dogmatix Posted December 15, 2006 Share Posted December 15, 2006 I'm on a cokbook jag. Started collecting about a year ago. Have em' all lined up in the kitchen on the top shelf of the cabinets. I love a combination of gorgeous pictures (one for every recipe please!), fresh ingredients heavy on the veggies and grains, also some good food history. Plus I love to cook!!!!! Right now my favs are the Naked Chef Series by Jamie Oliver but I also love Kitchen of Light by Andres Viestad. I'm interested in Kylee Kwong's book Heart and Soul, but don't have it and my favorite chef is Alton Brown because he's just so nerdy and adorable. Who else is into cookbooks and what are your favorites? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 LOVE them too!! Have tons.....although I buy them with good intentions, I don't use them often....but I do love the Rachael Ray ones:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted December 16, 2006 Share Posted December 16, 2006 I have a few, but unfortunately I hardly ever use them - they are still in tip top condition - for display only!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmatix Posted December 16, 2006 Author Share Posted December 16, 2006 I pour over mine all the time for inspiration and new ideas. My hubby loves the results and I love the creativity it affords me in the kitchen. Good cooking, especialy with fresh ingredients is a bit of an art form...but of course you get to eat it at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilgrim Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 I'm not much of a cook so Joy of Cooking is about the only real cook book and the folks gave it as a Christmas gift years ago. It's gotten me out of trouble. I have a microwave cookbook that a roomate left and a fondue one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 I have at least three quarters of a shelf of cook books............gathering dust. :018: I'm not a terribly ambitious cook, simple, simple, simple! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmatix Posted December 17, 2006 Author Share Posted December 17, 2006 It's funny I usualy don't follow the recipes as much as look at the photos and read the history/culture parts. Then look at the ingredients list and get a little seed of inspiration in my head. I carry that around with me when I go to the supermarket and I'm usually able to capture at least the theme of the recipe wihout knowing exactly what it was. For example tenderloins encrusted in peppercons was soemthing new to me or "Oh you can saute brussel sprouts in butter and bacon yum-yums. You don't have to boil them until they taste like dirt" It's more about the ideas and inspiration than the teaspoons of this and cups of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 LOVE them too!! Have tons.....although I buy them with good intentions, I don't use them often....but I do love the Rachael Ray ones:) Rachael Ray is a real gem. Dogmatix (and anyone else), a cook book that I enjoy is "Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie" by Bill Neal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 It's funny I usualy don't follow the recipes as much as look at the photos and read the history/culture parts. Then look at the ingredients list and get a little seed of inspiration in my head. I carry that around with me when I go to the supermarket and I'm usually able to capture at least the theme of the recipe wihout knowing exactly what it was. For example tenderloins encrusted in peppercons was soemthing new to me or "Oh you can saute brussel sprouts in butter and bacon yum-yums. You don't have to boil them until they taste like dirt" It's more about the ideas and inspiration than the teaspoons of this and cups of that. No, I don't usually follow any set recipe either, even when I do look one up. For one thing, we don't eat beef, so substitutions are automatic there and I can't eat really really hot stuff, although I love Mexican seasonings. But for future reference regarding brussel sprouts...we always just boiled them for about 5 minutes...do you cut the ends off and make incisions at the base? Two incisions that cross, maybe a bit more than an eighth of an inch deep. Makes them cook faster. Not that I eat them, yuck, but others in the family do. That and okra............ewwwwwww! and Yuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Brussel sprouts are beautiful if not boiled for too long. Soft over-cooked vegetables are a common fault in British cooking, which is probably why so many folk don't like them. I cook mine just as Pontalba does, with the incisions, but checking frequently so that they still have 'bite' when served. They saute well too. Yum yum!! PP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 I really dislike over-cooked veggies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Brussel sprouts are beautiful if not boiled for too long. Soft over-cooked vegetables are a common fault in British cooking, which is probably why so many folk don't like them. I cook mine just as Pontalba does, with the incisions, but checking frequently so that they still have 'bite' when served. They saute well too. Yum yum!! PP Not only British cooking, it's almost a ritual in the South! Every vegetable is overcooked and has bacon or ham added to it. Now I love bacon and ham, but not in veggies. If they are cooked properly they taste great, and they don't need much at all. Just a little butter and salt. Besides, if I want to add taste I melt cheese over it, cheese covers a multitude of sins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 I really dislike over-cooked veggies. Especially spinach! Yuck on overcooked spinach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 and over-cooked broccoli....gets all mushy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 and over-cooked broccoli....gets all mushy True, but I've tried pizza with spinach on it, and of course if way over cooked, and has a particularly nasty flavor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 The only way to eat spinach is fresh out of the garden with a little raspberry vinagraitte on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 But the veggie situation is changing. I for one very rarely overcook my veg. To me, I feel that I have ruined the meal on the rare occassion that this happens I also use the condition of the veg. served up in restaurants as one of my criteria for judging the chef. For me, no matter how good the main meal, reflects how good they are. No excuses held for wilting veg!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted December 18, 2006 Share Posted December 18, 2006 Angel said I also use the condition of the veg. served up in restaurants as one of my criteria for judging the chef. For me, no matter how good the main meal, reflects how good they are. No excuses held for wilting veg!!!! I couldn't agree more. I also judge by the state of the veg. PP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogmatix Posted December 18, 2006 Author Share Posted December 18, 2006 I'm catering a seafood feast at the hospital on Tuesday. Lobster, shrimp, and clams. 20 people, cooking outside. Needless to say I'm a bit stressed. That's why I'm up at 3:00 in the morning. As for vegetables, they are very "in" right now and you can get so much variety at the market. Thank God. I really think fresh and not overcooked is the way to go (as you've all said). My favorite for spinach is one of two ways: fresh baby spinach replacing lettuce on a sandwich, or spinach with feta in a puff pastry, MmmmmMmmm My current favorite veg is fennell. Love that licorich (sp) taste. I eat it raw or roasted with some Gruyer and leeks. Then there's broccolini with just a knob of butter ohhh so good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Early every spring I would plant lots and lots of spinach and we would have spinach salads every day with our meals. Fresh spinach, some craisins, and a few pine nuts sprinkled in and topped with a homemade raspberry vinagraitte (spelling). I don't know if I will have a garden this spring as I don't have the ground prepared at our new home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Spinach is not so popular over here, and you don't see fresh spinach very often. It's there but you have to look for it. Your recipes sound tasty. PP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KW Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 My fav cookbooks are neighborhood collections because folks tend to put in their very best stuff. I have a bunch of those and treasure them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahrob Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I like to glean ideas from cookbooks, but if I'm going to actually follow a recipe it tends to be either Rick Stein or Nigella Lawson as they don't tend to be too fiddly. I tend to be given a lot of cookbooks as gifts - not sure what that says about my cooking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I love my cookbooks and will often sit with a pile looking for ideas -especially as I look to cook seasonally and as ethically as I can. I tend to use Rick Stein, Gordon Ramsay or Delia. DH will often use Gary Rhodes. We also use Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall. I'd also like to start a collection of Nigella. I love getting out in the kitchen (when i have the time & ingredients) and learning new skills - not too much fazes me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 You are all so great!! I don't cook so much as warm up!! Stepson (13) tonight went on and on about how great his mnother's gravy is (he is with us for Christmas) so pressure is on. My philosophy is to teach them how to cook themselves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.