Favorite Cookbook

[Anonymous]

I like the website from The Pioneer Woman thepioneerwoman.com I've never cooked a bad dish from the recipes I've tried. She also includes helpful step by step photos so you can see beforehand if it's something you'd like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To have around as references: all of Bittman's, America's Test Kitchen

+1

[Anonymous]

I love any of the cookbooks from America's Test Kitchen. I have many of them on my shelf.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison for anything but meat. We are not vegetarians, but love vegetables and all kinds of foods that do not contain meat. Some really excellent recipes in here.

Another non-vegetarian who loves this cookbook, which I jokingly call "the Bible." Even the recipes that don't sound exciting at face value are delicious.

[Anonymous]

Cooks Illustrated is my go-to, especially for a new dish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The I Hate to Cook Book -- out of print, but hilarious reading. And a few good recipes for comfort food. Meat loaf, pot roast, etc. No food pictures, only a few line drawings.

How to Cook Everything (Bittman) -- good basics with good flavor, not too many steps. It has replaced Fannie Farmer as my go-to for basic reference (how long, what temp). No pictures.

1960-ish Betty Crocker Picture Cook Book -- best classic baking recipes. Garish color photos (color printing wasn't all that great then).

Real Simple cook books -- I've had pretty good luck with these. Nothing earth shattering, but if you are bored of doing things the same ol' way and want to get out of your rut, they have new ideas that are still pretty simple and quick.

America's Test Kitchen cookbooks have great explanation of WHY things should be done a certain way, but most of their recipes (even the so-called family-friendly ones and slow-cooker ones) have way too many prep steps. I have a slow cooker b/c I want to spend 15 minutes in the morning and come home to dinner ready to be served. I don't have an extra hour to dice, saute, etc, in the morning. Sheesh.

Prep the night before, nitwit. 8)

[Anonymous]

Love the Cooks Illustrated cookbook (they have great other versions of make ahead meals, one pot meals too if you want to do those, but I'm just talking about their basic one. It's like Joy of Cooking one step up with great variations on basic recipes too.

[Anonymous]

I use Joy of Cooking the most. Will have to check out America's Test Kitchen...

[Anonymous]

I second the Alice Waters recommendation. Another great one of hers is called simply Vegetables. There is another thread on whether CSAs are cost effective - Alice Waters Vegetables should come in the box for every first time CSA participant...a lifesaver for all of those odd veggies. She shows you how to turn them into a main dish.

[Anonymous]

Basics-

Bittman: How to Cook Everything
Child: The Way to Cook (this has photos)

Specialty/Other-

O'Connell: The Inn at Little Washington Cookbook
Beranbaum: The Cake Bible
Reinhart: The Bread Baker's Apprentice

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the website from The Pioneer Woman thepioneerwoman.com I've never cooked a bad dish from the recipes I've tried. She also includes helpful step by step photos so you can see beforehand if it's something you'd like.

I have had the exact opposite experience with her awful, unattributed recipes.

America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Illustrated, and Ina Garten. Very rarely, something from Taste of Home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the website from The Pioneer Woman thepioneerwoman.com I've never cooked a bad dish from the recipes I've tried. She also includes helpful step by step photos so you can see beforehand if it's something you'd like.

I have had the exact opposite experience with her awful, unattributed recipes.

America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Illustrated, and Ina Garten. Very rarely, something from Taste of Home.

I've had the same experience with pioneer woman. You read the orgasmic comments and all her self-congratulation and the reactions I've gotten were not so great, like her best ever lasagna in the whole world or whatever she calls it. Maybe it's the best in rural Oklahoma?

[Anonymous]

Another vote for Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything." No pictures, but it's incredibly easy to use - you can basically look up just about any ingredient and it'll tell you very basic ways to cook it and then give you recipes for more elaborate dishes. I have bought it for more than a few wedding couples.

[Anonymous]

I mostly use the Joy of Cooking, and my husband relies on "How to Grill" in the summer. We have an entire shelf of other things that are more specialized - a massive cookbook of Indian recipes that we reference a lot but rarely follow to a T, a book all about bread that we use fairly often, other random ethnic food books and specialty books (including this amazing dessert book that contains manna from heaven) that get used a couple times a year.

Really, it's Epicurous, our Bon Appetit subscription, the JoC and the grill book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the website from The Pioneer Woman thepioneerwoman.com I've never cooked a bad dish from the recipes I've tried. She also includes helpful step by step photos so you can see beforehand if it's something you'd like.

I have had the exact opposite experience with her awful, unattributed recipes.

America's Test Kitchen, Cook's Illustrated, and Ina Garten. Very rarely, something from Taste of Home.

I've had the same experience with pioneer woman. You read the orgasmic comments and all her self-congratulation and the reactions I've gotten were not so great, like her best ever lasagna in the whole world or whatever she calls it. Maybe it's the best in rural Oklahoma?

Oh, they're god awful, aren't they? Just terrible. I've since found and loved reading The Pioneer Woman Sux, Pie Near Woman, and Marlboro Woman.