters, a couple of decades ago. There are a ton of ideas for cooking salmon, shrimp, etc. -- and some other species like sea cucumbers and barnacles! I haven't tried those, but it's comforting to think that if I ever am desperate, they are edible.

A local historian also wrote a cookbook about south Vancouver Island traditions ... it's the only place I've ever seen a recipe for bread which can be baked in a coffee can! The recipes all have some local connection, so it makes fascinating reading. You can probably find an equivalent book for your location, just by looking around in secondhand bookstores -- seems to be a common hobby, doing a cookbook about one's home area.

Those local small-run books (like the ones put together by community associations and women's groups) can be quite helpful. I've got one from "The Daughters of the Midnight Sun" up in the Canadian Arctic, and it has hints on how to prepare game (caribou roasts, plus what to do with the leftovers) -- and suggestions for recipe substitutions. (I regularly use their instructions for what to use instead of ketchup, maple syrup, buttermilk, and various other items.)

The best historical cookbook I've found so far is the Edwards "Roman Cookery of Apicius" translation. He tries to find modern equivalents -- about the only gripe I have is that some of the substitutions are anachronisms (like the use of "New World" squash for what was probably a type of melon), but forgivable given that some of the crops are no longer being grown.

For everyday stuff, I've got both The Joy of Cooking and a pre-war edition of Fanny Farmer, but I actually don't use them much (by now I've got the recipes I use most often down in my head).

[liontamer]

29. Fanny Farmer cookbook

the most thorough guide to american food ever

[Nickster]

31. Silver Spoon. It's the Italian Betty Crocker. n/t

[grannylib]

35. "The More with Less Cookbook" and "Extending the Table"

Both about responsible use of our food resources, recipes from all over the world, and some great stories as well. I use them a LOT.
Also like just about ANY church cookbook...damn, church ladies sure know how to make good food!

[querelle]

36. Anything By Pol Martin

He is a renowned French chef, but makes very easy recipes that don't require a great deal of effort. I have four of his cook books and they are my faves. Unfortunately, I don't think that any of his books have ever been published in English.

Q

[benburch]

37. "To Serve Man"

http://www.richardkiel.com.nyud.net:8090/TwilightZone3.jpg

[Richard Steele]

40. "How to Cook Without a Book" by Pam Anderson (Not PAMELA, lol!)

http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/withoutcookbook.html

It is not just a list of recipes; it's a total cooking THEORY
that can be applied to any recipe or group of ingredients.

It boils down the whole notion of "cooking" to a few easily-understood
basic principles. The same principles I have followed for years, but
been too autistic to actually explain to anyone.

[barb162]

41. "Classic French Cooking"

I like looking at the pictures. Never made a damned thing from it as each dish calls for about 73 ingredients.

[barb162]

42. Oh and there's an Elvis Presley Cookbook I had that I picked up

as a joke and then gave to someone as a joke. You should have seen all the interest that created at the party. It called for lots of cooking oil and lard for just about everything

[graywarrior]

45. Hipchicks Guide to Macrobiotics

It's hilarious.