Cooking the books
(sorry if that’s just a silly title). Inspired by Penny
My cookbooks take up 3 shelves in the front room bookshelf (well 3 shelves with a little spillage into other shelves…).
When we moved into the house, getting a huge bookshelf built was one of our top priorities. The front room was always going to have floor to ceiling shelves along the one wall. For books and bits. Carl made a wonderful job of the shelves. I was very keen to have a designated area for my (well I guess some of them are ‘our’) cookbooks.
Favourites and well used….
Moosewood
A Cook’s Companion – Stephanie Alexander. I consider this as my cooking reference. I especially love the suggestions for what goes with a particular ingredient (the lists in the margin). The index is awful. For instance the caesar salad is under ‘Jenny’s caesar salad’. Apparently the index has been improved greatly in more recent editions!
Any Jaime Oliver books- I love his shows, his passion, his whazzing up, his recipes. Yep- I have done the 30 and the 15 minute meals that take forever, and I love them.
Marie Claire – Donna Hay – zest, flavour, great stock standards
Delia – I used to use this one a lot. Another good one if you are not sure about a particular technique?
Three good things – Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall – great ideas for food combinations!
I also have two scrapbooks of recipes – one named ‘sweet’, the other named ‘main’
And of course I also love trawling online for ideas and recipes. Always looking for ideas, different ways, inspiration!
And I sometimes just sit on the floor in front of these shelves, browse and not cook anything!!
But I am a contradiction. I would never give up my cookbooks (well most of them!)
Will post a better pic tomoz. In a rush. On my phone.
Filed under: Books, Food | 11 Comments
Tags: #blogjune, bookcase, books, cooking, food, home, shelves
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Strawberries of Integrity 
I think the library copy of Moosewood finally died – total classic.
I love a good cookbook! My favourites are Charmaine Solomon’s The Complete Asian Cookbook and Donna Hay – The Instant Cook. I could list several others but probably two is enough.
I have Charmaine also but havent used it as much as I thought i would but i think perhaps i dont cook a lot of Asian food, mainly eat it out? Not sure. My Marie Claire are three Donna Hays- zest, flavour etc [my mistake]
Totally would join you on the floor with this lot!
Can I join you too? I love cookbooks, even things I would never actually cook. And the Moosewood books!! I think I have 3 or 4 of them, one of my fantasies is that I might get to the Moosewood cafe some day.
Have just put Moosewood cafe on my list for travelling to US next year 🙂
Love the title 🙂
Oh I would love a Cook’s Companion! Every time I see one in a shop I’m usually not in a “good money” time, then I forget about it when I’m more flush.
Jackie- as one librarian to another…it’s a great reference 😀