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I have to admit I am an addict. I love my recipe books, barely cook out of them, but love them all the same. I am always on the look out for new ones so I though we could share our favourites
River Cottage Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whitingstall. Great book, really easy recipes that taste good (the two I have cooked so far anyway).
The Domestic Goddess Nigella Lawson - Yummo
I have others but must remember them
Before DD came along I was a bit addicted to buying recipe books off Ebay..lol.
My favs are probably my Women's Weekly ones (the Bake, Kitchen, Cook series). Lots of everyday, simple but tasty recipes.
I also have a CWA "Country CLassics" book which has a lot of great recipes in it, and again cheap/few ingredients and easy recipes.
Mostly, I just love looking at the pictures and drooling all over the nice looking food (even though I know it has been doctored for the photos!)
I forgot about the BAKE one, I love that one. Use it all the time how could I forget it. I also have the CWA one, haven't used it a lot though.
I have the red AWW book, Cook I'm sure (it's spine is facing the back of the shelf for some reason). I have four old (pre 1980ish) AWW books that I usually refer to first (two copies of two of them, and the earliest I have is about 1940's, its a really good book too!). I look at the Cook book last actually, I have not found it useful at all really. I think I use an on Margaret Fulton (The Complete MF Cookbook) more often!
My Mum has given me a number of the 'newer' glossy AWW books; AWW Basic Cookbook (which I also highly recommend, not just for beginners looking for a book, but it has so many favourites in it), Celebration, (the old) Children's Birthday Cake Book (with the red train on the cover, Mum is still looking for the newer one with the mushroom cake for me), and Cooking Class.
I use a book called the Australian Book of Meat Cookery, which is old, but shows all the different meat cuts, etc, and I find really useful as a reminder on what I need for different dishes.
I have a Body Shop Cookbook which I used to use a lot. Some of you may notice that I get a lot of recipes from that which I have posted in BB. And a Nursing Mothers' Association book, which has lots of great things in it, easy and economical. I must remember to use it (or at least refer to it) more often.
As a beautiful looking book (which I would probably make use of when the kids are a bit older or on holidays at their Grandmothers!) is High Tea at the Victoria Room. I got it from a Playgroup fundraiser, but saw it at Coles last week. Highly recommended, even if its only ever used as a coffee table book!
Plus lots of others! I got rid of quite a few (can't even remember what they were, so meh, obviously don't miss them!. I also have a folder of recipes from magazines cuttings, etc, or hand written. I will cull the magazine recipes eventually (I sort through them every now and again and the others if I don't like the result), and it will be the 'book' that I give to my kids (or grandkids by the time I stop cooking) with all sorts of info in it hopefully, not just cooking.
DH got me the most awesome one for Christmas, the Woman's Weekly Slow Cooking one. MMMMM! I've been picking a recipe a week from that and we've had some gorgeous dinners.
Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food is also awesome, as is his Jamie's Italy.
I have a few Gordon Ramsay ones too and Bill Granger.
I'm such a cookbook $lut! I get a new one each birthday and christmas. A few years back my mum got me the Readers Digest Cookery Yearbook - it has all of the seasonal foods (European though) and menus for parties, Christmas etc. Also has a massive section at the back which tells you how to make pastries, bake, shows you the cuts of meat etc. It's my most favourite cookbook of all time.
Great thread!!
I also sometimes buy cookery magazines if there is something interesting in it to cook, cut out the recipes and they go in my recipe folder - which is now busting at the seams.
I have Jamie O's Ministry of Food book too, love it. Does anyone have his new one, 30 minute meals? I had a flick through it before Christmas but it didn't really appeal to me..I just don't think I like the layout of it (i.e. here is a 3 or 4 course meal with all the recipes for it on 2 pages..), just seemed a bit confusing and messy.
I also have the AWW (gosh don't they rock!!) 1000 recipes book which is quite good. Mostly use it for cakes/slices etc.
Netix- I think Cook (yep it is the red one) is the one I use the least out of the three in the series. Kitchen has a great recipe for sweet & sour pork and shepherd's/cottage pie which I use all the time. Bake is of course great for the sweet treats. I think Cook would be alright for beginning cooks/uni students for basic recipes.
I have a ton of cooking magazines too, mostly Super Food Ideas and one other I can't remember the name. I'm a sucker for magazines..then when I get home find there are only 2 or 3 recipes that I would actually ever make! Need to cut out the ones that interest me and chuck out the rest I think. For those that cut recipes from magazines, what do you do with the rest of the magazine? Just throw it in the recycling or file it away somewhere?
I have two large notebooks, one for mains/savoury meals and one for desserts/baking etc. Have written and typed out/printed recipes in them. Really need to do a cull though, most of the recipes I've put in there I haven't made and probably never will.
Cookery the Australia Way-Fifty Edition. Want to get the Anniversary edition. Just used it tonight actually for Meat Loaf..Yum! I bought this when I first moved out of home 20yrs ago.
Marie Claire Cooking
The Gourmet Slow Cooker by Lynn Alley
Jamie Oliver ones
Victor Chang Heart Cook Book (it is also called Fresh Healthy Sally James).
Family Circle Classic Curries
I want to invest in a CWA cookbook as well.
"FEASTING" by Karen Martini - a must if you want lush but not fiddly or expensive platters/sharing plates for casual, stylish get-togethers.
I have around 300 cookbooks and have cooked more from this book than any other.
Anything from Williams-Sonoma!!!