I willl have a look on the internet for these books. i thought Delia's would have posh recipes..
Nah, she's surprisingly 'normal', and very good at explaining how to do each step. She's also quite open to varying her recipes, suggesting you try different things to get different flavours.
I've got my own scrapbook of recipes - some are from magazines, some from books, most are things my mum makes, and they're probably the easiest recipes to follow as they don't involve measuring anything out! Also, I know what the food should taste/look like so I know if I'm going wrong.
Hugely embarrassing, but my favourite recipe book is 'Finger Food for Babies & Toddlers'. It was my bible when my son was little, and all of the recipes are pretty much about adapting adult food for kids. The author is a vegetarian which was a huge relief as she approached each recipe with 'you can use this meat, or this substitute' - invaluable when you're a panicky mum trying to raise a healthy veggie baby! No pictures, but she does have a section on store cupboard basics and talks through each recipe very simply. It covers everything from sandwich fillings to home baking to family main meals.:)
My Mum bought me the good housekeeping cookery book when i got married 23 years ago, many other books have arrived on my bookshelf since (some of which i adore) but that one is my old faithful and i shall definitely be buying it for my own daughters
I have my late mother's Good Housekeeping cookery compendium 1957 edition which she used all the time and so did I when I was a child. I bought an updated one in 1967 when I got married and it has been well used. I think I would like to buy a recent one now!
For cakes, buns and biscuits and shortbread I like the Bero book which is advertised on the side of the flour bag or even the McDougalls one on the side of the packet.
For baking I used to use a 1950s Bero cookbook. My first real one was Katherine Whitehorn's Bedsit cook book, now I delve into Delia to remind myself how to do basic things (e.g. 20 minutes per pound + 20 minutes).
The main thing I now try to do is use good ingredients and try not to overcook them.
The basic skill I was taught by an ex was how to do a proper white sauce from butter, flour and milk - much better than packet mixes
If I want to cook a certain meal (eg, shepherd's pie, chow mein etc, etc) I just type it into google and loads of great receipes come up. You can then either choose which one is better explained or which ingredients it includes (I've found so many cookery book receipes say to put in some exotic things that aren't really necessary - but if you don't know they aren't vital, it can put you off cooking it).
Also the same goes for cookery terms and ingredients - just Google them.
I've got loads of books, but tend to only use them for inspiration, then find and compare receipes on-line.
I realise you're not a student, but this is aimed at people who are just learning how to cook so it's very simple, colourful and comes with pictures and ratings of difficulty:
I've had it for about 18 months and it is honestly a godsend. It doesn't use any weights or measurements (everything's in cups and spoonfuls!) and I honestly can't fault it. It'd be a good little starter book to try some things out before you move on to more sophisticated material
I have taken to making my "own" cook books. Over years I have realised that I only ever find a few recipes in each book that I would use so now I print things off the internet, write down recipes from other people etc and keep them in a scrap book!!
That's what I do! If I want a recipe I google 'easy recipe for ....' and print one off, then if I like it I stick it into my book for future use Did it a couple of days ago to make Fish Pie for the first time.
Comments
Nah, she's surprisingly 'normal', and very good at explaining how to do each step. She's also quite open to varying her recipes, suggesting you try different things to get different flavours.
I've got my own scrapbook of recipes - some are from magazines, some from books, most are things my mum makes, and they're probably the easiest recipes to follow as they don't involve measuring anything out! Also, I know what the food should taste/look like so I know if I'm going wrong.
Hugely embarrassing, but my favourite recipe book is 'Finger Food for Babies & Toddlers'. It was my bible when my son was little, and all of the recipes are pretty much about adapting adult food for kids. The author is a vegetarian which was a huge relief as she approached each recipe with 'you can use this meat, or this substitute' - invaluable when you're a panicky mum trying to raise a healthy veggie baby! No pictures, but she does have a section on store cupboard basics and talks through each recipe very simply. It covers everything from sandwich fillings to home baking to family main meals.:)
For cakes, buns and biscuits and shortbread I like the Bero book which is advertised on the side of the flour bag or even the McDougalls one on the side of the packet.
The main thing I now try to do is use good ingredients and try not to overcook them.
The basic skill I was taught by an ex was how to do a proper white sauce from butter, flour and milk - much better than packet mixes
Also the same goes for cookery terms and ingredients - just Google them.
I've got loads of books, but tend to only use them for inspiration, then find and compare receipes on-line.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nosh-Students-Student-Cookbook-previous/dp/0954317939/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242258930&sr=1-1
I've had it for about 18 months and it is honestly a godsend. It doesn't use any weights or measurements (everything's in cups and spoonfuls!) and I honestly can't fault it. It'd be a good little starter book to try some things out before you move on to more sophisticated material
That's what I do! If I want a recipe I google 'easy recipe for ....' and print one off, then if I like it I stick it into my book for future use