Where to go for cookbooks

[~emz~]

Where would I go or where could I find a cookbook that has simple but new and different recipes that I could possibly make(i'm trying to cook once a week so my parents don't have to)? I also need some that wouldn't take much time to prepare and bake, soccer ties things up a lot. I don't even need a cookbook, just if anyone has a simple new recipe, I'm all ears! Thanks

~emz~

 

[Andy M.]

The major book store chains, Barnes and Noble or Borders, have an excellent selection of cookbooks that you can browse and evaluate before you buy. They carry all levels of difficulty and specialties.

Of course, you can shop these stores and others on line as well.

 

[Poppinfresh]

Foodnetwork.com is a great resource. They have a power search function that you can basically punch in what you want to do (quick, elegant, etc.) and it'll spit back recipes at you. Best of all, it's free

 

[pdswife]

I go to Barns and Noble ... find what I want and then head over to ebay and buy a used copy for much cheaper.

 

[Alix]

Emz, look for the Cooking for the Rushed cookbooks at Chapters. (No Barnes and Noble here guys).

You can borrow mine if you like. Just ask Kate to bring them over. You can copy out the recipes you like.

Your other option is to use the search function on the blue taskbar here. Type in the main ingredient (like steak, chicken, whatever) and it will come up with tons of threads you can pick through. You can use the ADVANCED search to have it only look in the areas you want it to look through. Good luck Emz, I know your Mom will appreciate the help.

Easy Chicken recipes here The one I posted is from the recipe book I mentioned.

 

[GB]

I sure hope your parents appreciate you. That is a very nice thing to do for them!

This is a great cookbook that I have made a number of things out of. Most of the recipes can be made pretty quickly. Maybe not the 30 minutes that she claims, but still most don't take too long.

 

[GB]

Oh I also wanted to say that you should check out your library. They will usually have a good selection of cookbooks and you don't have to pay for them

 

[Toots]

There are a wealth of good recipes on the internet.

I own about 250 cookbooks but I am also cheap, so I check them out at the public library all of the time. A great little cookbook with simple but wonderful recipes is Rick & Lanie's Excellent Kitchen Adventures by Rick Bayless.

 

[urmaniac13]

Ciao Emz and welcome to the forum!!

Yes, Alix is right, this forum is filled with helpful infos and recipes which are quick and easy... abuse the search function!!

My personal suggestion is experiment with quick-cooking couscous... it is a delicious substitute to pasta or rice, versatile and goes with so many other foods and diffferent types of flavours, yes, just like pasta and rice.
The greatest thing is it is even easier to cook than pasta or rice, you boil the same amount of water as the couscous, then you throw in the couscous, cover, turn off the heat and let it stand for 5minutes and it is ready!! No worry about something boiling over or burning or sticking. From there you can enjoy with your prefered sauce, condiments, make a salad, or stir fry it with other ingredients etc.... the possibilities are limitless.
This is just a few examples to give you an idea...

 

[BreezyCooking]

Borders books is KING in this department. Their sales racks are chock full of fabulous cookbooks. I love the fact that I've been able to complete my old collection of "The Beautiful" cookbook series through them for half the price I paid for many of the original volumes. Just this past week I purchased a lovely huge book on Japanese cooking for a whopping $7.95. It's wonderful.

As far as looking for older books that may now be out of print, or simply cookbooks that have been used (in most cases I don't care if cookbooks have been used or not), try these online purveyors:

http://www.abebooks.com/

http://www.alibris.com/

http://www.daedalusbooks.com/Default.asp

 

[Chef_Jimmy]

The Joy of Cooking is a great book for a beginner and veteran alike. It has every basic recipe you could think of and tons of useful information. EVERYrestaurant I've ever worked in has had a copy. Amazon is very cheap and reliable. Good luck

 

[Constance]

You can find some real bargains on cookbooks on Ebay. Just consider the shipping into the cost of the book.
I agree about Joy of Cooking. Fannie Farmer's cookbook is also an excellent one to start out with.
You can also find a lot of simple, tasty dishes here:

http://www.campbellkitchen.com/default.aspx

You're very thoughtful to help out like this. I'm sure your parents will appreciate it very much.

 

[vyapti]

I'm a big fan of allrecipes.com. There's a lot of variety and the recipes are user reviewed. As far as cookbooks go, try to find one that discusses techniques or ingredients. You can get recipes anywhere very easilly. A good cookbook should also teach.

I'm glad to see you taking the initiative. You'll be well served soon when your friends or eating at Taco Bell - or top ramon, because they can't afford Taco Bell. Good luck.

 

[urmaniac13]

Borders books is KING in this department. Their sales racks are chock full of fabulous cookbooks. I love the fact that I've been able to complete my old collection of "The Beautiful" cookbook series through them for half the price I paid for many of the original volumes. Just this past week I purchased a lovely huge book on Japanese cooking for a whopping $7.95. It's wonderful.

As a former employee of Borders, I can verify Breezy's post... their bargain book section is like a treasure trove for nice cookbooks for incredibly low price... They often do buy 4 and get the fifth free deal, too.

 

[Alix]

Unfortunately no Borders books here either.

 

[~emz~]

Thanks so much! I barely expected one reply! I'm definately going to check out some of these books, and abuse the search here! I do love couscous, the problem is I'm not sure where to find it. Does anyone know if Superstore carries it? If so I'll totally put it on the grocery list! Miss. Alix, I would love to copy some of the recipes from your book "Cooking for the Rushed" and also I would like to steal your recipe for perogies(dough and all) if possible!

____________________________________________

Friends are angels who lift us off our feet when our wings forget how to fly

 

[jkath]

Hey Emz - so sorry I've not yet welcomed you to the site, but I have waved to Alix's girls via webcam, if that counts...

Tell us what your 4 or 5 favorite things to eat are, and maybe we can come up with some yummy dishes for you to prepare. I'm really proud that you're doing this, and don't forget - a mom always appreciates an unsolicited and unanticipated dessert made when she's busy cooking!

I'll see if I can find you some of my easy recipes....

 

[jkath]

Here's a favorite of mine:

Super Easy,Quick & Pretty Orange Salad
This salad is great to take to potlucks, as it takes under 10 minutes to make (dressing is easy, but must chill)
Also, all items can be purchased many days in advance.


Jkath's Favorite Orange Salad

Make Dressing first, as it needs to chill:
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1 c. granulated sugar
Microwave 2+ minutes on high till boiling
Stir, and add:
1/2 c. oil
Juice of 1 large navel orange
Stir & store in bottle; Shake right before using

Salad - - - -
In large bowl, mix:
1 prepackaged mixed greens
1 prepackaged baby spinach
2 cans (drained) mandarin oranges
2 green onions, sliced
1+ small package almond slivers
1/2+ small tub bleu cheese crumbles
Add:
1 packaged (I used Louis Rich) honey roasted chicken (not slices!), cut up
Stir gently

Put into glass bowl (really looks pretty), and top with:
1 package fresh raspberries
prepackaged candied pecans (just enough to look right)

Just before serving, drizzle with orange dressing

 

[auntdot]

Welcome aboard EMZ.

Personally love cookbooks and like Toots own a bunch.

And if I had to recommend just one it would the Joy of Cooking, as some have said.

But the web is a great place to find recipes. You can, and all of us here do, search for a recipe, and we often find more than we wanted.

Not to discourage you, I certainly don't want to do that.

But all recipes you read in books, or on the web, or find in the newspaper or magazines, or are recommended by, oh, Auntdot or some other nefarious person, may not work as they are touted to.

There are a variety of reasons, and many times it is that the recipe does not explain caarefully enough the steps involved in making the dish. The author just assumes you understand how to treat or use an ingredient.

(Used to be a chemist and am very sensitive to that, we had to carefully specify each step in a chemical 'recipe').

Have seen recipes where the main ingredient was just left out of the 'instruction' part of the recipe.

As you cook more, and it is so much fun, you will get to be more critical of the recipes you read before you cook them.

What I do is imagine myself making the recipe and see if I can find a snag. When do I add the rice? Is it pre-cooked rice or not? Do I peel the tomatoes or not? Are they seeded?

If you have a question in the mental run through, make sure you have worked it out before you are mired in a bunch of pots are not sure where to go next.

Even though, we all get burned.

That being said, just read the recipe, see if it makes sense to you, and have fun.

Most recipes are just fine, but that is just my approach to them, no matter where they appear.

And never, ever, at your stage make an untried recipe for company.

Would probably recommend you make very liberal use of the web. There are many great recipes there. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by them all.

But it is a great resource, and it is free.

You don't have to spend a great amount on books.

Welcome to the DC club. You will do just fine if you relax and enjoy the experience.

 

[GB]

I do love couscous, the problem is I'm not sure where to find it. Does anyone know if Superstore carries it?

I am not familiar with Superstores, but I would guess they do carry it if they are a full service supermarket. Look around where they have the rice as couscous is usually right next to the rice, at least around here. If you can't find it then ask someone who works at the store. They will know right away where to find it.