How to Be a Domestic Goddess: Baking and the Art of Comfort Cooking
by Nigella Lawson
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Read in September, 2005
recommends it for:
Anyone who loves to cook
Oh. My. Gosh. This is the definitive book for me. Nigella is not a "chef"--she is a home cook, just like me, like most of us out there. But she is brilliant--funny, mildly goofy (though not over-the-top the way gals like Rachael Ray can be), and extremely intelligent. Her writing is breathtakingly beautiful--these cookbooks read as deliciously as the recipes they serve up.
And as for the title... I've had all sorts of reactions, mostly from women, which astound me. I find tha...more
And as for the title... I've had all sorts of reactions, mostly from women, which astound me. I find tha...more
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Read in October, 2000
recommends it for:
anybody who's interested in baking.
I have cooked out of almost all of Nigella's books (not Nigella Express though) but this is always my favourite and the first one I give as a gift! I bought the book years ago in Scotland because I just loved the title. I made the banana bread and have never looked back since. The recipes are consistently good and sometimes fantastic, her writing is delightful and she makes cooking feel like something you share with her. It's the sort of cookbook you cook from, read in bed and refer to constantl...more
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I love Nigella's writing. Yes, not her recipes - although they are great - but her writing. Every recipe has a story, a funny anicdote or a bit of helpful info about how to prepare, cook or eat the following goodie. I read her books in bed. My husband thinks I'm mad. This book is just incredible. I cannot cook - but (and here's a secret) people think I am fabulous because I can follow Nigella's recipe say for gorgeous gooey chocolate fudge brownies. You basically chuck everything togther,...more
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recommends it for:
a baker, a butcher, a candlestick maker
Lawson is a real woman. She eats...bad things and good things. She makes cakes for her children that look like a real cake. She invents things, avoids prepackaged foods and best of all she has hips.
Her recipes are British which is very obvious, but they are not too weird to try once. Her cakes are delicious. The Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake is our favorite...its been made for gifts..for cravings and for the hell of it. Pair this with some really good raspberry jam and its is divine.
I es...more
Her recipes are British which is very obvious, but they are not too weird to try once. Her cakes are delicious. The Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake is our favorite...its been made for gifts..for cravings and for the hell of it. Pair this with some really good raspberry jam and its is divine.
I es...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
inexperienced bakers
I've been stalking this book from afar for awhile now and have finally broken down and bought it after having it recommended to me about a million times. This is definitely not the kind of book to buy/read if you're already an experienced baker, but if you don't bake often and are looking to expand a relatively limited repertoire then I'd highly recommend it. All the recipes are easy to follow, fairly basic, and, save for one or two, contain easily accessible ingredients. Everything I've made fr...more
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Read in December, 2001
recommends it for:
bakers, both beginners and not
Some great recipes in here, very accessibly presented. The rosemary loaf cake, dense chocolate loaf cake, molten chocolate babycakes, cream-cheese brownies, burnt-butter brown-sugar cupcakes, maple-pecan bread, and norwegian cinnamon buns are favorites. A few--such as the night-and-day cupcakes, sweet and salty peanut cookies, and autumnal birthday cake--are disappointing. For almost every Nigella dessert, I recommend reducing the sugar considerably. The dense chocolate loaf cake is most del...more
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As enjoyable a read as How to Eat, and with some gorgeous pictures, as well. My only complaint is that Lawson's use of fat is sometimes a little over-the-top (and I'm not one to shy away from cream and butter). Still, four sticks of butter for one batch of brownies? Often, cutting some of her butter or replacing some of the heavy cream with light makes for an easier-to-eat dessert. That minor complaint aside, the recipes are wonderful; I especially like her section on dinner pies (very British!...more
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For some reason I am drawn to cook books more than other books. I recommend Nigella to anyone who is wary of cooking and even more fearful of enjoying. I used to watch her cooking show before I got the book and it made me want to throw everything into a pot and invite people over. My mother is a big fan and has even more of her books, alas this is the only one I have and I love the banana bread recipe
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recommends it for:
foodies,new couples,housewarming
I love Nigella Lawson,and I love this book.
It's just a fun book to curl up with,and bring a cup of tea,and add a rainy day and it's a soothing wonderfull book.
Nigella's unpracticed amateur prose puts a kind of personal funky layer to this that makes it a lovely read.
I reccomend this very much,and also,it's just got some damn good simple recipies.
I would buy this as a gift for a new couple.
It's just a fun book to curl up with,and bring a cup of tea,and add a rainy day and it's a soothing wonderfull book.
Nigella's unpracticed amateur prose puts a kind of personal funky layer to this that makes it a lovely read.
I reccomend this very much,and also,it's just got some damn good simple recipies.
I would buy this as a gift for a new couple.
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Not only do I plan to make almost eveything, but it all seems easy, as based on my successful sourdough loaf. However, let me be real, as my actual goal is to prove that by eating sumptuous, home-cooked food with your fingers, one can turn out as sexy as Nigella Lawson. Even while surrounded by the pungency of sourdough starter, in a one-bedroom, in Chicago, in May.
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beautiful cookbook, but beyond my level of cooking, so I guess the two stars is for me, more than the cookbook. Lots of recipes called for specialty ingredients and everything was just a little bit harder than it needed to be (or so I thought.) Still fun, and if there is ever a more beginning guide to being a domestic goddess, sign me up.
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I adore Nigella Lawson. She is my hero. And this book is fabulous - so much fun. I've taken on her gingerbread recipe, and her molten chocolate babycakes recipe too. Both those were a project at school for me. Also love the cranberry upside down cake, sour cream chocolate cake, chocolate-orange cake, chocolate pistachio cake, and baklava.
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Read in December, 2007
I received this book a couple years ago, but I really came to appreciate it around the holidays last year when I started baking again. Though I haven't made many of the recipes yet, I just love Nigella's attitude and her writing. Now I'm even willing to try lard for a couple recipes, just as she recommended. :)
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Nigella is, in addition to an amazing cook and baker, an amazing food writer. She writes about food with so much passion and sensuality, her books are almost dirty cookbooks. Also, how can you not love a book with a whole chapter on Chocolate Cakes?
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my copy is barely held together but much more than glop and spilt batter.
i have made so many of these recipes .. most popular is the banana bread, and the simple dense chocolate cake )although you need to know the trick that makes this one work ok).
i have made so many of these recipes .. most popular is the banana bread, and the simple dense chocolate cake )although you need to know the trick that makes this one work ok).
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I absolutely love Nigella Lawson! The
first cookbook of hers that I picked up had a recipe for a chocolate cake. The servings read "serves 8 or 1 with a broken heart". I've been hooked ever since Someone who loves food as much as I do!
first cookbook of hers that I picked up had a recipe for a chocolate cake. The servings read "serves 8 or 1 with a broken heart". I've been hooked ever since Someone who loves food as much as I do!
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Read in January, 2005
recommends it for:
people who want to learn basics
Nigella Lawson is no Julia Child, but when it comes to what to cook and what to eat, she has a better sense than most. This is a good introduction for beginning cooks who just want to make good food. And maybe find their inner food slag.
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I did not become a domestic goddess (and someone should tell Nigella that Roseanne has pretty much ruined the phrase), but I did learn how to make a chocolate espresso cake that should garner at least minor sacrificial offerings.
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Read in January, 2002
recommends it for:
amelia, lulu, lily
I read and made almost all of the recepies in this book when I was first married. It sounds like a title from the june cleaver days, but the recepies are delicious, and easy to make, and by the way, Nigella is just awesome!
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essential--ESSENTIAL-- reading.
not only can nigella craft a mean recipe, but she's also a witty, smart, and engaging writer. more than a cookbook, something to keep by the bedside for digestif + good book time.
not only can nigella craft a mean recipe, but she's also a witty, smart, and engaging writer. more than a cookbook, something to keep by the bedside for digestif + good book time.
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