Good Cookbooks/Recipe Books/Books about Food
 

I recently got a $100 gift card to Amazon from my credit card rewards. I have selected a bunch of books that I wanted to read, but I wanted to include one book full of recipes. I like to cook dinner when I have people over, but I'm sick of making the same stuff all the time. Can anyone give any recommendations for books with good food or dinner recipes?

Re: Good Cookbooks/Recipe Books/Books about Food
 

Do you know the basics of cooking? My aunt got me an awesome book from better homes and gardens, it doesnt have any great recipes, but it has all the basics, and how to do them right. Ie, the different cuts of meat for each animal, how to make a reduction, etc. How to Grill is also a great recipe book for grilling/bbq'ing/smoking.

Re: Good Cookbooks/Recipe Books/Books about Food
 

If you need a basic catch-all cookbook, I like TheJoyOfCooking. It's got basic stuff like how to bake a potato, and what goes in quiche, and so forth.

If you want an awesome catch-all cookbook, get The Professional Chef. It's the monsterous tome the CIA uses.

If you're looking for more of a niche cookbook, you'll probably have to tell us the niche. For instance, my Moosewood cookbook(s) have great veggie recipes, but that might not be your thing.

Quite frankly, if you know what you want to eat, you can find tons of recipes online. It takes a stellar cookbook to beat the internet.
-Sam

Re: Good Cookbooks/Recipe Books/Books about Food
 

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get The Professional Chef

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Re: Good Cookbooks/Recipe Books/Books about Food
 

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Do you know the basics of cooking? My aunt got me an awesome book from better homes and gardens, it doesnt have any great recipes, but it has all the basics, and how to do them right. Ie, the different cuts of meat for each animal, how to make a reduction, etc. How to Grill is also a great recipe book for grilling/bbq'ing/smoking.


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guids - I would like to think I know the basics of cooking, but I'm sure I could learn a lot from a book like that. I'll definitely check that out.

I don't have a grill at my apartment, as we're not allowed to have them there, so I probably won't be doing much grilling, unless I go over a friend's house.

I am also very interested in modern books that are full of really good recipes. I have 2 cookbooks already, but they are very basic and I get the feel they were written 20 years ago.

Re: Good Cookbooks/Recipe Books/Books about Food
 

The first cookbook I bought was the 60 Minute Gourmet by Pierre Franey. I knew very little about cooking and I spent the next year or two just trying recipes from that book. This was before the days of the internet or Food Network, and I haven't used it much in recent years.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/102...o.y=0&Go=Go

Re: Good Cookbooks/Recipe Books/Books about Food
 

My favorite cookbooks :

For basics :
Fannie Farmer (the new edition)
McCall's (the very old edition)

For recipes :
Italian Country Cookbook - Rogers & Gray
Jacques Pepin - Fast Food My Way & Simple and Healthy Cooking
Ken Hom's Hot Wok: Over 150 One-Pan Wonders

I like/recommend these because they're good quality recipes & very simple, eg. typically 10 ingredients or less, designed to be done in half an hour, not like some professional chef's recipes that are 4 pages and 100 steps for one dish.

Re: Good Cookbooks/Recipe Books/Books about Food
 

[ QUOTE ]
If you need a basic catch-all cookbook, I like TheJoyOfCooking. It's got basic stuff like how to bake a potato, and what goes in quiche, and so forth.

If you want an awesome catch-all cookbook, get The Professional Chef. It's the monsterous tome the CIA uses.

If you're looking for more of a niche cookbook, you'll probably have to tell us the niche. For instance, my Moosewood cookbook(s) have great veggie recipes, but that might not be your thing.

Quite frankly, if you know what you want to eat, you can find tons of recipes online. It takes a stellar cookbook to beat the internet.
-Sam

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Awesome. I think The Professional Chef is what I'm looking for here.

If I'm into a niche, it would probably be different pastas, things made with chicken, or both.

Re: Good Cookbooks/Recipe Books/Books about Food
 

The New Best Recipe

Excellent cookbook by the folks at America's Test Kitchen. Not only will you pick up many good recipes, but you'll learn a lot in the process. One of the few cookbooks that I have read cover-to-cover just for the sake of learning about recipes.

If it's a good cookbook, I hope to get a solid 3 recipes from it that I use on a semi-regular basis. I've gotten dozens out of the America's Test Kitchen cookbooks (this one in particular.)

Re: Good Cookbooks/Recipe Books/Books about Food
 

I can't belive there are already 8 posts and I get to recommend the seminal On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee. It sits on my nightstand and I read it every day before going to sleep. Seriously, it is encyclopedic in its breadth.