What cookbooks would you 'save' ?

kunekune

What couldn't I live without? Well, 10 isn't enough. But the books I have cared enough about to replace when they died of old age are:

Claudia Roden, A Book of Middle Eastern Food
Rose Elliot, The Bean Book
Jane Grigson, The Vegetable Book
Jane Grigson, The Fruit Book
Nigel Slater, 30 Minute Cook

The others I wouldn't dream of getting rid of are:

Madhur Jaffey's Indian Cookery (the original one from the TV series)
Madhur Jaffrey's Eastern Vegetarian Food
Cranks Cook Book (the first one, currently lost, looking for replacement)
Margaret Fultons Book of Vegetarian Cooking (funny little Aussie book but brilliant)
Robyn Martin, Never Fail Muffins (a NZ book)

Of the ones on your list that I'd like though I don't have them is more Nigel Slater (I love him), and the Hugh F-W (we're only part-time vegetarians).

morganlefay

yes, you're right, I forgot the Be-Ro book but it's very slim so perhaps doesn't count. Also my own collection of copied out recipes doesn't count, but what surprised me when I really thought about it is that I've got a LOT of books which I use just one or max 2 recipes from, which are using up an awful lot of space for not much purpose. Better to copy them out and get rid of the books. But I used to think I couldn't possibly do that, and now I think I might be able to !

Oh and I also forgot margaret Costa's Four seasons Cookbook, which is a lovely read and taught me how to make curdleproof hollandaise sauce !

radiosupply

If I had a gazillion recipe books and I could only keep a few, I would pick the most dog-eared, tattered, stained, annotated, familiar, grimy, greasy, well-worn and handed down from family. Those are the ones I know will be full of cheap, reliable, easy, fast and delicious recipes that I wouldn't be embarrassed or out of pocket to serve.

My housemate got me one for Christmas called Cookery for the Working Classes. Besides being an amusing read, I love the narrative style of it. The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook will have a permanent space on my shelf for the same reason.

*moggins*

The Paupers Cookbook - Jocasta Innes
Cooking on a Shoestring - Gail Duff

If I only had room for two books these would be the ones I would treasure for ever.

luckys_mum

Both Mary Berry's cake books. Just looking at the photographs makes my mouth water.

MrsAnnie

nesssie1702 wrote: »

I'd hold onto my Good Housekeeping Book, it's a gem! I've also got a set of 10 in the kitchen window that I refer to time and time again - it includes a couple of Nigel Slaters "fast food" and "Fast puddings"

Mine is the GH Cookery Book (not sure if it is the same one) but it is fab had it for about 4 years and could not live without it now. I refer to it time and time again. Not a bad dish made from it yet!

Having said that I only have about 5 cook books, not 100!!! Lucky OP :beer:

lucy*locket

Ooh yes I love cook books too but use only one or two recipes out of most of them. Jamie's books I've leave, rarely do I use those...keep Nigella's Christmas, and Feast, but leave the rest of hers...the one I use most is Tamasin Day Lewis's kitchen bible,
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tamasins-Kitchen-Bible-Tamasin-Day-Lewis/dp/029784363X/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237324405&sr=8-7
It has recipes for every occasion and is my favourite. But I'm off to check out some of these other books now....

MadDogWoman_2

My list:

Delia's Frugal Cooking - teaching me how to cook using what I've got
Delia's How to Cook 1-3 - teaching me techniques
Nigella's Domestic Goddess - I love baking
Nigella Bites - good for parties
Good Housekeeping - Christmas
Rick Gallop GI Diet - my healthy eating bible
Learn to Cook GI - Ditto
GH Comfort Food - excellent for cold winter days
and my laptop - for online searches and copied out recipes from mum's collection of recipe books!!

MDW

Patchwork_Quilt

This has definitely made me think. Amongst the 20 or so books in my cupboard, I could not give up my

Wharf Street Vegetarian Cookbook by Jill Gibson
Mrs Beeton
and Rosemary Conley's Low Fat Cookbook

Everything else really essential is in an old 2004 diary which is covered in egg stains etc.

Another favourite is Jamie's Ministry of Food, but that's a bit of a newbie so has yet to earn a place

LandyAndy

I'd keep:-
Delia's Complete Illustrated Cookery Course (ie the original book but with piccies). Full of good basic stuff that always works.

Indian Cookery (I think, not at home right now) by Mridula Baljekar - A fantastic and well illustrated book that lead me to understand the principles behind the food so I can now make it without recipes).

I have, probably, 30+ books but use them very rarely and then only to get a feel for what I might do.

I'm very much a 'seat of the pants' cook:rotfl: .