Whats your favorite cookbooks

Hello all . I am still a newbie to the kitchen and was wondering what all your favorite cookbooks are , please do share titles and authors ? It does not matter what country , cuisine ect just wanted to know your suggestions .

So far I have a bunch of the cooks illustrated - americas test kitchen books , but have also picked up some jullia child , jaques peppin , and the BBQ guy who wrote the BBQ and grilling bible ( raichlen ) SP .

I like midddle eastern , german , french , italian cuisine as well as good ole american home cooking . Please hit me with all your beloved titles ! Just remember your dealing with a kitchen noob ! thats one reason I like the americas test kitchen stuff , its real easy for a novice like me to follow ! thanks in advance guys !

moses

Leith's Kitchen Bible. It has everything from how to boil an egg to Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam (almost).

Rushman2112 said:

Leith's Kitchen Bible. It has everything from how to boil an egg to Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam (almost).

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Rush thanks for the suggestion . A question please , is this the book your talking about ? http://www.amazon.com/Leiths-Cookery-Bible-Prue-Leith/dp/074756602X/ref=dp_ob_title_bk can you tell me how hard is it for a novice foodie like me to keep up with the recipies in this book ?

thanks guys please keep the suggestions coming , I want very much to build my cooking library !!!

Honastly, I am a huge fan of Alton Browns good eats cookbooks (and the show). I feel like it is one of the best series for actually learning how to be a good cook. i feel that it shows you more than how to execute recipes (follow directions) but it also shows you WHY recipes work, and knowing the why allows you to make more educated decisions when cooking without a recipe.

I taught myself to cook as a child using the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. Over the years, I've worn out a few copies and still refer to it to this day. It's been in print forever - it predates the Joy of Cooking by 40 years. It's been updated from time to time and I believe the most recent edition is the 13th.

I love the Cook's Illustrated stuff. Also, Rick Bayless - Mexico, One Plate at a Time if you like Mexican food.

+1 - Didn't think about Alton's books, but those are great, too.

I have the first English language edition of Larouse Gastronomique. That is a really handy book to own, and being French the measurements are metric as well as imperial, which helps me.

This is no longer my favorite, but when I was a newbie, this was the bomb. It taught me so much. I highly recommend it. And you can get it for about $4.00 used on Amazon.com.






http://www.amazon.com/New-Basics-Cookbook-Julee-Rosso/dp/0894803417/ref=pd_sim_b_1

When I cook for myself and my wife, I always look to any of Carla Capalbo's Italian cookbooks.

But I have two kids in the house, so my go-to cookbook (don't laugh here) is "Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs." My kids asked me if I could cook some of the stuff they ate at Disney World, so I picked up a couple of cookbooks when we were at one of the theme parks. The recipes are idiot-proof (which I need) and I found that when I use them when I cook for company, everyone raves about the meals. The books provide all of the recipes from EPCOT, so they're really tasty (i.e., not good for anyone on a diet) and they really are crowd pleasing recipes. You'll be surpised by what you can whip up for a family dinner or a little get-together.

Trust me on this, if you're not a gourmet (which I am certainly not) you will impress people with these recipes.

Jay

cafolla1 said:

Honastly, I am a huge fan of Alton Browns good eats cookbooks (and the show). I feel like it is one of the best series for actually learning how to be a good cook. i feel that it shows you more than how to execute recipes (follow directions) but it also shows you WHY recipes work, and knowing the why allows you to make more educated decisions when cooking without a recipe.

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+1!

Also, as soon as you get comfortable, try something new. If you screw something up, laugh and learn from the mistake.

I'm going to let my heritage show a little bit, but my favorite cookbook is "River Road" by the Baton Rouge Junior League. Favorite section is " How Men Cook".

legion said:

I have the first English language edition of Larouse Gastronomique. That is a really handy book to own, and being French the measurements are metric as well as imperial, which helps me.

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+1

Don't have Alton Brown's cookbooks but I want them (waiting to get them cheap on half.com , I rarely pay full price for books. ). However most Good Eats episodes are on youtube.

Cooking by James Peterson (any of his books are good)

Ruhlman's Twenty by Michael Ruhlman is new and great. Also, his Charcuterie book is THE book on the subject.

Culinary Institute of America's Professional Chef is advanced but indispensable. CIA Baking at Home is quite good, as well.

ALL of the Cooks Illustrated/ATK books/magazines are top notch.

Emeril's stuff is good.

Low and Slow is good for beginners learning to BBQ.

For myself, I have the cookbooks from all the great New Orleans restaurants. Commanders Palace, Brennan's, etc...

DanOK said:

I'm going to let my heritage show a little bit, but my favorite cookbook is "River Road" by the Baton Rouge Junior League. Favorite section is " How Men Cook".

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Now you are talking. There is another one you may enjoy, Cajun Men Cook by The Beaver Club of Lafayette (women's club????) (WHAT??? I'M JUST GUESSING) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caj..._-Q000000630-_-Cajun+Men+Cook-_-9780964248601 , it is great, my copy disappeared, time to replace it.

jbird1264 said:

my go-to cookbook (don't laugh here) is "Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs."

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I'm going to pick up a copy, on your recommendation.

We ate like KINGS at WDW.

I currently use 2 main cookbooks:

• Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Rick Bayless
• Molto Italiano by Mario Batali

I find both easy to use and great results. Other than that, the foodnetwork website is a great help. I also often use either taste.com.au or epicurious.com

The other thing that I've been doing for the past years is to keep a Word document of my favourite recipes. I ended up with quite a few... Some of them were tweaked by me for my taste...

The next cookbook that I will buy is: La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy

It's a very old school book, no pictures and seemed authentic when I looked at it (a few times) at the bookshop.

Luc said:

The other thing that I've been doing for the past years is to keep a Word document of my favourite recipes. I ended up with quite a few... Some of them were tweaked by me for my taste...

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I do the same thing but just with the name of the dish, I call it the "menu". I'll forget all the good stuff if I don't write it down.

Hmmm...good question.

a) The Culinary Institute of America (the CIA), for cooks and chefs alike..."The New Professional Chef, Seventh Edition".




"Every morning one must start from scratch, with nothing on the stoves. That is cuisine". Chef Fernand Point