So you want a cookbook?

By now, a lot of you have cycled through your entire repertoire, and are looking down a bleak corridor of repeats unless you find something else to cook. I’m going to try to post some recipes here 3-4 times a week. But that’s not enough for you, is it? You need help now.

Well, if you need a cookbook, I happen to have a few favorites I would commend to you …

Favorite air fryer book: Ben Mims, Air Fry Every Day

Favorite slow cooker book: America’s Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution (for fancier and reasonably complicated things) and Slow Cooker Revolution, Volume II (for simpler recipes with less prep time).

Favorite Middle Eastern: Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem

Favorite Vegetarian: Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Favorite Omnibus: tie between Mark Bittman, How to Cook Everything and the Cooks Illustrated megabook

Favorite Food Hacker: The Food Lab from Kenji Alt-Lopez of Serious Eats. (A website which is itself a great source of new recipes).

Favorite Ambitious Projects: Tie between Thomas Keller’s Ad-Hoc at Home and Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Favorite Old Fashioned Book: Betty Crocker 1950 Picture Cookbook, which still guides the majority of my cakes and pies. And is loaded with fun anachronism for a little light reading.

Favorite Deep-Frying Book: Rick Browne’s Ultimate Guide to Frying

Favorite Instant Pot Book: Sorry, I still haven’t found one I like.

Favorite Italian: Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

3 Comments Add yours

  1. George Skinner says:

    The trick I’ve found with Ottolenghi is that his recipes often call for 3 things that are mutually out of season in nearby stores. On the other hand, his latest book “Simple” seem to be a lot easier to cook with. Have been having fun with that one!

  2. SamChevre says:

    The vegetarian cookbook I use all the time is less clear than Bittman, but much more varied: Madhur Jaffrey’s “World Vegetarian.” Most of the others you recommend I have and use, so this might be one you like

  3. johnmumaw says:

    You might check out ‘Milk Street-Fast & Slow’ Instant Pot cookbook if you haven’t already. Granted that I haven’t read it yet, but if the recipes are similar to the I.P. recipes in their magazine/ website, then it may be promising. Looking forward to seeing you here again!

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