Tell me about a really great cookbook.

[undeterred]

I've decided to take up cooking after the election.

[KitchenWitch]

1. Are you looking for gourmet cookbooks or just good home cooking

style cookbooks?

I like the Better Homes and Gardens one with the red checkerboard cover. It covers a lot of the basics really well.

[undeterred]

2. Either

I think my Better Homes and Gardens one with the red checkerboard cover is about 25 years old! I wonder if its changed.

[KitchenWitch]

13. It has

They update it every few years, and ditch old recipes in favor of what is currently "fashionable" in the food world.

[Orangepeel]

33. It will have changed some

My version is different than my mother's copy. Much of the stuff is the same, but it includes some healthier stuff.

For basic cooking, I think this book is hands down the best. Part of the reason is because it has been updated over so many years. Stuff that doesn't work has been edited out and stuff that does remains.

[Kali]

34. One of the best basics out there.

[Spider Jerusalem]

3. One of the best:

Larousse Gastronomique

Not just a cookbook, but a culinary encyclopaedia. Thousands of recipes, definitions for a tremendous range of culinary terms, and detailed descriptions and explanations of cooking techniques. If you're serious about learning to cook, you should probably have this.

[Chan790]

4. This is my favorite

http://www.amazon.com/Passionate-Vegetarian-Crescent-Dragonwagon/dp/0761128255/sr=8-1/qid=1161392891/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-7543714-5556046?ie=UTF8&s=books

The Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon. It's the Joy of Cooking for vegetarians. Even if you're not a vegetarian, it's a great book because it's filled in amazing side-dish, breakfast and vegetarian recipes from around the world. Dragonwagon is a world-class chef, one of the few specializing in vegetarian and vegan cuisine. She also includes instructions for how to make almost everything in teh book vegan.

Also, it's really cheap for a cookbook of its' quality.

[undeterred]

5. Sounds great

I'd like to move more in that direction, but I know it won't happen unless I find some dishes I really like.

[flamingyouth]

6. Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian

650 awesome recipes from all over the world. You don't have to be a vegetarian to love them. Also Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison, winner of the James Beard award. :)

[SoyCat]

8. Yep. Got it and love it.

[Callalily]

27. I love Madhur Jaffrey

I have her "Step-by-Step" cooking, and although I am a seasoned cook, these recipes are great. And anything by Deborah Madison is great choice too.

[av8rdave]

7. Sensuous Cooking

Can't remember the author, but it's easy to find.

All recipes for romatic dinners, including suggestions for table settings, dress and accompanying drinks.

[Deja Q]

17. And aphrodisiacs!

:9

[av8rdave]

25. You've seen/have the book, I take it?

It's awesome!

[SoyCat]

9. Any of the Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks. They are excellent.

[Bossy Monkey]

10. This one. Long out of print, but awesome

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/used/productMatches.asp?PEAN=9780671625559&z=y
Tapas & Appetizers, by Jose Sarrau

[ruiner4u]

11. There are so many out there that are awesome.

If your a beginner The Joy of Cooking is a nice first step at an economical price..

Also there are many free websites that can help you find your tastes and expand your skills...

a few of my book marks..

www.cooks.com
www.recipeatlas.com
fooddownunder.com
copykat.com
www.epicurious.com

[hippywife]

22. My husband loves

the Joy of Cooking but I don't care for it. To me, there are too many pages you have to look at to put together something. I like to have all the components of a single recipe together on one page. I do understand it's meant to be kind of a "buidling blocks of cooking" thing but I still find it too cumbersome.

[KitchenWitch]

30. I think it would be cool to have the Joy of Cooking on disc

For that very reason.

[hippywife]

31. Then you could

download and copy all the various parts of a recipe and have them all together to work from.

[KitchenWitch]

35. 'Zactly!

[BrotherBuzz]

12. Tomato Blessing and Radish Teachings

That's assuming you already have Ed Brown's other cookbooks.

The stories and bits of philosophy that precede each set of recipes in 'Tomato Blessing and Radish Teachings' makes for good reading, too. Ed imparts some interesting and wisdom and life observations (funny, he was doing the same thing back in 1968 when I first met him). Take it from there...

[femmocrat]

14. This one is great for basics:

Betty Crocker's New Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook. It's really good for newbies in the kitchen because it is so packed with valuable information. It even has some good ethnic recipes. Mine has the old food pyramid... the newer edition is probably updated, but I haven't checked.

[undeterred]

16. Thanks!

[radwriter0555]

15. The Joy of Cooking is a cook's bible, and Mastering the Art of French

Cooking is THE BEST BOOK IN THE WORLD EVER for truly TRULY learning real techniques in the kitchen.

The best way to learn Mastering the Art of French Cooking (by Julia Child) is to start on page one and cook your way through the book.

When you're done you'll be able to work in the finest restaurants in the world!

Or at least make a good bolognese sauce.

[Deja Q]

18. 'To Serve Man'

Not yet available from amazon.com...

[undeterred]

21. I remember that!

They don't make shows that good any more.

[MrCoffee]

26. a pox on you! you beat me to it!

:rofl:

[datasuspect]

19. U.S. Army Field Manual 327.A34

"Repurposing Field Ordnance in Hostile Zones"

[China_cat]

20. Escoffier

Almost as good as a Cordon Bleu course.

[In_The_Wind]

23. Better Homes & Gardens ~ Simple Slow Cooker Recipes

Angel Chicken is our favorite.
It's easy to make and a wonderful smell to come home to.

[EFerrari]

24. Coyote Cafe for SW cooking with all kinds of chiles

Well written, easy to follow. Great recipes for small quantities.



http://www.amazon.com/Coyote-Cafe-Mark-Miller/dp/1580084664/sr=1-4/qid=1161439829/ref=sr_1_4/104-6039367-4734342?ie=UTF8&s=books

[Paladin]

28. "The New Basics Cookbook" by Rosso and Lukins (1989)

This is far and away the best cookbook we've ever come across. A big, wide-ranging collection of recipes that are generally easy to make, and are invariably delicious. Lots and lots of practical cooking information, as well: the "Panic-Proof Kitchen" section at the back of the book alone is worth the purchase price. Check it out.....

[crim son]

32. I think that's one of the best basic cookbooks around.

The Joy of Cooking is a classic, but the New Basics makes food that just tastes better IMHO.

[querelle]

29. Pol Martin

He's a french chef and makes gourmet cooking very easy. The man is a genius. He can make a 5 star meal with anything. I have three of his cookbooks (all in French) and everytime I make one of his recipes, it is amazing. He has been published in English, but the books are hard to find. PM me and I will give you an amazing recipe called "Poulet Supreme" if you want.

Q

[GoneOffShore]

36. Here's my recommended cooking library

Remember that it's possible to find all of these in bookshops second hand.

Joy of Cooking - 1975 edition - because it has info on canning, freezing and preserving.

Joy of Cooking - 1997 edition - low fat updates, if you're into that

Mastering the Art of French Cooking - Julia Child

Larousse Gastronomique - 1987 - A bit dated but comprehensive encyclopedia

Paula Wolferts - The Cooking of Southwest France : Recipes from France's Magnificent Rustic Cuisine - updated version

Amanda Hesser - The Cook and the Gardener : A Year of Recipes and Writings for the French Countryside

And anything by Elisabeth David

Bear in mind that the last author mentioned is extremely literary and sometimes short on technique. However she is excellent on giving you an insight into why some foods are cooked the way they are. The last three are all especially good when it comes to the whole concept of buying fresh and buying local.

Also check out Michael Pollan's Omnivores Dilemma. He's one of the best food writers out there when it comes to the politics of food.

AND - if you want to learn great dishes that will totally impress people - And give you an insight into how to prepare restaurant quality meals you could do a lot worse than Anthony Bourdain - Les Halles Cookbook.