I wanna basic cook book for beginners

domestic_goddess

I have the new Jamie Oliver cookbook and I think it is really good. It goes back to basics and teaches you abou tthe food you are cooking with and what it goes with as well as how to cook it in easy terms.

lil_me

Yes there is a large amount in charity shops, I tend to buy them and copy what I like then return them so they can sell them again if they are not passed onto friends (who I ask to return them to me or charity shop when finished with them) I have the Jamie Oliver ebookone aswell, not sure how legit it is but some nice recipes on there all the same. PM me your email addy if you want it.

Three_Dancing_Dragons

My best for absolute basics including techniques is the now out of print COOKING IN A BEDSITTER. I bought mine second hand from a library.

Of the more up to date ones, THE ESSENTIAL STUDENT COOKBOOK by Cas Clarke is a handy paperback reprint of her Grub On A Grant Titles. Far superior to other student cookbooks I've tried and as one of the titles was entirely vegetarian pretty much half of the 400 recipes are fine if you are avoiding meat.

catz747

Well, not the healthiest options but so far we have had (successfully):

Cauliflower cheese
Toad in the hole
Shepherds pie
Cheesy Pigs in Blankets
Boiled eggs for the first time in ages!
Banana Split

EDIT: Stew & Dumplings Mmmmm

Thanks for all your suggestions & inspiration

My freezer will never be full again :beer:

Seakay

http://www.beyondbakedbeans.com/

A student cookery site, lots of good ideas and simple recipes for cooking on a budget.

Babylonian_2

I love Nigel Slater's books - a particularly good one is "The Thirty Minute Cook."

Fizog

Delia definately for the basics..Ask at the library I keep a file of recipes from this site and magazines if I like the look of them. I started when I was at school and plan my meals for the week, so i can shop accordingly. Great that you are cutting out processed foods and cooking form scratch.

catz747

That's what I have been doing, planning the meals for the week before I do the shop so I can get the right stuff in

li'l_p

Charity shops are fab for cookery books, they seem to be full of them (...and car boot sales when the weather improves!!!).

I have bought many cookbooks from charity shops and we do use them. One of the best one's I got in November is 'How To Cook' by Carole Clements. It is 496 pages and was only £1.49 and has over 500 recipes with full-colour pictures showing step-by-step so at least you know you're doing the right thing! It covers all the basic cookery techniques too, so is really easy to follow and understand. We've had it out many times since I bought it, even over Christmas when I decided I wanted a boiled egg for dinner, which I hadn't had for years!

I also have 'The Usbourne Beginners Cookbook' by Fiona Watt, which again covers some very basic meals with step-by-step instructions and illustrations. This is another book that we have cooked from and comes out quite frequently.

Hope this helps...

Addiscomber

catz747 wrote:

Well, not the healthiest options but so far we have had (successfully):

Well done. All of the dishes that you listed will be healthier homecooked than in readymeal versions. As you gain confidence you can try reducing the fat and salt content when you make the recipes again and you will probably find them just as tasty.

catz747 wrote:

My freezer will never be full again :beer:

Don't you believe it A freezer is one of the keys to living Old Style and saving money, even if our forebears didn't have them. Where else are you going to store your reduced bargains and home cooked "takeaways" for evenings when you don't want to cook or, heaven forbid, are under the weather and can't shop or cook?