recipe book recommendations please

missbargain

I also agree, his recipes work and are not pretentious, unneccarilly complicated mumbo-jumbo of ingredients. Most of his dishes I have made taste really great!

I don't know about what book to buy next, but I would like to comment on one of his books that I have, which is Jamie's dinners.

I would probably borrow this book from the library first and copy a few FANTASTIC recipes that are in there (roasted lemon rosmary chicken, super tasty spanish chicken (with chorizo), pasta with tomatoes and anchovies, and few more).
Why I would not pay the full price for is, is because one whole section is devoted to sandwiches. Now, I like sandwiches as much as the next person, but I did not find it very valuable, maybe because I have enough imagination to make a good, varied sandwich myself and also, I don't eat sandwiches for dinner.
Also, he gives a recipe for crunchy crudites (raw veggies), I mean, not really a dinner dish. It almost looks to me that some sections of this book were just put in as the filler, but, for me at least, they did not add much value to the book. There are also lots of recipes there that are very well known: pesto, sausage and mash with onion gravy, jacket potato, etc.

Hower, lots of other recipes that are there are excellent and quite unusual, too, so I would say, this one is 50:50.

So I would still buy it, definitely, but would not pay the full price for it. Perhaps ebay, or amazon marketplace would have cheaper copies.

Feanixxx

I buy most of my cookery books, including several from Jamie, at my local second-hand book shop; I've also bought a good few from local charity shops, they are always severely marked down. There's a British Heart Foundation shop in Streatham that sells nothing but books and is a delight to potter about in.

missbargain

Even though I love new books (something about their smell and feel and the crackle when opened), I was surprised when I went into my local Oxfam bookshop and saw how well preserved most of the books were. Some of them were spotless, as if they were brand new, and the price was something ridiculous, like 2 pounds each. And they had several newly published books, not just ancient editions.
Thanks for reminding me, I am going to go there tomorrow and see if they have MoF (if I am lucky).

foreversomeday

Not Jamie, but this has been recommended here before

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Family-Healthy-Balanced-Kitchen-Saucepans/dp/1905862156/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226621151&sr=8-3

Penelope_Penguin

I have Jamie's Dinners - I really like this one (it has several recipes that are versions of the ones in MoF - we've been eating Jamie's Carbonnara for years ). I also have Cook with Jamie which I don't use nearly as much

You have several recommendations here. As this has slipped down Old Style, I'll add it to the main Recipe Book thread. If you search that thread there are other comments on JO's books.

Penny. x

mrs_moneyspinner

I won't be the only I'm sure, but I pay £1 to request the latest cookery book at my library (currently I have Ministry of Food, Jamie Olliver), I am allowed it on extended loan for 6 weeks when my turn comes and I photocopy the recipes I want into a folder! By the time the 6 weeks is up I have really enjoyed the book, copied the best bits and am ready to move on.

MrsE_2

nickyhutch wrote: »

Jamie's Dinners is good - there's a recipe in there for Chicken Tikka Masala that's better than the one in MoF.

I need to get it to test that theory:D

HH62

MrsE wrote: »

TBH I can actually cook & I don't want to buy a recipe book to tell me how to make a sausage sandwich.....

I know what I want, I want the ministry of food 2:D

I wish Salisbury's would make a nice cookery book out of all this "feed your family for £5" recipes, they are seem aimed at busy families.

Oh MrsE I didn't mean to give the impression that you can 't cook,:eek: that's why I ' recommended 'Cook With Jamie' for you ( I just mentioned that I like the sausage butty book!). Cook With Jamie is for beginners and more accomplished cooks. It's a huge book with loads of recipes, and as others have pointed out, it's not pretentious or snooty about food. Jamie says himself on the back of the book that it's good for everyone from novices to more established cooks.

OddjobKIA

I remember being given THE MR MEN COOKERY BOOK..

one recipe remember

1 egg
2 table spoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

add togther whip well

drink...


( well it was before the day of samonella) raw eggs uchh

mkbswimstar

Hi,
I have searched through amazon this am in search of a good cookbook that will teach me how to bulk out recipes, use/store leftovers, cook batches and freeze them, and still remain fairly simple.
I have learnt a lot from this site, including using oats for bulking out bolognaise and I am very impressed.
With a young family and school runs and work I don't have a lot of time to log on each time I want a recipe so a book with suggestions would help.

Does anyone have any recommendations for such a book?

Thanks