Cookbooks Ultimate List

randomshenans

randomshenans

randomshenans

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Joined
11 Sep 2009
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France, Alsace
I love buying cookbooks, even if I don't do something from all of them. I find them great. I currently need a new bookcase due to cookbooks.

Since I always get a telling off from the other half about buying cookbooks willy nilly, I've started a "Wish List" on amazon. Thought it's a cool thing to share, if anyone has any of the books, can think of others etc.

I might have to get a couple of them... it's getting too long to not get one or two!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/registry/wishlist/2OWOZGSW113C1
 
  • The Little Paris Kitchen
  • Larousse Gastronomique

You've got the Little Paris Kitchen which I adore, but no cooking book shelf is complete without the Larousse Gastronomique.
 
Larousse Gastronomique
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Good shout, it's a good one.

Ones I bought last year, which are awesome are:

- Modernist Cuisine at Home
- The Book of Tapas
- The Lebanese Kitchen
- Mugaritz: A Natural Science of Cooking
- Vefa's Kitchen
- India: The Cookbook
- Bouchon Bakery
- The Square: Savoury
- Faviken
- Zumbo - Adriano Zumbo
- The Great British Bake Off: How to turn everyday bakes into showstoppers
- Pig: Cooking with a Passion for Pork
- The Sausage Book
- Sat Bains - Too Many Chiefs Only One Indian

Christ, that was a lot.

I've just ordered from my list, too:

- French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure (4quid bargain!)
- Molecular Gastronomy Exploring the Science of Flavor
- Taste What You're Missing: The Passionate Eater's Guide to Why Good Food Tastes Good

Which are more like reading material than cookbooks, but nice shelf stuff!

You can't NOT have Delia's Ultimate Collection, or whatever it's called. That's a great standard to have also.
 
I have recently got 3 New Covent Garden Soup Co books:

New Covent Garden Book of Soup for all Seasons

Soup for All Occasions

Soup and Beyond : Soup, Beans and Other Things

All total bargains are less than £3 each! Hoping to cook some of the recipes out of them soon

Also - and shoot me if you want too but hey I use these a lot - have these in my small collection:

Gok Cooks Chinese - this (for a beginner like me) is a good book which makes Chinese cooking really easy

Gü Chocolate Cookbook - oh my days...this book is total chocolate cooking porn...
 
randomshenans said:
That thai book looks fantastic! Added that to the wish list, along with his street food one too. That looks amazing!
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Thai Food is indeed amazing. One of my favourites.

Notice you have Ad Hoc and French Laundry in your list. You're missing Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery, both of which are incredible books. Bouchon is by far my most used cookbook. The Chocolate Chip Cookies in BB are completely irresistible. Both are absolute must buys!
 
thomas keller - the french laundry
gordon ramsay - 3 star chef
heston blumenthal - fat duck (not the most useable but a lovely book)

their my top 3 in my collection, although not the most user friendly they offer some excellent ideas
 
Ideas and Food - not your typical cookbook but really good

Modernist Cuisine at Home - different from the 'cookbook to end all cookbooks' Modernist Cuisine but it has some amazing stuff in (it is about teaching you some amazing techniques through recipes e.g. pressure caramelisation)

Heston at Home - really interesting recipes and some good info

Momofuku - has some awesome recipes

Really want to get some David Thompson and Paula Wolfert books next.
 
Madhur Jaffrey's curry bible is excellent and in my opinion is THE curry cookbook to have for reference.

Although people might poo poo it, I really like Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals. Whilst I wouldn't recommend it as a seminal reference text it's actually quite useful for day to day meal ideas and inspiration. I think everyone gets a bit stuck with cooking the same old favourites and it's great to shake it up a bit now and again.
 
randomshenans said:
I love buying cookbooks, even if I don't do something from all of them. I find them great. I currently need a new bookcase due to cookbooks.
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Hah I'm exactly the same!

My current list is:

------------------------------------------------------

English/General


French


Italian


Seafood


Indian


Asian General


Chinese


Thai


Vegetarian:


Greek


Persian


Baking/Cakes


Health & Nutrition:


------------------------------------------------------

I want to eventually collect the best examples of all the cuisines I like. :)
 
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I got a couple more through, and I know that I'll get at least one for chrimbo as well. I have a fair chunk of the above too :) plus about 7 million others it seems.

Vefas kitchen I have, it's a great cookbook that. I just got Atul Kochters curry book too, which is really good. Lots from all over the place in there.

*goes to amazon wish list*
 
Recently bought- I Know How to Cook

Don't be put off by the silly name, it's an extremely comprehensive book on French cooking, 1200 recipes.

So far I've only made 'coq au vin' which was great, everyone loved it.

Larousse Gastronomique looks good, might have to add that to my collection.
 
Just bought the Fergus Henderson - Nose to tail cooking. Should be a treat that. Also came with: Odd Bits: How to Cook the Rest of the Animal. Nice theme.

And as it was cheap, and I know nobody will get it for me: Food DIY: How to Make Your Own Everything: sausages to smoked salmon, sourdough to sloe gin, bacon to buns

Back to work... or something.
 
I generally have bread/baking books at the moment, but I have both of The Square's books on my Christmas list. Hope I get one, and then I hope that it's good! Larousse Gastronomique also looks interesting, I've just added that to my wishlist.
 
In only like ones with detailed explanations and/or stories to them. Not into standard cookbooks anymore. It doesn't have to be science, but things like traditional x goes with y due to z, combined with the history of saiid dish.

Sio its hard finding such books. Books shops don't have a large range and its impossible to gauge books online, so haven't purchased one in a fair well. The few i do know about are the science ones which cost over £100 and are popular.
 
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