The Thrifty Cookbook

thriftlady_2

The Thrifty Cookbook by Kate Colquhoun is an absolutley brilliant new cookbook subtitled '476 Ways to Eat Well With Leftovers' .

There is advice about shopping, a list of items to keep in stock so that you can make the most of your leftovers. There is sensible info about use by and best before dates, food safety, how long different foods can be kept and how much to cook.

Then there are the recipes -these are really blueprints for things like hash, pies, stews, omelettes,meatballs, crumble,stir fries and soup with loads of ideas for varying them. This is what I call being able to cook. It is not about being able to follow a recipe, anyone can do that, but about knowing how to vary that recipe to make the most of what you have, knowing what tastes good with what (there's advice on this too).

There are no pictures but some excellent diagrammatic illustrations by Will Webb. Get a taste of the book by checking out the website.

Gigervamp

I picked up the latest Asda magazine at the weekend and it mentioned that book. I'll have to have a look.

Bambi234

Thank You. This is the sort of book I have been looking for ages. Like you said anybody can follow a recipe and without blowing my own trumpet I'm a reasonably good cook, but much to my dismay and my girlfriends things do tend to get chucked out after they have been in the fridge for a couple of days. If we are able to make more use of that stuff then that's money that goes towards the debts rather than straight into the bin.

I have been away from the forums for a little while something like this has helped me focus. Realising that I need to get the little things sorted and other things should, and hopefully will fall into place.

Mrs_Bones

I got this book at the weekend and I think it's brilliant, I like cooking and can do the basics same as everyone else, but this just gives you loads of extra ideas what to do with leftovers etc. I also liked that fact that it's printed on recycled paper.

Gingernutmeg

I thought I recognised the name - she was a tutor at my uni and I can really recommend her book 'Taste', which is about food history.

Dr_DiNg_DoNg

I bet people on this forum could write a fantastic thrifty cookbook to beat them all!