Spec me a.... cook book!

physichull said:
This is what I keep coming across time and time again. Take Jamie Oliver for example, fresh herbs of which you may only use a a few sprigs of it, then have to throw the rest away because you can't think of anything to use it with.

It's all very well having a large "larder", but it ends up being quite wasteful when it comes to the fresh ingredients. Delia is pretty good to this end though and as said earlier, often uses more humble ingredients.
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Comes down to planning meals though I do know what you mean. I often think this when watching some of the recipes they construct on TV. Also they don't have to worry about the cost of the ingredients as well.

If I'm going to be using something that requires (e.g.) 100g crème fraiche and the smallest tub I can get is 250g then I will either find another recipe or double the batch so there is enough for another meal.

For me I make two new (to me) dishes a week and regularly have the issue of what to do with 1/2 dozen anchovies or 1/2 a can of something but I try and plan things a bit better and am moving more to seasonal ingredients as it works out much cheaper.

I am fortunate enough to have a good contact at our local herb supplier and can just email through a mixed order to save on wastage.

With herbs I would suggest growing your own in some cases as most of it is very easy (I regularly grow parsley and thyme but intend on trying basil and rosemary next year). Places like Waitrose used to have potted herbs you could buy if I recall - possibly one way to save long term.
 
the older gordon ramsay books are great, i dont rate too many of his later ones (apart from a 3* chef but thats quite technical)

if you go to your local waterstones and have a browse through the cook book section it will give you a lot of choice and chance to browse through.

i would reccomend getting a techniquie book to help with other things such as boning joints, scaling and gutting fish and generally ways to get the best out of your ingredients etc... i have one but i think its just called the cooks bible or somthing and its an excellent resource.
 
I was in Waterstones the other day and had a flick Mary Berrys Complete Cookery course. It was actually a really good book. Its a book for a novice but it does have some nice and simple recipes in there and is well matched with helpful photographs.

It got panned a lot on Amazon reviews because it had a shark meat recipe. But I'd urge you to see beyond that because its a cracking book.
 
Not a book but check out the BBC good food website and also channel 4's 4Food section. They both have some good stuff on them.
 
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