Essential Cookbooks

[Cid]

For some value of essential... I mean the great tomes of cookery. Reference books that give you a window into some country or regions cuisine. Or ingredient... or method. The ones that don't just present some nice recipes with a bunch of somewhat dubious filler, but properly expand the horizons of what you do with food.

Starting this because, after watching too much Chef's table on Netflix, I bought Musa Dagdeviren's The Turkish Cookbook, which falls squarely into this category. Absolutely massive, brimming with recipes, comprehensive in exploration.

Fuchsia Dunlop - Land of Plenty has served me well. That's Sichuan cooking... Her others are apparently good too.

Marcella Hazan - The essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.

Claudia Roden - Not actually sure which one as I usually get them off my mum. I think it's a book of middle eastern food, revised to be a new book of middle eastern food. The Jewish food one is good too as I recall.

 

[Fez909]

 

[Idris2002]

I had this until it got lost by the bloody movers:

 

[Sprocket.]

I had this until it got lost by the bloody movers:

A true classic.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

This tends to be my go to book for curries

 

[Sprocket.]

Our most used cookbook in the last twenty years. Greek home cooking at its best. Can thoroughly recommend.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

And this for Polish, Balkan, Eastern European food

 

[polly]

This has never failed me

 

[polly]

And this is excellent for Mediterranean food

 

[polly]

Those Phaidon ones are good too: Silver Spoon for Italian and 1080 Recipes for Spanish

 

[kalmatthew]

Growing up we always had "The Times Cookery Book" I never found it useful for inspiration but as a reference book it was invaluable things like cooking times and basic or classic recipes. In fact I liked it so much I have just got myself a copy from ebay

 

[FridgeMagnet]

My mother always used to talk about "Delia" as the basic cooking bible, to the extent that I'm not even sure which "Delia" she was referring to as she's written a lot of cookery books but I think it was Delia Smith's Cookery Course - Wikipedia - I remember this cover

That's certainly a book which reflects a particular subset of English ethnic cuisine.

 

[Cid]

Growing up we always had "The Times Cookery Book" I never found it useful for inspiration but as a reference book it was invaluable things like cooking times and basic or classic recipes. In fact I liked it so much I have just got myself a copy from ebay

Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume was our reference book... Need to have a look at it again, it does have some excellent recipes and is generally good for stuff like roast times and the like.

 

[moose]

These two taught me the basics of everything (showing my age!)



Now I love this one



And this one



Plus various vegetarian Rodens, Carluccios and Thug Kitchen for the fucking swearing.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

My mother always used to talk about "Delia" as the basic cooking bible, to the extent that I'm not even sure which "Delia" she was referring to as she's written a lot of cookery books but I think it was Delia Smith's Cookery Course - Wikipedia - I remember this cover

That's certainly a book which reflects a particular subset of English ethnic cuisine.

Yeah, I've got a copy of that too. Fairly stolid British food but she explains things very well, and her recipes work (the rich fruit cake recipe is very good). I read something the other day which described her as the nation's cookery teacher.

I don't remember any cook books at home when I was a kid - my mam used to cook traditional British stodge by memory - mince n tatties, pies, stews, roasts, etc.

I got rid of a few cook books when I last moved, but kept the Delia ones, Nigella Lawson's domestic goddess and another one, and a couple of Nigel Slater's. I don't think I've ever cooked anything from Slater's books, but the books are nicely produced so decent food porn reading.

 

[N_igma]

Aye yer ma battered my balls.

 

[Fez909]

My mother always used to talk about "Delia" as the basic cooking bible, to the extent that I'm not even sure which "Delia" she was referring to as she's written a lot of cookery books but I think it was Delia Smith's Cookery Course - Wikipedia - I remember this cover

That's certainly a book which reflects a particular subset of English ethnic cuisine.

Yeah this is the one. Great book.

 

[Sodapop]

Pat Chapman curry club are great recipe books especially the restaurant curry book. If you follow his pre recipe recipes you can have great curry's at home with a bit of effort and preparation.

 

[JuanTwoThree]

I started with 'Cooking in a Bedsitter' (Whitehorn) but it was all a bit desperate and jokey. I think Caroline Conran's 'Poor Cook' is an excellent start for anybody wanting to expand their horizons. And French Provincial Cooking (Elizabeth David) and Len Deighton's cooking comic strips:

 

[Winot]

Organised by ingredient and then country, this focuses on traditional recipes and is beautifully written.

 

[The39thStep]

This tends to be my go to book for curries

View attachment 167439

Ive got that although its in England. Its really good with lesser known curries from other countries outside of the Indian subcontinent

 

[Orang Utan]

It gives you the confidence to add your own ideas to basic recipes and not slavishly follow recipes (though I still do plenty of that)

 

[alex_]

My mother always used to talk about "Delia" as the basic cooking bible, to the extent that I'm not even sure which "Delia" she was referring to as she's written a lot of cookery books but I think it was Delia Smith's Cookery Course - Wikipedia - I remember this cover

That's certainly a book which reflects a particular subset of English ethnic cuisine.

I’ve got the white delia ones from the nineties, which are pretty much a repeat of the one above, I think the various eras of delia are the same recipes.

 

[Ming]

This is good for Italian cooking (and a good read). Henry Hill is the gangster played by Ray Liotta in Goodfellas.

 

[weltweit]

I saw Jamie Oliver had some book out called 5 ingredients or something, I probably need that book, keep it simple for me ..

 

[Orang Utan]

This is good for Italian cooking (and a good read). Henry Hill is the gangster played by Ray Liotta in Goodfellas.
View attachment 167575

Does it recommend slicing garlic with a razor blade?

 

[Ming]

Does it recommend slicing garlic with a razor blade?

That bit's mentioned! You know the meal he's cooking for his family just before he gets busted (veal cutlets, tomato sauce, etc)? That whole meal's in it.

 

[mx wcfc]

I have only ever had 2 cookery books....

 

[JuanTwoThree]

I have only ever had 2 cookery books....

View attachment 167580
View attachment 167581

We still have a Marvellous Meals with Mince somewhere. When desperately broke we made a recipe from it of a tiny amount of mince mixed with flour and water and turned into sort of slightly meaty pancakes.

We had a few little Sainsbury's booklets. One called Sauces, Marinades and Dressings was very useful

 

[mx wcfc]

We still have a Marvellous Meals with Mince somewhere.

I still have both those books.