Cookbook favorites

[Petra]

I'm always on the look-out for tried and trusted Cookbook recommendations.
What are your favorite Cookbooks? Why are these your favorites?


My favorites are:

The Good Friends Cookbook - except for one, every recipe I've tried from this book is delicious and works out well. The ingredients are simple, in-your-cupboard ingredients and the instructions are easy to follow. There's a bit of everything in this book from appetizers to casual entrees to elegant entrees to desserts.

Chinese Cooking by Stephen Yan - he's put out many books but the one titled simply Chinese Cooking is one that I return to all the time. It has simple to follow directions and the dishes turn out as if from a Chinese recipe. The recipes are easy to make and, other than chopping, do not require many special techniques.

Looneyspoons Low-fat food made fun! - a fun to read book with good recipes. I haven't tried too many recipes from this book yet but the ones I have tried are delicious. The book is quite entertaining with tips and advice.

I have an entire shelf of cookbooks but always come back to these three.

[Ali]

Thank you, Petra, I will have to take a look at Stephen Yan's books...I have a couple of Martin Yan's and absolutely love them!

Please add these books to the bookshelf as well!

:)

[Petra]

Done, Ali! I never even thought of checking the Bookshelf. Wow! I'll be checking out the list for another favorite cookbook. Thanks!

[Sarah]

Oooh, oooh - Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything! It's my absolute FAVORITE! Not only does it really have *everything* in there, but I just love Bittman's style. He makes cooking so much fun! He will give you a recipe, followed by a bunch of variations on that recipe, so you get the hang of cooking to your tastes with your favorite ingredients. It gives you a good sense of how to take a recipe and make it your own. I love that book!

[Natashya]

Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is an excellent book.
Cindy Mushet's The Art and Soul of Baking.
Anything by Ina Garten!

I will have to go and take a look at your bookshelves, I am sure you have some excellent picks.

[Ali]

Thank you, Sarah and Natashya...please add those books to the bookshelf, and any others you deem fit!

:)

[Michelle]

I love Dish Entertains by Trish Magwood. I also love the soup recipes in Foster's Market cookbook.

[Lisa]

Sl Busy Moms Weeknight Favorites

This is one of the best cookbooks I've ever purchased. There are lots of simple, great tasting recipes. No fuss - for the cook or by the family. I haven't tried a bad recipe yet.

One of the things I like most, besides the simplicity of the meals, is the pictures. There's a colored picture of every dish. I like a visual aid! Oh, the cookbook is not just for a single dish, each page is devoted to an entire meal.

[[deleted user]]

My favourite cookbooks have to be the books put together by groups for fundraisers. They are family favourites and fun to try. I usually end up putting my own spin on things. I've got 4 shelves of cookbooks in my kitchen - whoever thought of adding built in shelves above a desk right next to the counter was a genius. Everything is in one place.

[Sharon]

Carol wrote: "My favourite cookbooks have to be the books put together by groups for fundraisers. They are family favourites and fun to try. I usually end up putting my own spin on things. I've got 4 shelves ..."

Our kitchen bookshelf sounds like yours. :-) We have professionally published books, but also a boatload of different fundraising cookbooks. We have favorites from just about all of them -- although the recipes from the Tri-City (Kentucky) American Saddlebred Association all seem to be intended for feeding masses at a horse show!

[Sharon]

I got a book for a bachelor friend of mine who requested a basic cookery book for his birthday: Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen Cookbook 100+ Great Recipes with Foolproof Instructions. It explains how to shop for things as well as how to prep the meal.

[[deleted user]]

Sharon wrote: "I got a book for a bachelor friend of mine who requested a basic cookery book for his birthday: [book:Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen Cookbook 100+ Great Recipes with Foolproof Instructions|6032..."

I'll have to look that up for my son when he leaves home. He can do basic cooking and follow a recipe but is probably pretty clueless when it comes to the grocery store.

[Sarah]

Carol wrote: "Sharon wrote: "I got a book for a bachelor friend of mine who requested a basic cookery book for his birthday: Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen Cookbook 100+ Great Recipes with Foolproof In..."</i>

Another good one for the kid newly away from home:

[book:Where's Mom Now That I Need Her? Surviving Away from Home

[Bev]

New here on this group. I'm a bit of a cookbook junkie but often don't get around to actually using them. It's like being a kid again ... pouriing over my picture books, mouth watering. I do have a question - anybody recommend a surefire Slow-cooker cookbook? Just got a slow=cooker.

[Natashya]

I like Beth Hensperger's Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook.

[Harvey]

Delia Smith (though not all in one book) has several slow cooking recipes; My slow-cook cookbook is several thousand miles away and I can't recollect the author. Thought it was Delia and tried to google it. Jamie Oliver (another chef I respect) again has some slow cook recipes, but again can't see a separate stand alone book.

[Sarah]

Natashya wrote: "I like Beth Hensperger's Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. "

Right now this is FREE on the Kindle - get it while you can!

[Ashleigh]

If you have an interest in baking I can certainly recommend http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40...
I have used this book on several occasions and must say its the best cupcake book I have come across. It focuses on recipes more than decorating and has some great ideas.

[Brooke]

I just finished Favorite Food at Home: Delicious Comfort Food from Ireland's Most Famous Chef by Rachel Allen. I very much enjoyed this book. She gives very detailed instructions & has some very yummy sounding recipes. I have a few that I want to try this week!

[Jennifer]

I just read The Cooking Club: Six Friends Show You How to Bake, Broil & Bond. It was a fun read and gave me lots of ideas. I think our next potluck will be much more structured--there will be assignments!The Cooking Club Cookbook: Six Friends Show You How to Bake, Broil, and Bond

[Stephanie]

Sharon wrote: "I got a book for a bachelor friend of mine who requested a basic cookery book for his birthday: [book:Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen Cookbook 100+ Great Recipes with Foolproof Instructions|6032..."


I wasn't a huge fan. It has some nice tips, but the recipes just weren't that interesting. It might be good for the first year or two, but if anyone is interested in cooking or food at all, you outgrow it pretty quickly.

Honestly, I think everyone should have something comprehensive (Joy of Cooking, Mark's Bittman's How to Cook Everything, Fannie Farmer...), something from another culture (Paula Wolfert, Nicole Routhier, Claudia Rodin, etc), a vegetarian cookbook, and then a good baking book. My favorites include Pleasures of the Good Earth (homestyle Italian), The Enchanted Broccoli Forest (Mollie Katzen!), and the More-with-Less Cookbook. I could go on...

[Tammy]

I'm new to the group... absolutely LOVE all of the Gooseberry Patch cookbooks! I use them all the time... they are mostly quick and easy, and all that I have tried have been great! I have submitted recipes in at least 16 of them; just go to their website and submit one, they will send you a free cookbook if they use it. I also love all of Ree Drummond, Christie Jordan, and Tricia Yearwood's cookbooks. They are all "down home" made easy... that's the food I grew up on, sometimes easier and better!