98 replies to this topic

[The Lady Pleaser]

Here it is on Amazon, you can get it for £5.99 second hand although I can't understand why anyone would be selling their copy. Perhaps they got another as a present or something.




BBQ Bible-click here

Good luck

TLP

Edited by The Lady Pleaser, 29 July 2004 - 04:45 PM.

[tony h]

Even so I suspect you all have a copy.
Ainsley Harriott's Barbecue Bible by Ainsley Harriott the chef and TV personality

not even if it were free

[CheGuevara]

I've just bought The River Cottage Meat book and that looks excellent.

i'm almost half of the way through it and it is quite a work. the writing is weak, yet its passionate and not tedious, and thus does its job very well - and is thorough as hell. you'll thoroughly enjoy it, and i suggest you read it as you would a novel.

i am disappointed he makes no mention of argentine meat - clearly the best in there is - but since it's of scottish decent i'll let it pass.

-che

[offcentre]

went to see Hugh at the Brighton festival this year talking about Meat. Wasn't impressed with him as a public speaker - you could have condensed all he had to say in the hour and a half into about ten minutes, although I totally agree with "his" philosophy.

I have a couple of his books - the river cottage cookbook and yearbook, and like them both. Quite handy for me as I have a (at the moment, very productive) allotment, and some of his vegetable recipes are good.

[Bapi]

My tuppence worth:

The River Cottage Cookbook- Huge Furry Whippingtool- marvellous
River Cottage Meatbook- Ditto - A Carnivore bible
Thai Cooking - David Thompson- Excellent photography, good recipes and an interesting read.
Larousse Gastronomique- Everyone should have one
Le Gavroche- a beautiful book- Michel Roux Jr
Sauces- Michel Roux Snr - Indispensable- The sauce Nantua recipe - takes ages to make only a smallish amount of sauce - but lord it's worth it.
How to Eat- Nigella Lawson-Patronising title, but a good book- Ham cooked in Coca Cola under the White Trash lunch section is a favourite of ours
How to Cook Better- Shaun Hill - Top Bloke- well written and easy to use.
Moro-cook book- The Clark's - a well conceived and packaged book

[MobyP]

i am disappointed he makes no mention of argentine meat - clearly the best in there is - but since it's of scottish decent i'll let it pass.

I hear that also about Argentinian beef - but how do we test it?

Where's the place to go in London?

[JasonCampbell]

This isn’t exactly an answer to your question, but I tried some Argentinean beef a few years ago, I was impressed. However it was from Tesco, back when the beef scare (the BSE one) was happening, and really I was comparing it to their normal offerings (which we know to be dire).

Anyway, in an attempt to keep my post on topic, thus removing the risk of it being deleted, a book that I have enjoyed is Leith’s Latin American Cookery by Valeria V. Sisti, not sure if it’s still in print.

[YKL]

if I'm allowed to add more suggestions then I would also point you in the direction of Margaret Costa's Four Seasons cookery book - which was reprinted a few years back. I'm generally quite a fan of the grouping by ingredients approach to recipes - suits my "oh ... I have a glut of apples ... or I fancy something with mushrooms" moments and style of feeding. For the same reason, am also a fan of the Simon Hopkinson Roast Chicken books already mentioned. Sybil Kapoor does something similar with "modern british food" and "simply british". however, these latter suggestions may be unhelpful since a quick trawl on amazon showed they were a bit harder to get hold of.

For a good basic book - then I do think Delia or the ever reliable Good Housekeeping general ones are hard to beat.

Moby mentioned the pudding club book a bit earlier - I've a much thumbed copy, which sits alongside similar - "summer pudding club" and "the book of old tarts" on my bookshelves. The latter was a xmas present and a pretty bloody cheeky one at that!

[Hallie]

Ham cooked in Coca Cola is a favourite of ours

Well, I might have guessed all along...

[fisherman]

went to see Hugh at the Brighton festival this year talking about Meat. Wasn't impressed with him as a public speaker - you could have condensed all he had to say in the hour and a half into about ten minutes, although I totally agree with "his" philosophy.

I have a couple of his books - the river cottage cookbook and yearbook, and like them both. Quite handy for me as I have a (at the moment, very productive) allotment, and some of his vegetable recipes are good.

you use of " " seems to suggest you doubt whether hugh is actually a man!
as for ainsleys barbeque whatever, er, no thanks.
i'm not sure where this myth about argentinian beef comes from, i agree they do oproduce some very good meat, but i've eaten scottish, welsh and english beef that is just as good, and in some cases better.


back on topic, my most used books are meat, river cottage year, appetite, seafood odyssey, coastal journey and an old delia one i forget the name of

Edited by fisherman, 30 July 2004 - 04:47 AM.

[CheGuevara]

i am disappointed he makes no mention of argentine meat - clearly the best in there is - but since it's of scottish decent i'll let it pass.

I hear that also about Argentinian beef - but how do we test it?

Where's the place to go in London?

can i say first that i'm appalled at my spelling...as to the place - it would have to be at my place. no argentine restaurant does it jsutice.

unfortunately legislation does not allow for meat on the bone to be imported into the country, and those are the best cuts. we do an "asado de tira" which are the ribs cut lengthwise so you're left with a long, thin strip of beef - bone - beef- bone - beef - bone...you get the idea; it is like nothing else. there happens to be some in my freezer, i have no idea how it got there.

other than that, you can get quite excellent argentine meat at smithfields - and some butchers. (i know of one)

-che

Edited by CheGuevara, 30 July 2004 - 05:06 AM.

[tony h]

Any really good vegetarian/vegan/raw books out there worthy of adding to the must haves?

[Matthew Grant]

This isn’t exactly an answer to your question, but I tried some Argentinean beef a few years ago, I was impressed. However it was from Tesco, back when the beef scare (the BSE one) was happening, and really I was comparing it to their normal offerings (which we know to be dire).

Anyway, in an attempt to keep my post on topic, thus removing the risk of it being deleted, a book that I have enjoyed is Leith’s Latin American Cookery by Valeria V. Sisti, not sure if it’s still in print.

There was Argentinian beef in my local Tescos a couple of days ago, not specially advertised or priced. They also had Brazilian beef in boxes and it actually looked fairly decent!

[chefwoody]

Dessert/Pastry Book: Oriol Balaguer - Dessert Cuisine
Wowie-Food Photo Books: Michel Bras and el Bulli
Great Recipe/Methodology Book: French Laundry
Great Home-Cookin'/Practical Cookbook: The Foods & Wines of Spain

As for a good raw book: RAW by Roxanne Klein & C.T.

[curlywurlyfi]

Whats the availability of that?
Do I have to get it from Books For Cooks?

I think you do have to get them from Books For Cooks - there are currently five or possibly six of them (they've kind of done a 'one-a-year' thing), they're about £6 each.

here is a link to the BFC's under-construction website but it does at least give opening times/phone no/email.

[CheGuevara]

I think you do have to get them from Books For Cooks - there are currently five or possibly six of them (they've kind of done a 'one-a-year' thing), they're about £6 each.

they are up to #6 now - was in there over the week-end. the first three are in one book.

-che

[Charlie O]

I too find the Conran book indispensible.
Other books that I use often are:
The Cranks Bible - which is great for vegetarian recipes (obviously);
Bareham's A Celebration of Soup - already mentioned;
French Regional Cooking by Anne Wilan - out of print but available via Amazon or Abe Books.

Am thinking of getting How to Cook Cetter by Shaun Hill and the River Cottage Meat book.

Though here's a thought: with all the accumulated knowledge and recipes on eGullet my compulsion to buy cookbooks has decreased considerably.

[Gary Marshall]

for actually cooking out of.....

nigel slater: started with 30 min cook, now mainly use appetite as contains virtually all of the recipes/themes from his previous books.

river caf: italian kitchen, mini C4 tie in, and first book too.

jamie oliver: naked chef & return of. Decent recipes, inspired a generation, no-matter what people may think of him now.

hon mention for nigella lawson- how to eat, her spaghetti carbonara is our store cupboard meal, judging by the paucity of her later offerings i think she gave away all her best recipes a bit too quickly.

for the basics...... leith's cookery bible- has everything in it.

For Looking at......

Marco Pierre White: white heat- just brilliant, saw one for £2 in a bookshop the other day so bought it again for a mate! everyone should have this, look closely and see a youthful gordon ramsay in the kitchen at harvey's.

formulas for flavours- john campbell look closely and see both nathan 'black pig' outlaw and tony 'anthony' flinn in the background. best restaurant/cookbook crossover.

gordon ramsay - chef for all seasons & a passion for flavour - again forget the tv and realise just how hard he pushed in the early days.

larrousse gastonomic- never cooked anything out of it though!

Most Ridiculous........ Bras- michel bras, in french, Mark askew at GR RHR showed me it, of course i had to have it, much more use to the head chef of a 3 * kitchen than me looking to rustle up tea

most recent purchase....... how to cook better - shaun hill because bapi and i were being chef groupies and shaun signed them for us.

will buy...... river cottage meat book - just not got round to it yet.

most embarassing..... delia's how to cook one AND two, nigella 'bites' (must have been cheap) 'low fat, no fat cookbook'

I also have an ainsley's 'big cook out' , if anyone can recommend a decent bar-b book i would be grateful!

gary

edit: got the wrong ainsley and nigella, despite them being my constant reference

Edited by Gary Marshall, 03 August 2004 - 12:02 AM.

[Andy Lynes]

I also have an ainsley's barbeque bible, if anyone can recommend a decent bar-b book i would be grateful!

Ainsleys book is perfect for bbq's. My copy burnt nice and slowly all afternoon and provided a nice smokey edge to the food.

[Suzi Edwards]

Most Ridiculous........ Bras- michel bras, in french, Mark askew at GR RHR showed me it, of course i had to have it, much more use to the head chef of a 3 * kitchen than me looking to rustle up tea

LOL

I feel the same way about my French Laundry cookbook and that's in English. That said, sometimes you realise that something isn't as hard as you thought it might be (Salmon Cones) and something that seems really easy (Parsley Oil) turns out to be a complete disaster.

[Matthew Grant]

Most  Ridiculous........ Bras- michel bras, in french, Mark askew at GR RHR showed me it, of course i had to have it, much more use to the head chef of a 3 * kitchen than me looking to rustle up tea 

Why is this the most ridiculous? I have the English version and aside from some of the hard to find ingredients it is fantatically written and very beautiful.

Lamb with curry jus (excuse the dark picture)



Fillet of beef with bacon (accompanied by my own poor looking parmesan and onion tart)

Edited by Matthew Grant, 02 August 2004 - 07:11 AM.

[Bapi]

most recent purchase....... how to cook better - shaun hill because bapi and i were being chef groupies and shaun signed them for us.

I ain't no Chef Groupie!! I was generously contributing to Shaun Hill's Pension by purchasing the book. Anyway, don't you need to be blond, blue eyed and wear pink lycra tight clothing to be a Groupie??…………………..oh, sorry Gary.

[Gary Marshall]

Most  Ridiculous........ Bras- michel bras, in french, Mark askew at GR RHR showed me it, of course i had to have it, much more use to the head chef of a 3 * kitchen than me looking to rustle up tea 

Why is this the most ridiculous? I have the English version and aside from some of the hard to find ingredients it is fantatically written and very beautiful.

Lamb with curry jus (excuse the dark picture)



Fillet of beef with bacon (accompanied by my own poor looking parmesan and onion tart)

knowing the pictures from the book matt, they good pretty good!

i'm thinking more along the lines of the 3 fish skewered through the heads and that sort of thing!

ridiculous in that it cost about £50, i carted it all the way back from brussels, it would take me a week to translate a recipe and knowing fully it'll spend more time by the side of my sofa than splattered by the cooker!

i don't spend as much time cooking 'proper' meals as i'd like.

cheers

gary

[offcentre]

So, after a quick tally we have the following

Top recommended books:
1. Moro
2. =Conran
2. =Formulas for Flavour
3. Larousse Gastromonique

The most recommended chef/authors are:
1. Simon Hopkinson
2. Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall
3. Nigel Slater

[Gary Marshall]

have just bought and am currently flicking throught HFW's meat, so far it looks an excellent purchase.

althought the picture of the calf being shot was a bit of a shock whilst having lunch !

gary

[Pweaver1984]

The Star Chef's Cookbook

Came across this at one of those "cheap" bookstores, bought it, and was really pleased. The author/artist spent five years painting with Michelin starred chefs, capturing both the atmosphere of their kitchens, and some of their signature dishes. The book features all the major chefs of the last fifteen years, from Raymond Blanc and Gordon Ramsey to Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray of the River Cafe and Anton Endlemann. The recipes are very varied - some quite complex - others easily cooked for an informal supper with friends.
Each section on a chef is proceed by a very interesting background section detailing their philosophy,and the path they took to reach success. The recipes are simply illustrated by Bramley, who manages to convey the essence of each dish as effectively as photography.

This is a book that will be as home on the coffee table as in the kitchen.It is quite literally a feast for the senses

[offcentre]

On a slightly different note - I was speaking to a fisherman friend last night who is having difficulty filleting and preparing. No problem with your normal shaped fish - but when it comes to things like skate, then things get a little tricky.

Considering he has a boat, and I like fish - any help I can offer him may increase my chances of regular fishing trips.

I advised him to go to a local fishmonger with some of his catch and see if he can spend an hour or two there - but does anyone know of a book that covers preparation of a wide variety of fish - preferably with pictures? Does Larousse cover this in depth?

[Carlovski]

On a slightly different note - I was speaking to a fisherman friend last night who is having difficulty filleting and preparing. No problem with your normal shaped fish - but when it comes to things like skate, then things get a little tricky.

Considering he has a boat, and I like fish - any help I can offer him may increase my chances of regular fishing trips.

I advised him to go to a local fishmonger with some of his catch and see if he can spend an hour or two there - but does anyone know of a book that covers preparation of a wide variety of fish - preferably with pictures? Does Larousse cover this in depth?

One of Rick Steins has a fairly comprehensive section on preparation of all kinds of fish and seafood. Can't remember the name off the top of my head.
Either that or there must be a couple of more 'professional' volumes available.

[Gary Marshall]

steins seafood bible, i think it's called outsize thing, i've got it but not really used it.

it's the instruction manual from the cookery school and cover most things fishy.

gary

[Carlovski]

steins seafood bible, i think it's called outsize thing, i've got it but not really used it.

it's the instruction manual from the cookery school and cover most things fishy.

gary

That's the fella!