42 replies to this topic

[MatthewB]

I haven't seen this thread, but if it exists, please point me to it.

Let's say you have to narrow your cookbook collection down to five titles. (Thus, "The Desert Island Collection." But this thought experiment assumes that you're not actually on a desert island since that might narrow your ingredients to the point that cookbooks would be superfluous.)

Here's mine--at the moment . . .

Bittman's How to Cook Everything
Schneider's New Way to Cook
Alford & Duguid's Hot Sour Salty Sweet
Olney's Simple French Food
Slater's Appetite

Your Desert Island Collection?

[Suzanne F]

MatthewB, do they have to be cookbooks per se or can they be food books (such as reference books, or books with descriptions but not formal recipes)?

[Jinmyo]

I'd rather bring my kitchen and product sources. Books don't taste very good.

[MatthewB]

MatthewB, do they have to be cookbooks per se or can they be food books (such as reference books, or books with descriptions but not formal recipes)?

Suzanne, since I always enjoy your posts, post away, please! Your choice!

[MatthewB]

I'd rather bring my kitchen and product sources. Books don't taste very good.

Jinmyo, please play anyway!

[Anna N]

I'd rather bring my kitchen and product sources. Books don't taste very good.

...but Frances Bacon said "some few could be chewed and digested. Anna N

[MatthewB]

I'm cursed.

My attempts at on-topic threads turn into off-topic threads.

Where's the :pulls hair: icon???

[Jinmyo]

Okay.

Larousse.
Escoffier.
Saint Jacques' Complete Techniques. (pictures of his hands)
Uh...

David Thompson's Thai Food so I can finish it.



Uh...

[MatthewB]

Okay.

. . .

Uh...

I'll try to help, Jinmyo . . .

Kitchen Confidental?

[MatthewB]

Jinmyo,

Given your first 3 selections, I'm curious . . . what you think of Kamman's New Making of a Cook?

[Jinmyo]

I haven't read the new version.

[torakris]

hhhmmm............

the 5 books I wouldn't want to be without (at theis moment) and in no particular order:

Essentials of Asian Cuisine -- Corrine Trang
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone -- Deborah Madison
Hot Sour Salty Sweet -- Alford & Duguid
How to Cook Everything -- Mark Bittman
The Italian Vegetarian -- Jack Bishop

[davidscooking]

The Art of Mexican Cooking--Diana Kennedy
The Zuni Cafe Cookbook--Judy Rodgers
Mastering the Art of French Cooking--Julia Child
Bistro Cooking--Patricia Wells
Marcella Hazan--Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking


Hmm. All books by women. And 6 & 7 would be The Food and Life of Oaxaca (Zarela Martinez) and something by Madhur Jaffrey...

[essvee]

1. Bistro Cooking--Wells

2. Fragrant Harbor Taste--Hom

3. La Vera Cucina--Middione

4. The Classic Italian Cookbook/More Classic Italian Cooking--Hazan

5. Tie between Classic Food of China--Yan Kit-so and Italian Holiday Cooking--Scicolone

[snowangel]

My 1975 Wei Chuan Dim Sum cookbook and Maida Heatter's (first) Book of Cookies (Book of Great Cookies?)?

This assumes, of course, that said desert island has appropriate ingredients for these two books. If ingredients available were different, I might make different choices.

[AndrewM]

Essentials of Asian Cuisine -- Corrine Trang

I'm curious what you think of this one. It's relatively recent I believe. Does it go into sufficient detail covering all those asian cuisines?

Cheers,
Andrew

[MatthewB]

Essentials of Asian Cuisine -- Corrine Trang

I'm curious what you think of this one. It's relatively recent I believe. Does it go into sufficient detail covering all those asian cuisines?

Cheers,
Andrew

I'm curious, too, torakris.

I've done a couple of receipts from this & I've been happy with the results. However, I've this feeling that some of the receipts will require a bit of adjustment.

What's your experience been with your results?

[Suzanne F]

Okay, here's a first cut of my list. BTW, I cheated*.

1. The Oxford Companion to Food (Alan Davidson)
2. Larousse
3. Elizabeth David Classics (Mediterranean Food; French Country Cooking; Summer Cooking)*
4. Mrs. Beeton
5. The Art of Eating, (MFK Fisher. Includes: How to Cook a Wolf; Consider the Oyster; Serve it Forth; The Gastronomical Me; An Alphabet for Gourmets)*

*to me, this is cheating. But at least I didn't say"Time-Life Foods of the World" as just one.

I figure I won't actually be cooking from the books, just reading them. So I wanted ones packed with information, evocative, and READABLE.

Anyway, maybe I'll come up with a B list, Matthew.

[MatthewB]

Suzanne, truthfully, you have a great ability to bring a smile to my face.

I was out sweeping the driveway on Monday afternoon when I thought up this thread topic. While considering groundrules, I figured ED's Classics should be allowed but that the Time-Life series shouldn't.

LMAO. And, of course, you got them both in & in the right places.

Cheers!

[hollywood]

It does seem like these lists are for a mental dessert island, not a physical one. On the latter, wouldn't we want books on raw food and, of course, grilling?

[MatthewB]

It does seem like these lists are for a mental dessert island, not a physical one.  On the latter, wouldn't we want books on raw food and, of course, grilling?

hollywood, note this from my first post . . .

But this thought experiment assumes that you're not actually on a desert island since that might narrow your ingredients to the point that cookbooks would be superfluous.

In any event . . .

What would your books be?

[MatthewB]

It does seem like these lists are for a mental dessert island . . .

Dessert island, huh?

Don't hijack my thread!

[hollywood]

It does seem like these lists are for a mental dessert island, not a physical one.  On the latter, wouldn't we want books on raw food and, of course, grilling?

hollywood, note this from my first post . . .

But this thought experiment assumes that you're not actually on a desert island since that might narrow your ingredients to the point that cookbooks would be superfluous.

In any event . . .

What would your books be?

We don't need no stinkin' books. We need F-I-R-E!

[Suzanne F]

"Many's the long night I've dreamed of cheese -- toasted, mostly."
Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, chapter 15

[MatthewB]

"Many's the long night I've dreamed of cheese -- toasted, mostly."
Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, chapter 15

Methinks someone has cheese on her brain today.

Or as Ali G would interpret . . .

methinks someone as erbal remedy on a brain today.

[awbrig]

Is this a

Desert Island

or a

Dessert Island

There is a major difference!

Edited by awbrig, 28 May 2003 - 02:20 PM.

[MatthewB]

Is this a

Desert Island

or a

Dessert Island

There is a major difference!

Post both your lists, awbrig!

[torakris]

Essentials of Asian Cuisine -- Corrine Trang

I'm curious what you think of this one. It's relatively recent I believe. Does it go into sufficient detail covering all those asian cuisines?

Cheers,
Andrew

I'm curious, too, torakris.

I've done a couple of receipts from this & I've been happy with the results. However, I've this feeling that some of the receipts will require a bit of adjustment.

What's your experience been with your results?

I really like this book!
It is a great overview of the Asian cuisines, not just recipes but information and lots of it!
I have tried a couple recipes and they have been great, way better then average.
If you want just one book on Asian cooking I would recommend this one (and I have a lot of books on Asian cooking!)

[torakris]

3. Elizabeth David Classics (Mediterranean Food; French Country Cooking; Summer Cooking)*

I am considering buying this book. There is one copy left at Amazon Japan, how do you like it, do you cook from it.
I own none of her books and thought this would be a good place to start.

[Priscilla]

Lessee, Craig Claiborne's Favorites (4 volumes counts as one, right?); Madeleine Kamman's The Making of a Cook, the original one; Elizabeth David's French Provincial, French Country, Italian, Mediterranean, & Summer, all in a neat little Penguin box; La Cuisine de Mapie, the Countess de Toulouse-Lautrec.

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