Best cookbooks

[Paula]

What are the greatest cookbooks that you have come across or you own it that are truly amazing?

 

[tancowgirl2000]

I like Company's Coming......Jean Pare....

 

[Ishbel]

Any of Nick Nairn's books
Ditto
Delia Smith
Antonio Carluccio
Nigel Slater
The River Cafe cookbooks
Jamie Oliver
Sue Lawrence
Lady Claire MacDonald
Nigella Lawson - but some of the recipes don't quite work - I think a good editor would have spotted some of the mistakes!
Rick Stein
Gary Rhodes
Sonia Stevenson
Elizabeth David (classics from the 1950s onwards)

At last count I had over 400 cookery books... it's verging on obsessive

 

[Haggis]

One book that I thought was particularly exceptional, but unfortunately don't own yet, was Nigel Slater's Appetite. Alot of people could learn a lot from reading that book.

 

[Constance]

One of the coolest ones I have is Leone's Italian Cookbook, written by the son of the famous "Mother Leone", whose New York restaurant drew so many famous people. In addition to the great authentic recipes, it's a good read. Julia's cook books are great for the same reasons.

I have inherited a number of vintage cookbooks that I treasure greatly...my grandma White's Amish Brethren cookbook, with her handwritten notes and a handmade Mother's Day card from my dad when he was in the 4th grade tucked inside...a first edition of the Betty Crocker cook book from my aunt, who worked in the Betty Crocker test kitchens back in the 40's, and helped develope the recipes...my great-grandmother Foulk's Joy of Cooking, 1942 addition...and more.

Practically speaking, Joy of Cooking, Fannie Farmer, the New York Times cookbook, and the Cook's Illustrated cookbooks are my favorites. Cook's Illustrated does a lot of research, not only on recipes, but also on things like olive oil, pots and pans, and other cooking essentials, kind of like a cook's Consumer's research, listing their favorite product, best buy, etc.

And then there's my own cookbook...a compilation of my favorite recipes along with those of family and friends. I printed them up on Print Shop, complete with photos, onto both sides of card stock, put them in plastic sleeves and then into large loose leaf notebooks. The notebooks were plain white, with a clear plastic cover that one could remove. Instead of removing it, I printed up covers and inserted underneath it. Looks pretty, and every Christmas, I add more pages.

 

[kleenex]

Joy of Cooking.

 

[chefhelper]

I love France the Beautiful Cookbook - all the recipes work wonderfully and are authentic.
I also love the Willliams Sonoma series. They're small enough to keep on the counter open with me as I cook.

 

[KathyJ]

I like Cook's Illustrated for the explanations...
Also like Mark Bittman
Taste of Home and/or anything out of Reiman Publications

Lately been collecting the "make your own mixes", "making your own..." or "anything from the 60's or before" type of cookbooks. The ones that tell you how to make your own sour cream, etc... and use real ingredients instead of boxes and cans...

 

[buckytom]

my cooking bible has always been fannie farmer's cookbook, circa 1970.
whenever i have a question about making something, that's the first place i look.
i have made a few things from dom delouise's cookbooks, "eat this, it'll make you feel better", and "the sopranos cookbook", but i've found most of the cooking times in the recipes to be too long, but the ingredients and other techniques are ok.

constance, i have eaten in the original mama leone's in nyc a few times, and i have to say the food was average to, well, i haven't gone back since. the best part about going there was that we used to go on new years eve. we would go in to the city for a broadway show, then grab a table at mama leone's or sardi's for a quick bite. just before midnight, after the surrounding streets were closed down so no one could get in, we would stumble out of the restaurant, bellies full and comfortably warm, and walk down the block into the crowd of freezing people in times square, and watch the ball drop.

 

[urmaniac13]

Pellegrino Artusi's "La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene". It is also available in English, "Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well".

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/026-0322636-8079659

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/103-2436132-1759842

 

[ironchef]

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f87/favorite-cookbooks-12627.html?highlight=favorite+cookbook

 

[htc]

I don't think I have one cook book that I could live without. Maybe I'm just too picky. I have many cookbooks, but don't think I have found one yet in which every single recipe I tried, worked out really well for me.

 

[KathyJ]

One of the coolest ones I have is Leone's Italian Cookbook, written by the son of the famous "Mother Leone", whose New York restaurant drew so many famous people. In addition to the great authentic recipes, it's a good read.

I just picked up this book at a thrift store last night - I probably would have bypassed it except for your post! Haven't looked at it too much, but what I have read is very interesting.... If they had over 1500 patrons each night, the food can't be too bad! I love Italian!

so thanks Constance!

 

[Ishbel]

I've got the English translation of this Italian cookery book on order. I'm going to pop into my local bookshop and see if it's arrived yet.

http://www.phaidon.com/silverspoon/silverspoon_launch.html

 

[Gerrycooks]

I love locally produced cookbooks from clubs. They have some of the best recipes that you know real people have made such as lemon bread.
I also have a Grange dessert cookbook from the 70's. It has hundreds of recipes. I wish I could find another one.