Cookbook Reccomendation

Started by Daniel Burnham, February 14, 2014 · 8 Replies · 2,996 Views

Daniel Burnham

I know people around here follow very different diets and have very different tastes but I thought I'd share a cookbook that just came out that I found to be very good.

 

It is the Ancestral Table by Russ Crandal who is author of the excellent Domestic Man food blog.

 

Has very good instructions on basic techniques, cooking tools needed, and of course many recipes.  I would say that it is my favorite cookbook, only second to The Joy of Cooking which I consider the nearly definative guide.

 

Feel free to reply with your own recommendations. 

Ravn

I'm a sucker for Indian food, and the cookbook that I've kept coming back to for twenty (!) years is Camellia Panjabi's "The great curries of India". It starts with a very thorough introduction to the spices and other agents, and proceeds to deliver the most amazing curries. I highly recommend it, it's delightfully geeky.

Micawberian

If we are talking about taste, then Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course gets my full recommendation. I think it would also be helpful to any beginner cooks, as she discusses basic things like how to make eggs or pastry, how to cut fish, etc. This isn't a nutritionally minded book, though (for you paleo kids, you'll find dairy and grains in this book. She loves her butter).


 

TANSTAAFL
Biren P. said:

(for you paleo kids, you'll find dairy and grains in this book. She loves her butter).

 

That's easy then...just replace said offenders with butter.

Chris Clarkson

Ottolenghi, Plenty and Jerusalem by Yottam Ottolenghi

The E&O cookbook

The Flavour Thesaurus

 

NB: NOT Paleo at all but delicious

 

mmm

Technique (Learn how to cook and you'll have a hard time stopping.)

Think Like a Chef by Tom Colicchio (This book turned me into a rabid home cook. While it has some recipes it's really focused on developing technique and understanding. It's intended to help you know how to cook, not what to cook.)

 

Keys to Good Cooking by Harold McGee (Food science encyclopedia with short, easy to read entries.)

 

Mastering Knife Skills by Norman Weinstein (Knowing how to use a knife is the gateway to cooking.)

 

Recipes

Plenty by Diana Henry (The best book on food thrift/stretching your dollars and time. Not to be confused with the outstanding Plenty by Ottolenghi mentioned above. I own all of Ottolenghi's books and they're awesome, maybe not as fun for beginners.)

 

The River Cottage Meat Book, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. (Despite the name, actually promotes eating less meat and doing so responsibly. Also could have gone under the technique section.)

 

What to Cook and How to Cook It, Jane Hornby. (Hands down the best picture illustrations of any cookbook I've ever read. Maybe the best recipe-based book for beginners I've seen.)

 

Encyclopedias

Joy of Cooking, Rombauer et al. (Newest edition only. They've brought back a hefty section on working with ingredients that's really useful. It's a classic for a reason. Got this for a wedding gift, was skeptical, use it every week).

 

How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman. (The tittle may seem ridiculous, but it's close. The recipes are a little basic, but when you need a throwdown, it's great. Also comes in an awesome app form).

 

Best food books to understand how to feed yourself, and make you want to do so.

In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan. (Brain may explode from cascade of epiphanies)

Farm City, Novella Carpenter. (You'll want to garden)

Kage

Gourmet nutrition vol 1 - by John Berardi - the companion to the Precision Nutrition binder.
Good recipes either with a higher carb load or a lower carb load depending on your needs. And surprisingly tasty recipes for a fitness/performance oriented nutritional cookbook.

GNARL

I agree with The Ancestral Table recommendation. Fits perfectly into many dietary templates(Paleo, PHD, traditional cultural foods). I love the Mexican Rice and Kalua Pork, easy and delicious.