Poll: Favorite Cookbooks

[lorilei]

It's just too hard to list "must-haves" (I must have all of them http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif), but here are three of my favorites:

For quick ideas and delicious no-mistake dinners:

WHAT's FOR DINNER? by Anne Garrett
(has delicious recipes for stuffed chicken breasts and simple, lighter desserts)

If you like heat (particularly chilies):

JUMP UP AND KISS ME by Jennifer Thompson
(excellent smokey corn chowder and dips)

For Mediterranean food:

VEGETARIAN TIMES COOKS MEDITERRANEAN
(spinach, olives, grains and legumes galore!)

[emily]

i don't exactly remember the name but it's something along the lines of The Best of the Best. it reviews various cookbooks and gives the best recipes from them. it's a great, mixed collection and the reviews of the books are great - makes me want to buy all the cookbooks reviewed. plus the recipes are fabulous.

the essential vegetarian. great, easy recipes.

enchanted broccoli forest - my favorite molly katzen (moosewood collective) cookbook

nice topic http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[lorilei]

If you guys want a super-duper chocolate cookbook, here's the one to buy:

COCOLAT (ewww...can't remember author)

Some of the recipes are pretty complicated, but the techniques for handling chocolate are well worth the price of the book... well, if you're as insanely hung up on aesthetics as I am. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif My hubby thinks I'm nutz!

[LauraEllen]

I live in the wine country so wine is usually part of our meal. If you want a good book for cooking with wine, or making a meal to match a wine, my favorite is called "The Vintner's Table Cookbook" by Mary Evely. She is the chef at Simi Winery in Calif. and the book's chapters are organized by varietal (Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet, etc.) Each chapter starts by listing food affinities and conflicts with that wine. Every recipe I have made was excellent. You can only buy it through the winery (www.simiwinery.com)but it will be autographed.

My other all-time favorite is John Ash's "From the Earth to the Table". His grandmother's Potroast is the best.

[This message has been edited by LauraEllen (edited 07-07-2000).]

[Jessica]

The Steven Raichlen High-Flavor, Low-Fat cookbooks are wonderful. I also love my Eating Well Rush Hour cookbook--it is out of print but i sometimes see it on bookshelves.

[Shirley Panek]

I'd have to agree with BethH. My favorite book lately is How to Cook Without a Book. It helps get you out of the same old leftovers rut, and everything is so quick and tasty!

[CathyS]

I'd have to say the Victory Garden cookbook. You can find recipies for any vegetable imaginable!! The recipies aren't always low fat, but for anyone looking to add more vegetables to their diet, its a great start. It also has a lot of pictures in case you'd like to try a veggie thats a little more on the unusual side.

[Deanna]

CathyS: Victory Garden is one of my top three favorites, also! A veritable encyclopedia!

[KateH]

Oh, I was hoping someone would start this poll! I love reading about cookbooks...

I bought Williams-Sonoma's FRESH AND LIGHT about three months ago, and I have to say, every single thing I've cooked from it has been a big hit. (Penne with White Beans, Arugula, and Pecorino, oh my!) Never had a cookbook this good.

I also like FISH a lot, by Mark Bittman. It's extremely handy, with recipes for every kind of fish, and each fish crossreferenced with other fish of its type.

I reference the NEW BASICS cookbook a lot, but don't cook out of it much. I also like to occasionally use Lee Bailey's THE WAY I COOK, George Greenstein's SECRETS OF A JEWISH BAKER, and Leslie Forbes' A TABLE IN TUSCANY. And I recently tried out a friend's copy of THAILAND: THE BEAUTIFUL COOKBOOK, which seems quite good.

I was wondering if anyone has tried THIS CAN'T BE TOFU? I keep fishing around for good tofu cookbooks. I've got a couple of okay ones, but I've heard this one is great.

[lorilei]

Mark Bittman's new one, HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING is also very good. As someone who reviewed it stated "Think of it as a hip Joy of Cooking". It really is!

This book is a handy reference tool, and would make an excellent wedding gift!!

[Laura B]

Oh, No! Another post that is going to make me want to spend hundreds of dollars on new cookbooks!

I would definitely say How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman.

I also just got How to Cook Without a Book and am looking forward to learning a lot from that one.

My third choice is going to have to be my Best of MasterCook. This way I can have all of my Cooking Light plus tons more.

[Laura B]

What on earth happened to my post?!

Oh, well. An abbreviated answer:

1. Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything
2 How to Cook Without a Book
3. Best of MasterCook (mainly for the CL recipes).

*** I see that these posts finally showed up. I posted twice in desparation. Sorry about that! Wish we could delete our own posts.


[This message has been edited by Laura B (edited 07-10-2000).]

[Beth]

Originally posted by lorilei:
[B]If you guys want a super-duper chocolate cookbook, here's the one to buy:

COCOLAT (ewww...can't remember author)

B]

The author is Alice Medrich. Beautiful special deserts. I can't remember the name of another chocolate book I read about recently, The Chocolate Bible perhaps? Our newspaper ran a brownie recipe from it.

I decided when a similar topic came up on the old BB that I couldn't name one. Or even 2 or 3. I have over 200 and would have 200 more if given a shopping spree and the ability to add a room to house them all. I think my dream home will need a small library off the kitchen.

[BethH]

My latest favorite is one called "How to Cook Without a Book" by Pam Anderson! Its the greatest! I work and next month am starting on my second degree at night. I'm practicing now with the book to get a tasty, quick, and light meal on the table in no time. Its perfect for busy people! I like to do more elaborate meals with recipes from CL or the internet on the weekends, but on weeknights--that book is a savior!

ps...I also enjoy the Moosewood collective books for vegetarian ideas.

[Natasha]

Three is really hard, but here are some of my favorites:

1. Vegetarian Times Low-Fat and Fast Asian.

2. Anything Moosewood!

3. Williams-Sonoma Risotto (yes, I know I've mentioned this at least ten times) and Williams-Sonoma Cookies and Biscuits (part of the same series).

I'll stop at these, but will probably later think of 10 more that I forgot to mention. Happy shopping. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Beth]

The author of Cocolat is Alice Medrich. This is also a test to see if this will post. I've tried to post 2 other notes that have gone into the ozone and have noticed a couple of others that appear to have been cut off, with a name and no message, and no place to click on reply, etc at the bottom of the page. Is this what LauraB and Mamasue are trying to post about?

[Gwenniver]

Best of America (Carla Capalbo and Laura Washburn)--great pictures, never a bad recipe. Recipes from the Backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans, and Jars. Intercourses (some really cool recipes in there, but hide this one from the kids). Betty Crocker (the new spiral bound one with the flavor variations and light versions--the only cookbook I've found that tells you basic, should-have-learned-this-as-a-child things like how to make homemade mashed potatoes and how to poach an egg).

Oops that was four, I can't count today. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Gwenniver (edited 07-08-2000).]

[Natasha]

Hi jb and everyone:
I hope you don t mind if I ask a related question here. I don t have a Mexican cookbook that I really like, and would be interested in acquiring one for The Cookbook Collection (which is all I really need http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif ). What would you recommend in the way of a fairly comprehensive Mexican cookbook? I would like this book to be my primary source for all things Mexican. If the book has all or most low-fat recipes, so much the better, but it s by NO MEANS a must. Your guidance would be appreciated! Thanks.

Beth - I m with you. A cookbook library just off the kitchen would be incredible. [sigh]


[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 07-08-2000).]

[BethR]

One of my favorite cookbooks, if you can call it that (and I guess you can because it does have recipes, I just haven't tried any of them) is Cookwise by Shirley O. Corriher. It's a fascinating discussion of the science of baking and cooking -- all the way down to the molecules! If you ever watch "Good Eats" on the food channel, she's the food scientist who occasionally shows up in Alton Brown's kitchen.

Another favorite (that I cook out of for real) is Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. A little heavy on attitude, but great.

And another is the Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook. I have a now-older edition that I got in college when I didn't know how to cook anything. It's great to turn to when I want a recipe for something really basic without a lot of trendy ingredients.

Good Poll -- but as others have pointed out, this could get expensive for a lot of us! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[Deanna]

Natasha...I'm trying one last post before I sign off from this bulletin board. (It's going to be hard but I'm just WAY too frustrated at the time wasted sitting here typing and having posts disappear, or clicking on a thread that says 5 replies and only getting one of them to come up).

My favorite AUTHENTIC Mexican cookbook is Diana Kennedy's "The Cuisines of Mexico."

As with most of my favorite cookbooks, she gives great narrative into the traditions and ways of Mexican culture.

Part one is: Ingredients and Procedures. She doesn't leave you "high and dry" wondering what in the world Hoja Santa or Huitlacoche is. She gives recommendations for substitutes when practical.

The recipes are tasty and fresh. Some (as in the traditional mole recipe) required a bit of time...stewing...or making fresh tamales, for example.

As I said, this is one of my favorites, and when I feel like "traveling" to Mexico via my kitchen, this is the book I pull from the shelf!

TTFN!

[Susann]

Natasha-I just joined one of those cookbook clubs where you have to buy x numbers in a certain time limit and you start off getting a whole bunch at a discounted price. One of my choices is a book called Mexican Kitchen by Rick Bayless and it is outstanding. Two thumbs up!! (I wish I had a creative graphic to put here!!!! I guess the smiley face will do... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif )

[laden]

My three favorites are
-The New Dieters Cookbook (Better Homes & Gardens series)

-Cooking Light 5-star recipes

-Cooking Light 5-ingredient/15-Minute cookbook (great for weeknight dinners)

[Gwenniver]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by emily:
[B]i don't exactly remember the name but it's something along the lines of The Best of the Best. it reviews various cookbooks and gives the best recipes from them. it's a great, mixed collection and the reviews of the books are great - makes me want to buy all the cookbooks reviewed. plus the recipes are fabulous.

emily, can you look around and see if you can locate the name of that cookbook (if you own it). It sounds wonderful--a smorgasbord of really good recipes from other cookbooks? I'm on it!

[Brooke]

Some current favorites are (since I've gotten them fairly recently - so they're definitely not all-around all purpose cookbooks, but hey! if you're rounding out your collection you may like them)

Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Martha Stewarts hors d'oeuvres (tons of pictures, kind of a weird format but great ideas - NOTE - they had it at Costco/Price Club for awhile)

Moosewood cooks at home (I think is the name).

A guilty splurge was Butter, Sugar, Flour, Eggs by the couple with that restaurant in Chicago. A great dessert cookbook that is a fun read.

I check out the Amazon.com book reviews on cookbooks and find them very helpful. Was also considering the Rick Bayless book mentioned in an above post so will try that out --

[ElinorC]

I'll put in a vote for the Victory Garden Cookbook. It has everything you want to know about veggies and the recipes are usually easy to make low-fat if they aren't already.

[CATHIEA]

I'm a fan of The Silver Palate cookbooks. I own all three, Silver Palate, Silver Palate Good Times and Silver Palate New Basics. All are well thumbed. The original is my favorite of the three and holds a special place in my heart, but I sure wish I had started my married life with the New Basics. So much good food information. I use my WW meals in minutes a lot and all of by CL annual cookbooks are heavily foodstained.
CathieA

[Kath]

KateH asked whether anyone has tried "This Can't Be Tofu." I bought and read it but didn't keep it. It's well organized and has a good introductory section discussing all the different soy products and how to buy and store them. But 95% of the recipes (OK, maybe not exactly 95%, but most of them) use Asian flavors which I don't care for. Instead I bought The Whole Soy Cookbook by Patricia Greenberg. This book also provides good info on soy products but the recipes are more to my taste. I've made 2 recipes and both good.

3 great cookbooks:
Anything by Jacques Pepin
Anything from Eating Well (I have 3 titles, all of which I bought at used book stores)
And I like Shirley Coriher's Cookwise which Beth mentioned above. I like to know why and how things work modify a recipe or make up my own.

[lorilei]

For those of you who cannot find tofu cookbooks you love enough to buy (I'm one of those people) -- but who want to get more tofu into your diets... you might try substituting tofu for chicken in some of the recipes you use everyday. Be sure to use it in saucy or highly seasoned recipes (as tofu does not have much flavor, but will adopt flavors surrounding it).

Another trick is to boil the tofu in bouillon (or some sort of seasoned broth) before using in a recipe. This not only flavors the curd, but firms the tofu up and gives it a more "meaty" consistency.

AND -- I just about forgot a great recipe! You must try manicotti made with tofu instead of ricotta cheese... My husband went gaga over this -- said it was better than his mother's authentic manicotti! (well, that might be a stretch, but I'll take the compliment)

I have the recipe around here somewhere if anyone is interested.

OOPS! Better repost in TOFU thread :|

[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 07-11-2000).]

[TamiK]

My favorites are still The Joy of Cooking and The All New Joy of Cooking. Even though I'm an experienced cook, I can always go to these cookbooks for inspiration and information.

I also love The Best Recipes from the Backs of Boxes, Bottles, Cans and Jars.

There is also a series of annual cookbooks called America's Best Recipes published by Oxmoor House that features recipes from various community cookbooks. I have 5 of these.

Local community cookbooks are always favorites, too. It's hard to name just 3, isn't it? I am fortunate enough to have my extensive cookbook library housed in the entry to my kitchen. It makes for easy browsing. (Now, if I only cooked as much as I browsed! Too often, my lust for good food is satisfied by just reading cookbooks! LOL)

[lorilei]

Tami -

Maybe you can help me out?
What are the basic differences between the Joy of Cooking and the updated version?

I know there's an excellent recipe for pitas in the newer cookbook... but I'm not sure I want to buy it /just/ for a flatbread recipe http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[TamiK]

Lorilei-

The new Joy is built around the kitchen, appliances, and shopping habits of the contemporary cook, whereas the old Joy was first written in 1931 when food preparation was completely different. The new Joy features many more ethnic recipes (for instance, a whole section of tapas), has instructions for preparation with food processors and other "modern" conveniences, has many more health-conscious recipes (such as low-fat cookies), and features items found in contemporary kitchens and supermarkets. One thing I think is interesting is the great reduction in the number of recipes for candy and other sweets.

I would never get rid of my old Joy, but the new one has much to offer that the old one doesn't. If you just want the flatbread recipe, though, let me know. I'll be happy to e-mail it to you. I have one I use from Controlling Your Fat Tooth that's very good, too.

Hope this helps!

[lorilei]

Thanks, that does help -- a lot!

Sounds like the new Joy would be a good investment (I have a copy of the old one).

However, if you wouldn't mind lending a good pita bread recipe, I would love to have it in the meantime!

[TamiK]

Here is the Pita Bread recipe from the New Joy of Cooking. Kind of long--sorry.

Combine in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer:

3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Add:

2 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/4 cups room-temperature water

Mix by hand or on low speed for about 1 minute to blend all the ingredients. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed until the dough is smooth, soft, and elastic. Add flour or water as needed; the dough should be slightly tacky but not sticky. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and turn it over once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Punch the dough down, divide equally into 8 pieces, and roll the pieces into balls. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you do not have a pizza or baking stone, place a baking sheet upside down on an oven rack to serve as a hearth.

On a very lightly floured surface, roll out each ball of dough into a thin round, about 8 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick. Spray the stone or baking sheet with a mist of water, wait 30 seconds, then place as many dough rounds as will fit without touching directly onto the hearth. Bake until the dough puffs into a balloon, about 3 minutes, wait 30 seconds, thenr emove each bread to a rack to cool. If you leave the breads in the oven too long, they will not deflate to flat disks.

Note: You can substitute any amount of whole wheat flour for white flour, according to preference. If you do, you may need to add more water.

[TamiK]

This is the flatbread (not pita) recipe from Controlling Your Fat Tooth.

Cajun Flatbread

3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
2 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
tub-style safflower margarine
2 teaspoons olive oil
black pepper
white pepper
cayenne pepper
paprika

Dissolve yeast in the cup of warm water. In a bowl, combine flour and salt; add dissolved yeast. Knead by hand or by machine until smooth. Place dough in a bowl greased with safflower margarine, turning once to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place 1 1/2 hours or until double in bulk.

Punch dough down. Put back in bowl and let rise again until double in size, about 1 hour. Punch down again. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thickness. Transfer to nonstick pizza pan. Drizzle olive oil over pizza. Sprinkle lightly with seasonings (about 1/8 teaspoon of each). Spread oil and seasoning with hands to coat evenly.

Bake in a 400 degree oven 20-25 minutes or until crust is cooked. Bake on pizza stone if available. Slice into wedges to serve.

Variations:

I add minced onions to the toppings for this.

In place of the 3 peppers and paprika, use the following as a topipng:

3 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

[lorilei]

Thank you!!

Now, if only I could find those perfect little 6-8" baking stones that a friend of mine uses to make pitas, I'd be in heaven! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Pat58]

My current favorite is Weight Watchers "Simply the Best." Everything I've tried has been easy and so delicious the non-dieters in my family ask me to make it again!

Also a fave is "The Italian Vegetarian" by Jack Bishop. Beautiful photos and great recipe ideas. I actually get more ideas and adapt them than follow them, it's very simple.

Third, "Joy of Cooking," the Bible. I still use the beaten up, stained paperback I bought when I got married 24 years ago. I don't feel a need to get the new one, I just refer to it for cooking times and advice. Mangia!

[kentgirl]

laden, I have two of the cookbooks you listed (New Dieters and Cooking Light 5 Ingredient/15 Minute). I don't have the "Cooking Light 5-star recipes". I'll have to try that one.

Another one I would like to add is "Crazyplates" and "Looneyspoons". I've tried many of their recipes with great results.

[Ohioan]

This may be cheating, but I'm going to go with cookbook authors instead of actual books:

Anything by Jay Solomon, especially "Lean Bean Cuisine" and "Vegetarian Rice Cuisine."

Anything by Nava Atlas, especially "Pasta East and West" and "Vegetarian Express."

Anything by Claire Criscuolo, especially "Claire's Italian Feast."

These are all vegetarian, by the way -- and I'd also like to give an honorable mention to Carole Raymond's "Student's Vegetarian Cookbook," which, despite the name, is a great "idea" book even for the accomplished cook.

Now can I list my next 100 runner-ups? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[Cyn]

Thank you for the suggestions. I went to the bookstore and copied a test recipe out of The Victory Garden, sweet potato waffles, and they were fabulous.

Looks like I have to buy it now.

[Natasha]

Cyn - do you feel like posting that waffle recipe for us? Please?