What Is The Most Essential Book? - Page 4

Good afternoon, Sweetie Pie!

 

I am writing to thank you for introducing me to Yotam Ottolenghi's wonderful book, "Plenty."  I just received it this morning from amazon.com and looking at the beautiful photos and the marvelous recipes that are brilliantly presented.  All the recipes look so inviting, I don't know which one I'll prepare first.  I'm enjoying Yotam's style of writing - it's as though he is chatting away with you in the kitchen.  

 

I just received Karen Krasne's, "Extraordinary Cakes, Recipes for Bold & Sophisticated Desserts" that you might want to check out at your library before investing in the book.  Karen has two pastry shops in San Diego, California.  The cakes in her book, as she states, have "multiple layers and many components."   Each cake may take four-days from beginning to end.  If you're interested in learning more about her book (just published this month), here's the amazon.com link:  http://www.amazon.com/Extraordinary-Cakes-Recipes-Sophisticated-Desserts/dp/0847858081/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319233842&sr=1-1

 

Thank you again for your Plenty suggestion - I can't wait to begin!

 

Happy

 

 

 

Hi Happy Cooker, I am sorry I didn't respond sooner. For some reason, I am not getting notifications of responses. I am very glad you like Plenty. Thank you for recommending Extraordinary Cakes. I bought the book and I love it. It is an amazing book. Those cakes are fantastic! Even if I only use that book for ideas, it is well worth having it. I plan to bake the cakes and the frosting to start and workup to all the other components. Thank you very much. I, too, can't wait to bake something from that book. I think I will start with the sour cream cake. It looks easy. I also like the crumbs on the side of the cake. Very different ideas. Love it!

Did you see Elaine Lutic's review of Plenty? It's running right now on the home-page carousel.

 

How does her interpretation match yours?

Sorry, don't know what a home page carousel is.  On this site?

Hi, Sweetie Pie!  Just love your name!!  I wondered where you went - figured you were rolling in the dough what with one baking book or another!

 

Glad you liked Extraordinary Cakes - I bought the gelatin sheets she referred to and that's as far as I've gone!  Got sidetracked with

chocolate making and other baking for the holidays.  Will get back into it soon.  Plenty had a write up about it in one of the many magazines I subscribe to.  Seems like I'm behind the ball here with every day things - read the article but can't remember which magazine it was.

 

Take good care and hope you and your family have a great New Year in store for yourselves.  

 

Best,

 

Happy Cooker

 

Hi Happy Cooker,

 

I've been here but not as often as I would like. The holiday has taken it's toll on my computer time. I'm looking forward to some quieter days.

 

You are further ahead than I on Extraordinary Cakes. I only looked at the pretty pictures and read a few of the recipes so far. Now that Christmas has come and gone, I hope to have time to try one of those magnificent cakes. As I mentioned, I was thinking of baking the sour cream cake and perhaps using the chocolate crumbs on the side of the cake. I won't be getting into anything more elaborate than that right now.

 

I did purchase Bo Friberg's Professional Pastry Chef and love it. So far, everything has been fantastic. His Vanilla Pound Cake came out exactly as he described it should be. My husband isn't a pound cake fan but he now wants me to make it on a regular basis. It was really good with a perfect crumb. I won't get use of the entire book at my skill level, but there is lots for me to make and eventually I might be brave enough to try the more involved techniques.

 

What have you been making in chocolate? Do you follow a book?  

 

"Cooking With Chocolate" has been recommended to me but I haven't seen it in the store yet.

 

Please let me know which recipes you like in Plenty when you get to them. 

 

Holiday Blessings to you and your family and a Happy New Year.

 

 

Hi, Ky - found it right away as soon as I realized what I wrote - read the article.  I agree with the her review and found a lot of the recipes a "bit fussy" as she put it.  I'm a vegan and don't eat eggs so won't prepare a number of the dishes.  I see from my earlier post I've had the book for more than 2 months and am ashamed to admit that I haven't tried any of his dishes.  I love to try new recipes so I'll have to sit down and give his book 100% of my attention and try some of his recipes.  

 

I'm a bit of a "cook book magnet" - just bought several more  - "Cook Like a Rock Star" and The Spice Lover's Guide to Herbs &

Spices, the latter I think I'll be returning to amazon.  

 

I'll post again after I've given "Plenty" a chance and prepare a few of the recipes.  Thanks for bringing the review to my attention; would

have missed it.

 

Happy Cooker

Hi again, Sweetie Pie -

 

Glad you like Bo Friberg's The Professional Pastry Chef.  My favorite is an out of print Pillsbury book (but found it at amazon.com)

is The Complete Book of Baking.  Simple recipes and delicious, too.  

 

I actually taught myself how to make chocolates - my first book was in 2006, Elaine González' boo, The Art of Chocolate.  Didn't make

anything from her book just read what to do.  Then I bought Evelyn Howe's Fryatt's book, "Candy Making Basics" which I really enjoy

and I spent a lot of time 'hanging out' at Wilton's web site on chocolate making and some other chocolate web sites.  They have one center that is so delicious - if you like peanut butter - I'm so spoiled on how good home made chocolate is that I had some truffles given to

us as a gift from Harry & David's that I had a bite and pitched it out.  Once you get started, no one can hold a candle to you.

 

I make a lot of fudge, truffles and chocolate molds filled with different centers.  Feel free to PM me if you decide to get into handcrafting chocolates, I'll be more than happy to share my techniques with you.  My chocolates (and cakes) are my two biggest sellers.  I don't follow a book now but when I find a new recipe, I give it a try and see if it has the 'wow' factor!

 

Thank you for your good wishes.

 

Happy Cooker

It's available at amazon.com - http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Chocolate-Essential-Recipes-Techniques/dp/208020081X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324936824&sr=8-1

$31.27.  

 

My other new book I'm reading is Sophie Loren's Italian cook book.  I'm buried in books!    Chocolate is rated a 5 by 4 reviewers.  I'll read up on it.

 

Take care!

I think what KY was meaning is that it's on the main page of this site set up on a random picture rotation ... meaning click on the home tab at the top of the page and on the home page there is a rotating set of pics (carousel) at the top

 

Hi Happy Cooker,

 

I have to find out if my mother-in-law has the Pillsbury baking book you mentioned. She was a big fan of Pillsbury and gave me one of her old books by Pillsbury on cooking.

 

Hahaha! I know what you mean! Once you have something good quality, it is hard to go back. That is how my husband feels about the cakes I bake him. He was an avid fan of all those packaged baked goods. My house had back-ups for the back-ups. It didn't matter how much I had since they have the expiration date similar to the half life of styrofoam.

 

Thank you for your kind offer. i appreciate it. I might ask you one day because I am making more and more chocolate desserts. My husband isn't a fan of chocolate but I think I am slowly converting him. I have been using Death By Chocolate. I haven't made the more complicated cakes and  have had to alter the baking time but the recipes I have tried have been very good.

 

What I liked about the description of Cooking With Chocolate is that it says there are savory recipes in the book. My library doesn't have that book yet and neither do the stores so it is hard to judge.

 

Chef Bo's book does have a large section on chocolate. 

 

Making fudge and chocolate must be very exciting. I know it makes me happy when people like what I bake. My husband loves peanut butter so maybe that would be a good place to start when I get up to that. Infact, tomorrow I am planning on making a peanut butter-banana loaf of Madia Heatter's.

 

It was so nice speaking with you. I always enjoy reading your posts.

 

Have a good evening

 

 

 

I have and love JOC, but it would not necessarily have been my first choice for a home cook. My "go to" as a young woman was "Sunset Easy Basics," which was only published back then, and of course Sunset is in western United States, but great book if you can get your hands on a used copy. I also find the comprehensive Betty Crocker, Better Homes and Gardens, and Pillsbury cookbooks to be very helpful. For a bit more advanced cooking, including French deserts, Julia Child's "Way to Cook" is a great choice.

Hi Sweetie Pie,

 

Thanks - and I always enjoy reading your posts and see what's cooking at your house -

always something!  Takes a lot of time and it's great your husband enjoys what you make.

My husband isn't much on sweets - just pies....which is my least favorite thing to make.

So I make all these gives and give them away to our help and security guards  here -

I'm quite popular!!  

 

Here's a web site I thought you might like to explore - they have a recipe section you

might enjoy checking out.

 

http://chocoley.com/christmas/topteneasygifts.htm?1

 

They have videos on truffle-making - all kinds of helpful things.  I've never purchased

anything from them but they have some great looking chocolate ideas.  http://chocoley.com/recipes/index.htm

 

You keep going the way you are, I'll be buying your tasty treats that will be featured in
Harry & David!

 

Take the best of care and again - best wishes to you and your family for a very healthy

New Year.

 

Happy Cooker

Thank you, Highlander01 - figured it out and found it - and read the article.  Appreciate your time & explanation.  Took a few minutes to figure out the carousel!
 

 

Hi! That site is A-mazing! Wow! Thank you! I was watching The Chew yesterday and they made chocolate chip cookies using chips which look just lie their "Bada Bing Bada Boom Candy Melts".  And, as you said, it is packed with information.  Thank you very much!! They have a lot of interesting recipes I just have to try.

 

My husband likes pies too. Me, not so much. I guess making pie crusts is something which takes practice. I have a lot of practicing to do.

 

Yesterday I made a chocolate cake.  I decided to use some of the components from Extraordinary Cakes on my cake.  I brushed the cake with their Vanilla Soaking Syrup and made their  Vegan Chocolate Frosting ( but I made it with dairy instead of Vegan products). It was the best frosting I ever had, really! I really want to try their chocolate shortbread crumbs...yum!!

 

 

Thanks again! I hope to talk to you soon 

 

 

Hi - glad you liked their site - thought maybe you might enjoy it.  I put a Post-It note on the chocolate frosting recipe - I'll try that one next and get into Extraordinary Cakes.  Right

now I'm baking an apple pie for my husband and then making a cheesecake - that will be it for me for the day in the baking arena!

 

Thought about you this morning while I was reading Cook's Illustrated (January/February 2012) - the article is called "Easy Homemade Chocolate Truffles."  They have a video 

available for free for four months at http://www.cooksillustrated.com/byissue/default.asp?doctypeid=10&selDate=166 - then click on watch the video when you see Chocolate

Truffles Made Simple.

 

Page 23 of the magazine said to go to www.CooksIllustrated.com/feb12 for their free recipe for Chocolate Chai Masala Truffles - but I kept getting the 14-day free trial overlay

and couldn't view it on line.  If you're interested, I can PM you and send you the recipe.  That's the only thing I don't like about Cook's Illustrated.  I pay for six issues a year - 

$25 or $29 - forget what the price is - then you have to pay more to see what's on line.  Odd they would offer it for viewing and then stop me!

 

Congrats on your baking successes!  Good for you.  

 

Happy Cooker

 

 

 

Hi Happy Cooker,

Thank you for the links! The truffles sound fun to make. It would definitely amaze people to eat a home made chocolate. Everyone bakes but chocolate candy, now that is unique! How did the apple pie turn out? I hope you try that frosting. It is really great. I'm planning on making one of Extraordinary Cake's recipes this week. I'll tell you how it comes out. I know I will be using that chocolate frosting for cakes from other books. It is so easy.

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy New Year.

< Thank you for the links! The truffles sound fun to make. It would definitely amaze people to eat a home made chocolate. Everyone bakes but chocolate candy, now that is unique! How did the apple pie turn out? I hope you try that frosting. It is really great. I'm planning on making one of Extraordinary Cake's recipes this week. I'll tell you how it comes out. I know I will be using that chocolate frosting for cakes from other books. It is so easy.

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy New Year.

 

----------

 

Happy New Year to you & your loved ones, too and thank you!

 

Here's a delicious and best-seller that I've been using for a few years - from Wilton.  You can fill molds with your chocolates

and put a wonderful center inside - or start with this and dip them into your chocolates to make your truffles.

 

 

Thank you for that recipe. I will save it for the time I try making chocolates! Thank you! I'm so glad your pie was so appreciated. It makes me very happy when my baking is appreciated. Actually, it is motivating.

My favorite way to spend an evening is to eat light meals in front of the TV in the living room and watch a movie. Soups would the perfect comfort food for an evening like that, followed by something just baked. Yum!

Sophia Loren's book looks very interesting. At one time, I cooked mostly Italian food because my husband and his family came from Italy. I used Leone's Italian Cookbook. The meat sauce in that book is very authentic. Even my in-laws thought my sauce was excellent. I found myself making the sauce and the meatballs every week and on holidays.

It was nice speaking to you. Thanks again for the recipe.

Have a good evening

Instead of holding a 2 way conversation here, why not e mail each other??

I read the "The Joy of Cooking" cover to cover , mostly, when I was 12 in the hospital for appendix surgery. That me seem odd considering my favorite TV show at the time was WWF - the Food Network in 1995 was not even really on . PBS had a few old cooking shows i watched too, but it was that cookbook that got me interested. Later, going thru my grandmas things, I found another oldie called "The Household Searchlight" cookbook. It was very ornate, with gilded bages, layed like a bible, and a carved embossed cover. Yes most of those recipes are hopelessy outdated for 2011, but both books gave me my desire to cook, and learn. Nowdays, I use Cooks Illustrated alot,  and America's Test Kitchen. Yes I watch the new food networks, but they have lost some of the charm of the old Public television format. Oh well, progress!

 

The Joy of Cooking Book Question:

 

Julia Child´s " Joy of Cooking " is an exemplary book to have in one´s Library. It is more or less indispensible for basics.

 

I also have " The Basics " by Filip Verheyden which is good for prepping techniques and runs the gamut from classic to modern, from Chiffons to Tempura. It is handled artistically and is a good guide to the basics.

 

Margcata.

Margcata,

 

You must have been typing hastily.  Julia Child is best known for Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  It's remains one of the best books for someone who's an adequate cook to become a good one.  Joy of Cooking was written by Irma Rombauer, and her daughter, Marion.  The latest updates in the current revised edition are by Marion's son, Ethan Becker.  A lot has already been written in this thread about it.  But, just for the heck of it:  Joy is more of a recipe compendium than actual cook book which doesn't seem to be the "must have," standard it once was. Some people love it, some hate it.  If Joy didn't help teach me much about cooking, cooking so many of its recipes did.  So while aware of its foibles, number me among the lovers.

 

BDL

Edited by boar_d_laze - 1/18/12 at 6:08am

good morning margaux,

 the 'joy of cooking' was my 'coming of age' cookbook and the first cookbook given to me by my mother. i carried it everywhere. when i first started cooking on boats it got packed into every duffel bag, crossed oceans and logged countless sea miles. it was indispensable... it was my bible. i knew that whatever the food challenge i could find out how to do it with irma. think you can even find how to cook gator!  all without glossy pictures, just illustrations. learning meat cuts and carving and basic knife skills made it all the more invaluable.  it's a bit dog eared these days and pages unglued but i still use it to this day, more than you might think.. is it The Essential Book....no, is it still Essential...most definitely! i don't know if i really have an 'essential' book......i have different go-to books depending on what i'm cooking.

joey

Edited by durangojo - 1/18/12 at 11:09am

A lot of knowledge in this thread. What books should the complete beginner get?

A complete Beginner should probably avoid most cookbooks and focus on some basics first.

 

A good book about such basics is James Peterson's Essentials of Cooking. This covers the basics of knife skills, vegetable prep, pan use, stocks and some basic recipes as examples of specific techniques. You won't get everything this book has to offer on one pass. Rather, read it, practice what you got out of it,  try some other cookbooks and recipes of things that sound good and return to this book again in about 3 months. Repeat every three months for about a year. Essentials of Cooking has something to offer on each re-reading but you need to develop some experience with things before you start to grasp the nuances he offers. The book appears simplistic, which is good, but there is deeper reasoning and learning behind most everything he presents. 

 

For all cooks, especially beginners, knife skills are more important than most books indicate or spend time with.

 

This thread and its links are worth exploring.

http://www.cheftalk.com/t/66661/cooking-challenge-on-a-food-stamp-budget

Beginning books: from Julia Child, there's _The French Chef Cookbook_, which draws on the TV show and is generally shorter and simpler than _Mastering_, and a later book called _The Way to Cook_ aimed at beginners.  

 

A lot depends on what kind of food you want to cook, and what you like in a book: some people like lots of detail; others the general idea.  I'd sample a number of books until one speaks to you.  The other thing I would look for starting out would be videos, online or DVDs.  Not only are techniques much easier to pick up visually for most of us, but watching someone make a dish start to finish is a good way to get it into your head.  

 

If you know a little chemistry and like knowing why things work, Harold McGee's _On Food and Cooking_ is worth checking out.

 

Ditto Phatch.  Chopping is the first step in most cooking.  If you can do it quickly and easily, you will enjoy cooking a lot more and do more of it.  

 

 

@ Joey ( Durangojo ),

 

Yes, the Joy of Cooking is a  very good tool however :  

 

For starters, my viewpoint is that everyone whether you are single or married, male or female, should invest in an exemplary Basic Technique Culinary Course for the elementary and the sector culinary vocabulary, with an excellent Instructor / Teacher who knows how to coach, explain and assist his or her students with the difficult steps.

 

I had done this years ago ... and I still take courses from time to time in specialty cuisines or genre of product cuisine or for enjoyment when travelling ...

I had taken a basic Pastry Baking course, as though what I cook well, I cook extraordinarily well ( been told plus experience ). I wanted to learn how to make some knock out desserts. The instructor´s guidance and the course, and the other students --- this was the best part and worthy of my time and energies.

 

Margcata.

 

 

 

 

 

Coming from New Zealand, the most essential cookbook for every Kiwi is the Edmonds Cookbook without fail. For those that don't know, Edmonds is a popular brand for baking ingredients. Almost every household had one and still does today. Filled with simple, classic recipes it was great to have as a kid. Unfortunately they faced a little bit of controversy as some of their recipes had significant errors in them. But other than that they are a staple in our kitchens!

 

Right now, my favorite book is the 30 minute meals by jamie oliver. It is not the most comprehensive or advanced book by any standard but I find the recipies are pretty good and can be done in under 30 minutes. Considering I dont usually get home till after 9pm because of school and work, the 30 minute timeframe is key.

 

Again, this book would probably bore a experienced chef, but for a working student that has very little time to spend making dinner, this book is indesposable.