Favorite Cook Book?

[Claire]

How do you feel about loaning cookbooks, and about messing them up? I loaned one to a neighbor, and she said, gee, Claire, If I don't splatter on it, will you loan me another some time? My reply was that cookbooks HAVE to have splatters on them. What, exactly, would be the point of, say, an Italian cookbook that didn't have at least one splotch of olive oil on a page? At this point I'd hesitate to lend the two old ones I'd be unable to replace, but anytime someone wants to borrow a book, and any time one gets a lot of food on it ... I'm HAPPY! It's all about food, right?

[choclatechef]

No way! If I mess up a cookbook accidently, it is on me. But nobody else better!

I don't loan my cookbooks!

[pdswife]

I don't loan mine out either.. I've lost too many. If I have a recipe anyone wants though I'll give it freely.

[lotsarecipes]

Originally Posted by pdswife1

since so many of us are joining could you tell us about your favorite cookbook or about the one you use the most??

Hi There! I have many favourites, it depends on the day and how I feel. I love Better Homes and Gardens, Betty Crocker and Canadian Living the most though.

[lotsarecipes]

Originally Posted by Claire

How do you feel about loaning cookbooks, and about messing them up?

I don't mind lending a cookbook if it is something that I know I can replace quite easily but have very few like that, most are old and irreplaceable. My collection means too much to me to have any go missing. If someone wants to look through them, I don't mind having them take a look but preferably here.

I don't mind if a cookbook has smudges on it, it does create character but since I learned the trick of placing the whole cookbook in a clear plastic bag, I've had very few mishaps.

[Claire]

My biggest travel regret was not buying a Slovene cookbook. I'd never be able to read it, right? But wish I'd bought it anyway. I have a cookbook in French, from Quebec, and take it as a personal challenge. I have rudimentary French, and three friends (around the country) who are French linguists, so that's way too easy. Can you imagine the calls? I have a great dictionary, but food terms are sometimes too esoteric for it. Can you imagine the phone calls? Hey XXXXX (in FL), what does this mean? Hell, I don't know. Then I call XXXX (in CA), then XXXX (in HI). This book is great!! Heck on the phone bill, but fun!! It actually came in English as well, but .... hey, we all need to get those little gray cells going.

[SierraCook]

Originally Posted by Claire

How do you feel about loaning cookbooks, and about messing them up? I loaned one to a neighbor, and she said, gee, Claire, If I don't splatter on it, will you loan me another some time? My reply was that cookbooks HAVE to have splatters on them. What, exactly, would be the point of, say, an Italian cookbook that didn't have at least one splotch of olive oil on a page? At this point I'd hesitate to lend the two old ones I'd be unable to replace, but anytime someone wants to borrow a book, and any time one gets a lot of food on it ... I'm HAPPY! It's all about food, right?

I don't loan my cookbooks out, but I don't mind if I get stuff on them. If you look in my cookbooks you can tell what my favorite recipes are because those are the pages with the splatters. My favorite cookbooks are:

Fanny Farmers
The New American Heart Association Cookbook
Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook
The Essential Pasta Cookbook

[choclatechef]

I don't know what you guys consider them, but I like to consider cooking videos a great adjunct to my cookbooks.

I have the entire Julia Child companion videos to her cookbook The Way to Cook and several others of hers.

I have the entire video series by Jacque Pepin "Cooking Techniques". I was watching him the other day on the first in this set -- knife work and vegetables.

I have a whole series by Jeff Smith -- the Frugal Gourmet.

I have a lot of other cooking videos by others on various subjects.

To me, having these videos are like taking a refresher course at the CIA. What do you guys think?

[norgeskog]

Originally Posted by choclatechef

I don't know what you guys consider them, but I like to consider cooking videos a great adjunct to my cookbooks.
I have the entire Julia Child companion videos to her cookbook The Way to Cook and several others of hers.
I have the entire video series by Jacque Pepin "Cooking Techniques". I was watching him the other day on the first in this set -- knife work and vegetables.
I have a whole series by Jeff Smith -- the Frugal Gourmet.
I have a lot of other cooking videos by others on various subjects.
To me, having these videos are like taking a refresher course at the CIA.
What do you guys think?

I have JC's The Way To Cook and love it, and two of Frugal Gourmet, which for some reason I do not user very much, mostly JC's, Sara Moultons and Andreas Voldstad. As far as videos go, I would be afraid I would cut my hand off if I were watching tv, or do you just watch and not chop along?

[choclatechef]

Norge, I can't see the TV from my kitchen, so I watch the videos as a kind of "refresher" course.