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Mexican Cookbooks


NYC Mike

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Hi All,

Help me buy a 2nd Mexican cookbook? I was thinking about something from Diane Kennedy but she has so many I can't decide what is the "one" to get.

We have Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen which we love and use a lot.

Thanks,

-Mike

-Mike & Andrea

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Hi All,

Help me buy a 2nd Mexican cookbook?  I was thinking about something from Diane Kennedy but she has so many I can't decide what is the "one" to get.

We have Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen which we love and use a lot.

Thanks,

-Mike

You could do worse than: From My Kitchen, Techniques and Ingredients . It's not loaded with recipies, but what there is are great. The pictures and ancillary info really make the book.

Arturo

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Hi All,

Help me buy a 2nd Mexican cookbook?  I was thinking about something from Diane Kennedy but she has so many I can't decide what is the "one" to get.

We have Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen which we love and use a lot.

Thanks,

-Mike

I love Mexican Kitchen, I think it's one of Rick's best. :smile:

I like Diana Kennedy too and have all of her cookbooks. I think the one you might find most useful is My Mexico. It's a compilation of several of her earlier books plus it includes a lot of her stories and prose as well. One of the things I have always liked about the Diana Kennedy cookbooks is the writing that's included. Some is just recipe header notes and some are stories of her experiences in Mexico researching and learning new recipes. I've always found that it helps to give a sense of place and cultural relevance.

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If you like that one from Rick Bayless (as I do!) you'll like these.....

.....Dona Tomas by Thomas Schnetz and Dona Savitsky

.....Rosa's New Mexican Table by Roberto Santibanez

Edited by ken T (log)
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I would suggest taking a look at Richard Sandoval's Modern Mexican Flavors (chef at Maya and Pampano in NYC in case you know them). It gives a modern take and technique on a lot of traditional dishes/flavors. I think it would complement well any other book that focuses on more traditional recipes.

I am a big fan of this book.

Arley Sasson

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Mexican Kitchen is really good and provides a wonderful foundation. My absolute favorite Mexican cookbook author is Patricia Quintana. I particularly like her books, Feast of Life and Taste of Mexico. The recipes are typically a bit more complicated than Bayless' but the results of sensational. Check out the seven classic moles of Oaxaca! The books also have mouthwatering photographs.

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You could also drop by the library and check out as many as you can and see what strikes your fancy!

I agree. Check out as many as possible but Dianna Kennedy is great. Very authentic and true to the Mexican experience. Just remember that real Mexican food bears little resemblance to what one gets in Mexican restaurants in the USA. It is really much better.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Marilyn Tausend, who happens to live in Seattle, has written several well-received books on Mexican cooking. Two are gorgeous coffee table books, but with terrific authentic recipes. One is Savoring Mexico, a Williams-Sonoma collection and the other part of the "Beautiful" series published by Collins. They are both available used.

Judy Amster

Cookbook Specialist and Consultant

amsterjudy@gmail.com

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Marilyn Tausend, who happens to live in Seattle, has written several well-received books on Mexican cooking. Two are gorgeous coffee table books, but with terrific authentic recipes. One is Savoring Mexico, a Williams-Sonoma collection and the other part of the "Beautiful" series published by Collins. They are both available used.

I couldn't agree with the recommendation more. Marilyn's books are quite wonderful, the recipes works and she really knows her stuff. You can check her web site here.

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just to add my 2c to this thread:

I already have Authentic Mexican by Bayless and Walsh's Tex-Mex Cookbook, but I'm thinking that Kennedy's Essentials of Mexican Cuisine (since it combines her first 3 books according to the Amazon summary) will be the perfect addition to a solid mex/tex-mex collection.

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I'm very fond of George C. Booth's The Food And Drink of Mexico. The first publishing was back in 1964, and is a good working source for seafoods and stews, plus a lot of the festival dishes. Plus, it's got a great selection of cocktails in the back I should try working with.

Booth spends probably about a fifth of the book just describing the locales in Mexico where he took the recipes from. From that vantage it's also a fascinating look back at what Mexico was like coming from the 50's into th early 60's.

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There's a cookbook writer out of San Antonio, Jim Peyton, whose cookbooks are relatively unknown, though he often writes for Fine Cooking magazine, but are wonderful, and worth tracking down. He's a favorite of mine. Mexican proper, Bayless, Martinez or Kennedy. I default to Bayless first, Kennedy for more complicated things, and Martinez for Oaxaca and Veracruz style food. If wanting to go over to the 'dark side' [Tex-Mex :smile: ], I had the pleasure of recipe testing and helping research Robb Walsh's The Tex-Mex Cookbook and can vouch for the recipes. I'm especially proud of the tamale recipe that was developed for the book, as it allows one to make smaller batches of tamales, so as not to be so overwhelming.

Two other awesome books, if you can track them down are 'Mexico The Beautiful Cookbook' and (out of print but fabulous) 'The Mexican Gourmet' by Yzabal.

Oh yeah, one more while I'm thinking of it. Quintana's book on food for Mexican festivals and feasts.

And if you have any specific questions associated with Tex-Mex, don't hesitate to email me with your questions.

Edited by Jay Francis (log)
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  • 2 years later...

I apologize if this is not in the proper forum -

With that being said, we love making Mexican food at home, and I would like to expand my horizons beyond the typical pulled Spicy Tinga Chicken, etc.

After watching Top Chef Masters (even previously loving him) and seeing more of Rick Bayless, this got me thinking, should I grab one of his cookbooks, if so, which one?

If there are other books out there that you folks would suggest over any of Rick's - I would love to hear about them.

Thanks.

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I learned at my mother's (or rather, the maid's) knee, but Diana Kennedy has an excellent reputation even here in Mexico.

This is my skillet. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My skillet is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it, as I must master my life. Without me my skillet is useless. Without my skillet, I am useless. I must season my skillet well. I will. Before God I swear this creed. My skillet and myself are the makers of my meal. We are the masters of our kitchen. So be it, until there are no ingredients, but dinner. Amen.

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The topic of Mexican cookbooks has spawned some really interesting discussion in these threads:

Mexican Cookbooks - Kennedy or Bayless

Looking for a 2nd Mexican Cookbook

TexMex and Mexican Cookbooks

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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  • 5 months later...

We have a few discussions of Diana Kennedy's cookbooks (and Oaxaca al Gusto, here, and another general one, here), one of Bayless's Fiesta at Rick's, and a few passing mentions of others. But I'm sure there are literally hundreds of other cookbooks out there, in English and/or Spanish, about the cuisines of Mexico. Which are worth seeking out? What are your favorites?

Chris Hennes
Director of Operations
chennes@egullet.org

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I am a total novice at making Mexican food, but my favorite cookbook, purchased in 1967 and falling apart, is The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking by Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz. I also have Rick Bayless, the Mexican Kitchen.

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

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Not by any means definitive and/or exhaustive treatises on the fine points of Mexican cuisine, but books to which I return again and again for good, everyday meals are these two:

Mexican Family Cooking by Aida Gabilondo

Mexican Family Favorites by Maria Teresa Bermudez

I had a Mexican-food-loving family of five to cook for. Both of these simple books helped me turn out meal after meal, day after day, year after year, that my crowd happily scarfed down. If you're a "gourmet cook" interested in an academic mastery of Mexican cuisine, not sure I'd recommend either of these two books (especially not the latter).

But if you're in the business of turning out tasty meals for a hungry family, this is where I'd start.

___________________________

Edited by Jaymes (log)

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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Big thumbs up on the Aida Gabilondo book, it's really good. I think I remember reading somewhere that Aida is Zarlea Martinez's mother

Right. And the grandmother of Aaron Sanchez.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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