Cookery books for beginners - suggestions

[Citizen66]

That's why I'm suggesting he get second-hands ones

Doubt he's going to carry his laptop into kitchen and not sure if he has a printer

Pen and paper? He'll be writing it all down anyway on his shopping list. Unless he takes the cookery book to Tesco with him.

 

[mrsfran]

Google. Which usually leads to BBC food guide. Who needs cookery books?

People who don't want to be confused and frustrated by a hundred different recipes for how to make an omelette. And don't have a computer in their kitchen.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Echo this suggestion. There's another couple which came after this too which can be handy presents in future

Put off by this review

Dull Delia teaches us how to suck eggs - again! I can't believe that people are still cooking these fat and sugar heavy recipies. In the days of healthy eating Delia still manages to conform to the steroetypical British heavy cooking. There's hardly a recipie in the book that could be used in a normal healthy diet.
As for the simplistic instructions, well I'm sure there are people that can't cook at all but Delia's patronising tone and over simplified ideas (while not explaining many really useful terms) don't make this a book for inexperienced beginners.

 

[Manter]

Put off by this review

that's just not true! She has a series of basic cooking techniques plus then how to use them- if you are looking for lightly seared seabass on a bed of quinoa and a watercree jus, sure, this isn't the book for you- but what is 'heavy' about a boiled egg? Reveiwers can be pillocks

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Pen and paper? He'll be writing it all down anyway on his shopping list. Unless he takes the cookery book to Tesco with him.

That's just like too much hard work for him

I wouldn't write a recipe down. I don't do writing unless it's filling in forms/crosswords/shopping lists.

The whole idea is quick, simple recipes. Having to sit and write down all the instructions means you're veering away from quick and simple and hassle-free

 

[Manter]

He wouldn't even know what couscous is

I suspect it was the result of extensive googling to make his offering more 'sophisticated'

 

[Citizen66]

People who don't want to be confused and frustrated by a hundred different recipes for how to make an omelette. And don't have a computer in their kitchen.

Hey, I'm only saying what I do.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

that's just not true! She has a series of basic cooking techniques plus then how to use them- if you are looking for lightly seared seabass on a bed of quinoa and a watercree jus, sure, this isn't the book for you- but what is 'heavy' about a boiled egg? Reveiwers can be pillocks

But are there any light recipes or is it all stodge?

 

[Greebo]

Katherine Whitehorn 'Cooking in a Bedsitter' is brilliant.

Another vote for this (it was my bible), but do get an up to date edition. She even mentions how much to buy, how to prepare ingredients from scratch and why, even if just cooking for yourself, you need one properly sharp knife and one good heavy based pan.

 

[mrsfran]

There's plenty of light recipes. Delia's How To Cook books are a decent introduction and that review is talking rubbish.

 

[Manter]

But are there any light recipes or is it all stodge?

there are loads of light ones. it is a real mixture, but all built around basic skills- boiling an egg, cooking pasta, cooking veg etc. It is v good. I'd lend you ours to try, but it is in a box somewhere! I haven't found the cookery books yet....

 

[weltweit]

Subscribes to thread - in the hope of finding a cook book suitable for me!!!

Complicated ingredients are the devils work!

I am almost about to use my oven to make bread and pizza ... but nothing else.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

People who don't want to be confused and frustrated by a hundred different recipes for how to make an omelette. And don't have a computer in their kitchen.

Yep, that would just confuse him, he'd pick the one with fewest ingredients I reckon, which is why I like OU's suggestion up there somewhere (the Nigel Slater one), although put off by the "chuck a load of pasta in" and not being specific enough, but still like the sound of it. Maybe he could use that once he's figured out via another book how much "a load" is

 

[Manter]

Subscribes to thread - in the hope of finding a cook book suitable for me!!!

Complicated ingredients are the devils work!

I am almost about to use my oven to make bread and pizza ... but nothing else.

you make bread? In awe... we were bought a breadmaker and even so I have to use the packets as somehow I always fuck up measuring ingrdients

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

there are loads of light ones. it is a real mixture, but all built around basic skills- boiling an egg, cooking pasta, cooking veg etc. It is v good. I'd lend you ours to try, but it is in a box somewhere! I haven't found the cookery books yet....

It's not for me Manter!

 

[Manter]

Yep, that would just confuse him, he'd pick the one with fewest ingredients I reckon, which is why I like OU's suggestion up there somewhere (the Nigel Slater one), although put off by the "chuck a load of pasta in" and not being specific enough, but still like the sound of it. Maybe he could use that once he's figured out via another book how much "a load" is

nigel slater recipes are sometimes lovely,and sometimes fail massively

 

[Manter]

It's not for me Manter!

yeah, I know- give it to him to try

 

[Citizen66]

Bread is harder to make than omelette ffs.

 

[Greebo]

<snip>The whole idea is quick, simple recipes. Having to sit and write down all the instructions means you're veering away from quick and simple and hassle-free

That's the other thing about Katherine Whitehorn - if she says that a recipe will take 20 minutes, she really does mean 20 minutes for an ordinary person with the utensils and ingredients to hand but not already prepared.

 

[weltweit]

you make bread? In awe... we were bought a breadmaker and even so I have to use the packets as somehow I always fuck up measuring ingrdients

Erm no, I have made bread (and pizza) with the help of a chef I know (and in his fantastic kitchen) (I was really just the assistant) and so I know I can do it, but I have not quite gotten all the ingredients together to do it at home. I will though.

 

[mrsfran]

There will be hundreds of the Delia How To Cook books on ebay so if you can find one with decent postage (or local pick-up) you can get it v cheap.

 

[mrsfran]

Erm no, I have made bread (and pizza) with the help of a chef I know (and in his fantastic kitchen) (I was really just the assistant) and so I know I can do it, but I have not quite gotten all the ingredients together to do it at home. I will though.

Behold. My magical, incredibly easy recipe for bread which works every single time, I promise you: http://101things.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/a-magical-bread-recipe-for-novices-that-works-every-time/

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

There will be hundreds of the Delia How To Cook books on ebay so if you can find one with decent postage (or local pick-up) you can get it v cheap.

Yeah, have been looking. I object to Amazon's secondhand 0.01p books that cost £2.80 postage

 

[weltweit]

I bought four cook books last year from a charity shop for a pound or a few. Despite my hopes, they have not caught my imagination. One was far too complicated, can't remember about the others.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I have so many pages open now on books suggested here, I think I'm going to have to type a long list and go through them one by one.

Getting the Slow Cooker one for him from the Book People though so he'll have at least one new book!

 

[Orang Utan]

Bread is harder to make than omelette ffs.

disagree. omelette requires a certain amount of skill.

 

[weltweit]

Behold. My magical, incredibly easy recipe for bread which works every single time, I promise you: http://101things.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/a-magical-bread-recipe-for-novices-that-works-every-time/

That looks good. Only thing: 500g white strong bread flour. is probably half a pack or something so I can do that. But 1tsp salt tsp is table spoon no, is that a big spoon or a little one? 300ml water how can I know what 300ml is I need a measuring cup I guess. 3tbsp olive oil. tbsp I presume is also table spoon, but is that a big spoon or a small one?

PS: the loaf looks lovelly, only thing is my bread tin is probably a little smaller than that so I would probably have to take the ingredients down by at least 20-30%

 

[susie12]

No, a tsp salt is a teaspoon. Don't put a tablespoon in! A tbsp is a tablespoonful.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

disagree. omelette requires a certain amount of skill.

I agree. Mine normally come out like rubber

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

No, a tsp salt is a teaspoon. Don't put a tablespoon in! A tbsp is a tablespoonful.

Oh God, he's not going to know shit like that either!

I doubt he'll know different between a dessert spoon or table spoon either, even if he has them in his cutlery drawers.