Good Cookbooks?

[hoffsquared]

I'm looking for good cookbooks. I like to browse the bookstore but find that some I choose I don't cook from.

Here are some of my favorites:

The New Basics by Julie Rosso & Sheila Lukins
The New American Cooking by Joan Nathan
The Moosewood series
The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters
Barefoot Contessa

My kids love our Rachel Ray and Emeril kid-friendly cookbooks

[Veronica]

Cuisine at Home.

It's a bimonthly magazine, but they have also compiled the issues into yearly volumes.

Veronica

[NbyNW]

Probably the ones we use most are:

James Beard's American Cookery (might be out of print)
The Minimalist Cooks at Home - Mark Bittman
The Gourmet Cookebook - Ruth Reichl, ed.
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone - Deborah Madison

[OakLeaf]

Any of Lorna Sass's pressure cooker cookbooks, if you're not already adept at beans and grains in the pressure cooker.

Madhur Jaffrey's World of the East Vegetarian Cooking is a delicious and mostly simple introduction to the cuisines of all of Asia, from the Middle East to Indonesia - kind of a one-stop place for beginning cooks to sample different flavors and decide which cuisine(s) you want to learn in more depth.

[Blueberry]

Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
The Joy of Cooking (old and new)
Also love the Art of Simple Food and the Moosewood Series (though I find most recipes a little fussy for daily use)

[Eden]

I see a few of my favorites up above already, but I also really like
A New Way to Cook - Sally Schneider and
Soup, A Way of Life - Barbara Kafka

[GLC1968]

The New American Plate - awesome healthy recipes that are mostly easy to make but taste very complicated! ;)

The Victory Garden Cookbook - old and out of print - but totally worth finding for the amazing resourse! It's all vegetarian and the book is organized by vegetable, so it's a great thing to have if you garden or belong to a CSA where you all of a sudden have a bunch of some veggie that you don't know what to do with...

Any of the South Beach Diet cookbooks. They are chock full of recipes that are healthy and fresh. Every single recipe we've tried has been excellent (dieting or not!).

The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno. There are 3 or 4 versions of these books out now. Amazingly creative and delicious food that is natural, unproccessed and void of most sugars and unhealthy fats. Again, every single recipe we've tried from these books has been outstanding.

[OakLeaf]

The Joy of Cooking (old and new)

Yeah, gotta keep the old edition for the wild game recipes and the bartender's guide. ;)

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home is a bit more "everyday" than their other cookbooks.

Honestly, I get most of my recipes from the Internet. Recipesource.com, foodtv.com or just Google. Google indexing is a lot better than it used to be - they finally figured out that when someone googles a couple of ingredients, they're not looking for restaurant menus. :p Look at three or four recipes, see what they have in common and where there's room for variation, mash 'em up.

[Tuckervill]

cookingforengineers.com is one of my favorite recipe sources. Usually it is just a refinement of something I've made many times, or wanted to try, like pecan pie without corn syrup.

The 1948 Good Housekeeping cookbook is the one I keep open all the time, and which taught me to cook many many things as a young mother. It was passed down from my grandmother, and I bought one in better condition to use instead of the one with her handwriting in it.

Most other recipes I get online, even though I have a huge stash of cookbooks. Most of them are fundraiser cookbooks from churches and the Jr. League, which I LOVE.

Karen

[Blueberry]

Another good resource (aside from the internet) is Everyday Food. It's a tiny magazine, but most recipes are (relatively) healthy, simple, and reasonable to make for a week night dinner.

Truthfully, I use a big binder of recipes I've put together from the internet as much as anything, though. Foodtv is a good source.

[Blueberry]

Yeah, gotta keep the old edition for the wild game recipes and the bartender's guide. ;)

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home is a bit more "everyday" than their other cookbooks.


And "new and improved" means corn syrup added to some recipes:mad: I have the old and the middle version. I need to get the new version, as I understand it really is improved. Hopefully, I'll never have to cook possum, but at least I'd know how:)

Good to know about the Moosewood. I'll have to check that one out.

[7rider]

Yeah, gotta keep the old edition for the wild game recipes and the bartender's guide. ;)


I don't know how "new" my Joy of Cooking is. It's about 10 years old now. I know it's not the OLD one....but I'm unsure if it's been re-done yet again. I pull mine out frequently for information on the basics.
- "How long am I supposed to roast that [insert food item] for and at what temp?"
- "How do I truss a chicken again??"
- "I have a [blank]. What on earth can I do with it??"
It's a good book for that. I rarely follow specific recipes from it (or any of my books.)
(Come to think of it, tho', I never did check it for puffballs.)

[indysteel]

The New American Plate - awesome healthy recipes that are mostly easy to make but taste very complicated! ;)

The Victory Garden Cookbook - old and out of print - but totally worth finding for the amazing resourse! It's all vegetarian and the book is organized by vegetable, so it's a great thing to have if you garden or belong to a CSA where you all of a sudden have a bunch of some veggie that you don't know what to do with...

Any of the South Beach Diet cookbooks. They are chock full of recipes that are healthy and fresh. Every single recipe we've tried has been excellent (dieting or not!).

The Eat Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno. There are 3 or 4 versions of these books out now. Amazingly creative and delicious food that is natural, unproccessed and void of most sugars and unhealthy fats. Again, every single recipe we've tried from these books has been outstanding.

Thanks for the suggetions! I just ordered the New American Plate from Amazon. It sounds like just the ticket for where I wanted to head in terms of cooking.

[Eden]

Oh - and its not exactly a cook book, but the book Timing is Everything by Jack Piccolo is a terrific cooking reference book.

[Crankin]

I use the fast recipes from Cooking Light almost exclusively. At the end of the month I cut them out and save them. I also use a couple of the Cooking Light cookbooks (15 minute meals). I also get Food and Wine and use stuff from that. For the basics I use a Good Housekeeping cookbook I bought for my son when he was in high school, and a couple of Jewish cook books handed down from my mom.
I have a lot of other cookbooks, but most of them are full of recipes that are too fattening, especially the vegetarian ones.

[shootingstar]

Hmmm. Have about 10 cookbooks gathering dust abit. Have one of the Moosewood books while some are a blend of fusion cooking with real cheffy twists, and other books are traditional Asian recipes with photos or illustrations on technique. There are 3, I value because the books are no longer in print but have real value because....China has changed so much in the past decade that some of these photos are probably not quite relevant /scenery has been radically altered.

For past 5 years, I get recipes from magazine websites for:
Cooking Light -healthy recipes (though Eating Well, is even healthier. Cooking Light still tends to use too much sugar.)
Eating Well - healthy recipes
Epicurious.com (which covers Bon Appetite & now-defunct Gourmet magazine)
Saveur

Either he or I, only consult a recipe..um about once per month or less. Rest is memory or we throw ingredients together for culinary magic. :)

[crazycanuck]

No idea if you can get your hands on these up in the Northern Hemisphere but it's worth a shot:

The Aust Institute of Sport put out three cookbooks a while back with many of the elite athletes fave recipes. Soooooo yummmmmmyy!!!

Survival for the fittest is one of the books..i'll have to search for the other ones.

I also like Donna Hay's cookbooks...ooooooooooooooo *drool*

[cylegoddess]

Jamie Olivers America.
I cant eat but about three recipes in it, but I gave it to friend( without allergies! who can eat meat) so he can be cookin up things like

NY Cheesecake
Hushpuppies
Jambalaya
Chili corn bread
etc.

Food porn at its best!!

[hoffsquared]

Thanks for all these. Next time I'm at the bookstore, I'll try to find the ones mentioned here.

I use the internet too but I really like to browse through my books at the kitchen table when planning (or at least making an attempt at) out meals for the week.

[Atlas]

Someone already mentioned Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" and its wonderful. I keep getting it from the library but I really need my own copy.

My other go-to's are "Vegan With a Vengeance" and "Veganomicon" but I understand that most people aren't vegan. Still, they are great cookbooks that have lots of recipes for healthy, good food and many of them don't call for weird ingredients.

[azfiddle]

I rely on Joy of Cooking for lots of basics- got mine as a gift over 25 years ago!

A source of a lot of interesting recipes from all over the world- Jewish Holiday Cooking. It's over 20 years old and I don't know how easy it is to find, but I everything I've tried from it was great, and there are quite a few vegetarian options (mostly w/ dairy products).

Another cookbook that might be completely out of print, that I got a really long time ago - The Vegetarian Epicure. Though my copy is falling apart, I still get great reviews on the Cauliflower Curry recipes, and I wowed a college dinner party with Asparagus Pastry.

[malkin]

Yesterday as I was culling the excess from the cookbook shelves, we had a great laugh about the Joy of Cooking, which I will keep, because you never know when you will need to clean a moose or prepare a squirrel at a time when the internet will be down.

I like the old Tassajara Cookbook and Bread Book (and they have an ex-boyfriend's possessive mark in them ha!).

I just got the King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary book from the library and we couldn't live without Cookwise which isn't really a recipe book, so much as an explanation about everything having to do with cooking.

Pie in the Sky is the best resource for baking at every altitude.

[bmccasland]

Because I think I might be moving away from this place, I bought the Times-Picayune's Cooking up a Storm - a collection of recipes the local paper put together from requests for lost recipies after Hurricane Katrina. Each recipe has a bit of history about it, and in true New Orleans fashion, has good drink recipies, fish & game, and desserts.

For basic reference I have my Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book a notebook type binder that looks like it's covered with a red check table cloth.

I have to admit, I have a weakness for cookbooks, and have a bookcase full of them. Don't ask me to cull the stacks. Can't do it, just can't. :rolleyes:

[snapdragen]

I'm a huge Jacques Pepin fan - Simple Healthy Cooking is my favorite.

[SadieKate]

This time of year: Rose's Christmas Cookies (http://www.amazon.com/Roses-Christmas-Cookies-Rose-Beranbaum/dp/0688101364). Her almond toffee recipe is a dead ringer for Almond Roca, except it's flat.

For equipment, science and technique: Cook's Illustrated (http://www.cooksillustrated.com/). Because of the articles, I've learned how to alter recipes for the better. The equipment and product comparisons are terrific, and since it's advertisement-free I trust the research.

[GLC1968]

For equipment, science and technique: Cook's Illustrated (http://www.cooksillustrated.com/). Because of the articles, I've learned how to alter recipes for the better. The equipment and product comparisons are terrific, and since it's advertisement-free I trust the research.

YES!! I totally forgot but I have to add my recommendation to the above. I love Cook's Illustrated - my mom bought me a subscription and I get so excited when it arrives every time. My husband actually makes fun of me. :o Such a GREAT resource!

[indysteel]

YES!! I totally forgot but I have to add my recommendation to the above. I love Cook's Illustrated - my mom bought me a subscription and I get so excited when it arrives every time. My husband actually makes fun of me. :o Such a GREAT resource!

Cook's Illustrated is what got me to start cooking. Even if you don't rely on the recipes, it's just an interesting read. I joined their online site before finally getting a subscription to the magazine. I've relied on many of their equipment reviews in outfitting my kitchen. I'm such a "researcher," so the way CI approaches cooking really appeals to me.

[hoffsquared]

For basic reference I have my Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book a notebook type binder that looks like it's covered with a red check table cloth.


I have this one too. It is over 25 years old now and is quite battered. It's my standby for substitutions and a biscuit recipe my family loves.

Should still be able to find the Vegetarian Epicure. I replaced mine with a new one just 1 or 2 years ago.

[Bike Chick]

I have the old Joy of Cooking (over 30 years old) and the red and white checked Better Homes and Gardens from the same year. I bought the Betty Crocker Healthy Home Cooking cookbook last year and it's really great. Healthy, tasty recipes that list all the nutrition information. I would highly recommend it.

[badgercat]

I'll also chime in on behalf of Better Homes and Gardens. It's my go-to for stand-bys--it's a great reference if you're looking for solid recipes for basic doughs, sauces, etc etc etc. It's not 'fancy' but there are plenty of tasty recipes in there, nothing too fussy. Plus it has good tips/tricks/references.

[OakLeaf]

As long as we're discussing our favorite reference books, gotta give a shout-out to Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking (http://www.amazon.com/Food-Cooking-Science-Lore-Kitchen/dp/0684800012/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260363132&sr=8-1). That's my go-to book for understanding why a recipe calls for something-or-other. I keep meaning to just sit down and read it, but I've been really backed up with my reading the last couple of years...

[Bike Chick]

One day when I retire I'm going to catch up on things like that;)

[smilingcat]

Just read the entire thread.

Lot of great books and magazines.

"Cookwise" by Shirrley Corriher is a great go to book if you want to change the character of your dish, baked goods... I've used it as a reference to "personalize" my cookies.

"On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee is a great reference if you want to know the difference in wheat... how oil differs... its not about the recipe, its about the nature of the ingredient. Great reference for those who want to know bit more about food science.

my fav books:

La Bouche Creole by Leon E. Soniat Jr. It's not just about the recipe but storytelling of life growing up. Has a great section on mother sauces. Its easy to follow and fool proof. Bechemel, Hollandaise, Bernaise...

I'm interested in what others are doing in culinary world. so its not just about recipes. I want to see their presentation, their thought...

"Sunday Supper at Lucques" by Susan Goin
"Tartine" by Elizabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson. I've taken some of their recipe as a base and came up with my versions of lemon square... I think mine is better :p
"Refined American Cuisine" by Patrick O'Connel The Inn at little Washington. Love their presentation...
"Bold American Food" by Bobby Flay. Okay I hate the guy. He is uber well known for **** and ego ... But he is really impressive. Looked at his sauces and wow. Amazing. Love the smoked bell pepper sauces.
...

for actual preparation:

"Making Artisian Chocolates" by Andrew Garrison Shutts lots of interesting ideas on taste combinations. Pear and ginger...
"The secrets of Baking" by Sheryl Yard. REALLY GOOD PRACTICAL REFERENCE in pastry making from financiers to pate a choux (cream puffs), to laminates like palmiers to genoise...
"Chocolates & Confection" from CIA
"The Professional Chef" from CIA more of a text book and the recipe is industrial size.

My old standbys and my references:

Betty Croker cooky book. 1963 you'll find things in here that is lost and forgotten.
Joy of Cooking early '70s edition??
Jr league cookbook SF stands out.
"great cooking everyday" from weight watchers (yes its pretty good).
My mother's recipe file. :D

are just a few...

Secrets of great cooking I think lies in preparation "mis en place" and good knife skill.

And learn to make mother sauces. And add a few modern sauces like mango-lemon-red onion... Great sauce can hide bad execution (cooking).

Another secret is make your own stock and freeze the stock in a ice cube tray. I mostly have chicken stock. Occasional turkey stock and buffalo stock. They are used to make soup, sauces, to flavor things like brussel sprouts for "steaming". I use weak chicken stock, white wine, slices of yellow onion to poach salmon.

Get a cookbook that fits your lifestyle. Some of my cookbooks are haute cuisine but I just look at them for their presentation. Down home cooking is based on simple recipes from my mother, joy of cooking, Jr League, La Bouche Creole (he makes it easy). Cutouts from magazines, newspaper...

Start creating your own cookbook, a collection of favorite recipes

And don't turn on the stove until everything is ready to go!!

[OakLeaf]

And don't turn on the stove until everything is ready to go!!

Yep yep yep. Unlike TV, I have to be my own army of prep cooks, but everything still works mostly the same way. A collection of small bowls is indispensable for measuring out spices and prepared ingredients. Mince the garlic first, for health reasons; chop the onions last so I still have some eyesight left! For ingredients I'll be using in larger quantities (soaking beans, chopping vegetables), I'll use a sealable container that I can just rinse and re-use for the leftovers.

The exception would be ingredients that go in during the last few minutes of cooking, like chopped greens or minced herbs, that I can prepare while the rest of everything is cooking.

For everyday, I'm not particular about stock. All my vegetable scraps and Parmesan rinds go into the freezer, and when I have enough to fill a big pot, I'll make stock, then freeze that in 3 to 6 cup containers. It's different every time :o and not what you'd want to use when the stock is really critical, but it adds some depth to my soups and risotti, and makes me feel like I'm getting everything I can out of my veggies.