Foolproof cookery text books - help needed

angeltreats

I've heard good things about Sophie Grigson's books, although I've never read any of them, but this one for beginners has good reviews on Amazon.

To be honest, if you think that student cookbook and the Jamie Oliver one are too complicated, I wonder if you'd be better off learning from an actual person rather than a book. Do you know anyone who can cook who might be able to show you the basics? I know there are lots of cookery schools about but they're not exactly affordable if you're on a budget. But perhaps a relative or neighbour?

undercoverblonde

I have Fay's Family Food by Fay Ripley, it has the easiest recipes ever and most of my meal plans are planned round it, most of them are one pot meals aswell

angeltreats

jackieglasgow wrote: »

AngelTreats I recently recommended Practical Cookery to Cranky40 and she got it on Amazon for £3 I am sure.

I always recommend it to people who want to learn how to cook properly, its a great book, and to be honest, some of the kids who were on my college course, who were school drop outs, were able to use it and get a grasp of the techniques, I think its a good book for a beginner. If you can read, you can cook, I think.

Thanks! There is one on there for a penny but it's an 80s edition and I'd really rather have one that's a bit more up to date. I'll keep my eyes peeled though

Swampmonster

Bronnie wrote: »

Well to start, before you learn anything else.

Buy a ready cooked chicken and some Bisto gravy granules.
Strip the meat off and portion for several meals.
Boil a good assortment of veg (whoopsies if you can get them or cheap bags of frozen)and make up the gravy in a jug.
Several portions of quick, nourishing hot dinner, cheaper than a takeway.

That means you can stop buying takeaways and start eating cheaper and more healthily immediately.


That's a start!

Brilliant idea because that would certainly be cheaper and healthier than what I am doing now. Thanks :T

Got to nip to school now but will have a look at the books mentioned when I get back.

Thanks :T

Sambucus_Nigra

For me, most meals [curries, chilis, pasta sauces] will start with an onion base and then I'll build on that for ingredients and flavours.

Why not pick a meal you like [say pasta] and look online to find out how to make the sauce and follow the instructions [you can get lots of videos online these days that take you through it step by step].

brighthair

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Family-Healthy-Balanced-Little-Kitchen/dp/1905862156/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1294238082&sr=8-1

I find this one easy to follow

what type of things do you want to be able to cook? I'm sure some of us on here can break recipes down into a simpler format :-)

kymbogs

Swampmonster wrote: »

ps. edit - had a look at the student cookbook mentioned but still too complicated I'm afraid. Thanks anyway :T

You might be underestimating yourself! If you actually had a go at a simple recipe, from a book or online, you might find it surprisingly easy. I'm imagining you looking at a recipe book like me looking at a knitting pattern - look at the whole thing and I'm terrified. If I take it one line at a time, I can do it. But you'll never know if you don't give it a go.

alec_eiffel

I really like Student Grub by Jan Arkless, it covers all the basics and some nice meals. I still use it now! If you need something more basic than that have a look for a children's cookery book, they often have step by step instructions, loads of pictures and assume no prior knowledge. Something like that might be useful.

ALIBOBSY

Just wondering what she had with the salads. If she had say grilled chicken or tuna etc or the like with a baked spud. You could replace the salad with veg.
If however the salad was the main part of the meal it is more of a rethink. Baby potatos are nice steamed and unless you pile butter on them pretty low in cals.

Soups definately are a way to go and you don't need a recipe, for soup.

Just sweat down some finely chopped, onion (peel then either whizz in a processor or grate on a grator or use a sharp knife and cut stem to root first then the opposite way), plus carrot and plus celery if you have any-don't woory too much about size of "bits" you can always liquidise or mash up the veg at the end of the soup making. By sweat I mean small amount of olive oil in a pan once it has been heating on a high heat for about a minute add the veg and stir. Say one onion and 2 carrots (peeled) plus 2 pieces of celery (well washed).
You want the onion to go clear really and slightly brown is not a problem. Watch it doesn't burn, to avoid this turn the heat down and use a middle or low heat to cook over and take longer to cook it. Don't worry if the carrot and celery are'nt cooked through but the onion looks done, they will finish off in the stock later.

At this stage add stock and your main flavour. For example 1 or 2 pints of stock made up from stock cubes or powder (follow the packet and try to use a simular stock to the soup ie veg stock for veg soup, beef for beef based etc etc if you can) worry about homemade stock once you are alot more experienced. And say a peeled and chopped up pumpkin(small)/butternut squash or 4 sweet potatos. Bring to the boil (turn heat up high and watch until the liquid bubbles and "jumps" around), then turn down to a low heat to simmer (this is where the liquid just very slightly ripples away to itself (not sure how good that description was lol). Cook until when you stick the veggie with a sharp knife they feel tender and cooked, the either serve as is of blend-use a liquidiser or food processor or mash with a masher or push through a seive. Depends on how you like your soups.

If you want to add meat leftovers are good as they are already cooked, soups stretches meat as a small amount can break up in the soup and go along way-makes it lower fat as well, but lowest cal will be all veggie soups.

Initially try the basic veggie soup and try afew different combinations to see what you like, we like tomato alot, but because of the tomato juice I would only use say 1 pint of stock plus 2 tins of toms or about the same amount of fresh peeled tomatos in summer.

Make sure you add salt and pepper to taste at the end and start to trust your taste buds eg tomato I add a splash of wine vinegar or lemon juice to add sour ness plus a teaspoon of sugar to sweeten, I also like herbs and add loads. Use fresh at the end of the process, dried early on to give it time to break down. If you like garlic crush some in with the onion.

Definately give things a go, most of us had little or no knowledge when we started cooking meals, I was lucky that my gran had taught me to bake. But other than that had no experience of cooking main meals till I got married and had kids.

Stir frys are also a good starting point, try the ready packs with chopped veg and a sauce packet first to get you into it (definately worth the outlay for a wok, saw some "ken hom" kit type ones in Morrisons last week for £7-non stick wok, eating bowls chopsticks the lot.

ali x

dander

I haven't actually seen the inside of the Delia How To Cook book mentioned further up the thread, but I'm sure that's a brilliant recommendation. I have never yet found a Delia recipe that doesn't come out right. She's brilliant because she's not a celebrity chef, she's writing specifically for normal home cooks and she tests and tests and tests every recipe she puts out.