STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Sevilla · BCBG

Cookbooks

relrel · Marc Jacobs

I totally recommend the "America's Test Kitchen" cookbook. Not only does it give you tons of recipes but also has sections on what sort of utensils and pots and pans you need as well as the best ones for the price. It's just a huge wealth of knowledge about cooking- not just about the actual recipes but good to know facts as well.

HeatherLynn · Gucci

I think that the best all around cookbook is the better homes and gardens cookbook. I was given it when I moved out, as were most of my friends. For me its something I grew up seeing my mom and grandmother use. IT has very traditional recipes as well as measurement coversions and replacement suggestions. I think it is the best beginner/all around cookbook. You can get more specialized ones later- low fat, low carb, sweets, meats, italian, asian, or whatever.

LRae9107 · Nine West

I recommend America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. My boyfriend's parents got us this, and it has a lot of basic info as well as good recipes.

Wow, I posted this and saw that I must have been typing this at the same time RelRel was making the same recommendation! Anyway, I second it.

-- Edited by LRae9107 at 21:14, 2007-02-27

mikacat · Coach

Better Homes and Gardens or Betty Crocker are really good basic simple starter Cookbooks.

wicked · Coach

Betty Crocker cookbooks are fabulous. I love the layout/format, so easy to read.

Eurodaisy · Dooney & Bourke

I have several cookbooks, but here are the three I use the most:

I also watch the Food Network a lot. It's great for learning basic techniques, and all of the recipes on all of the shows are available online.

bluediamond · Dooney & Bourke

mikacat wrote:

Better Homes and Gardens or Betty Crocker are really good basic simple starter Cookbooks.

Ditto. When I first learned to cook I relied heavily on these books.

You'll learn a lot of basics.

kittenheels · Coach

I have a vintage copy of the McCall's cookbook from 1960 - which was the cookbook my mum learned with too. I totally agree that something like better home/betty crocker is the way to go. I like being able to look up really basic things like how to poach an egg as well as how to make complex things.

I would also recommend Nigella Lawson's cookbooks as she is very clear about instructions and gives good guidance as to what you should be doing. I also like the Gourmet cookbook - although it's pretty encyclopedic, there are lots of helpful passages and descriptions.

Have fun! Just thinking about cookbooks makes me want to bake some cookies!

Bastet · Kate Spade

I have a small army of cookbooks! For nights when I have time to cook something "ambitious," I love these two books: The Wine Lover's Cookbook and The Wine Lover Cooks with Wine, both by Sid Goldstein. Every single recipe I've made from these books has turned out fabulous! If you and FH are into wine at all, these books have great chapters about matching wine with food and using wine as an ingredient in recipes.

The Wine Lover's Cookbook: Great Recipes for the Perfect Glass of Wine

Great Recipes for the Essential Ingredient

I use Martin Yan Quick and Easy at least once a week. The book includes sample menus and cooking tips. Some of his recipes incorporate fruit in interesting ways, like mango chicken stir fry or beef with apples.

The Bon Appetit cookbook is quite good, too. They also publish a "Best of Bon Appetit" book every year with lots of great recipes.

The Bon Appetit Cookbook (purchase includes subscription to Bon Appetit magazine)

If you don't have a lot of time, but still want to cook, A Flash in the Pan is a good one to have. The recipes can be made using one skillet. Some of them are not very healthy (veal meatballs in dill cream sauce on egg noodles *drool*), but most of the recipes in the book are pretty easy and don't require a ton of ingredients.

Fast, Fabulous Recipes in a Single Skillet

ETA: If you like shortcuts, Le Cordon Bleu Quick and Easy has lots of fast recipes. Some are really good, others are hit or miss. But a lot of their veggie side dishes and salads are really great.

Lastly, it's not a cook book, but Barron's Food Lover's Companion is a great resource to have. I use it to look up terms I don't understand in a recipe, or if I just want to cook something without a recipe. It has a huge conversion table, substitution charts, oven temperatures for cooking everything, etc.

Food Lover's Companion, The (Barron's Cooking Guide) 3rd Edition

-- Edited by Bastet at 13:49, 2007-03-01

ViViDogWear · Kate Spade

I also have a rather large collection of cookbooks. I have amassed a collection of Williams Sonoma (quite a few from Ross and Marshall's too). Also specific ethnic or subject cookbooks. I use my WS Grilling one a lot.

When I moved out of my parents house i started printing specific recipes from online sources and keep the ones I like in plastic sheet covers in a 3 ring binder. It's divided in sections such as : Beef, Chicken, Fish, Dessert, Salads, etc. I find that i refer to this "scrapbook cookbook" the most, and will one day make a copy for my sister since she's moved away for school.

Suasoria · Chanel

Of the "big fat cookbooks," which every household should have one of, my favorite is also Joy of Cooking. It stays out on the counter on a little stand, that's how much I use it. I have another cabinet full of cookbooks that I use for certain things, such as one that's entirely vegan, and I love anything old-school that includes housekeeping tips or essays on the glory of homemaking. (Peg Bracken's "The I Hate to Cook Book" is also a favorite, for opposite reasons. It's all about how unfulfilling the care and feeding of everybody can be.)

Definitely check out a used bookstore when you're in the market for a cookbook. Older versions of the classics won't include things like what to do with tofu, but chances are the recipes are basically the same in the 1998 edition as in the recent one.