Nigella Lawson book of choice?

[Ce'nedra]

So I'm a new fan of Nigella Lawson and I'm deciding on which of her books to get.

There's Nigella Express, Domestic Goddess, How to Eat, etc etc.

Just to give you an idea of what I'm after to make suggestions easier:

I'm not that much of a dessert-cooking/cake-baking person and I heard Domestic Goddess is FULL of such recipes (any truth?) so I'm not too sure with that one...HOWEVER, I would like SOME desserts in my cookbook (and hopefully fairly simple ones) as I've become increasingly interested in the art of baking/steaming/etc desserts.

I'm more of a savoury/main meal person..what else, I'm not a very good cook so would prefer a book that isn't too complex...umm I would also like a variety of foods from different regions (you know, not just English and Italian but also Asian, Middle Eastern, and so on). Just a nice variety of everything.

Also, I love a good read (I'm into more personal cookbooks or ones that outline the history of such and such foods).

Thanks in advance!

[pax]

I'm enjoying the Domestic Goddess one very much, I found it in my local used book store. Score!

I can't get down the stairs right now to compare the sections but when my husband comes home at lunch time I'll ask him to bring it up and I'll tell you how the sections compare, if you like. I'm twiddling my thumbs at the moment.

Edited February 7, 2008 by pax (log)

[Verjuice]

Get yourself a copy of Feast. Don't even think twice.

[Dianne]

I have most of her books. The ones you want to start are How To Cook and Feast

[Poffertjes]

Domestic Goddess is mostly baking recipes. There are some savory recipes, but in the baking category.

I love How to Eat, my next purchase is Feast.

Good luck!!!

[mukki]

I'd go with How to Eat -- broad coverage AND it's a great read. How to Be a Domestic Goddess is indeed almost all desserts. Nigella Bites and Forever Summer are smaller in scale. Feasts didn't appeal to me so I returned it.

[Shinboners]

I'm adding my vote for "How To Eat".

Even if you never cook from it, her writing is just so enjoyable to read.

[LBNoble]

I love her books,check them out from the library all the time, but the only one I own, so far, is Forever Summer. I think the next one I would purchase would be Feast...

[Smithy]

Nobody else has mentioned Nigella Express, so I'll name that one just to muddy the waters. I received it as a gift recently and think it's great fun. The recipes really are "express" - that is, they're meant to fit the bill when you get home and you're too tired or rushed to cook but you have to anyway. That means the recipes can't be complicated. There are a number of recipes with influence from East India and points farther east, but there are also plenty of dishes from western cultures. Finally, there's her delightful writing, in itself a treat.

I also have How to Eat and enjoy it for its writing style. Express is my new Nigella favorite, though.

[Verjuice]

Well, to be perfectly frank, the reason I recommended Feast upthread over How To Eat is... pictures!

How To Eat doesn't have any.

I'm easy that way.

For the recipes and the writing, yes: How To Eat.

Edited February 14, 2008 by Verjuice (log)

[moira27]

I'd have to go with Feast as well. I have the others and they have great recipes but my favourite thing about Nigella's books is that they are a great read. I think Feast would fit the bill as it has a wide range of recipes from appetizers to desserts and a variety of geographic influences. And has someone said above it has pictures. Breathtakingly stunning, lick the pages pictures.

Enjoy!

[maggiethecat]

I don't own"Domestic Goddess," but my daughter loves it because "All the recipes work!"

I'd go for "Feast." Eclectic, reliable, Nigella talks, and, yes, the pix are lovely.

[JimmyWu]

I have seen her on tube. Though she is very easy on the eyes, I didn't realize she cooked. Let alone wrote cookbooks

-Jimmy

[momcook]

I have all of them....

For baking, Domestic Godess is wonderful.

In the summer, Forver Summer

Year-round, Feast

[annanstee]

How to Eat, hands down.

[dougal]

...

Just to give you an idea of what I'm after to make suggestions easier:

I'm not that much of a dessert-cooking/cake-baking person ... HOWEVER, I would like SOME desserts in my cookbook ...

I'm more of a savoury/main meal person..what else, I'm not a very good cook so would prefer a book that isn't too complex...umm I would also like a variety of foods from different regions (you know, not just English and Italian but also Asian, Middle Eastern, and so on). Just a nice variety of everything.

Also, I love a good read (I'm into more personal cookbooks or ones that outline the history of such and such foods).

←

From that requirement description, you are really down to How To Eat, Feast and Express.

Really, it'd be hard to recommend either of the others over How To Eat - it was actually her first book, and is perfectly sensible, being written before she had a telly-image to play up to and self-parody.

Indeed, How To Eat has no photos in the text - of the author, or the food.

It was written in the days when she was a food writer, not a brand, and, IMHO it is very much the better for it.

[WK2]

I go with "How to Eat" as well. There are plenty of other cookbooks with nice pictures, but How To Eat is really why Nigella Lawson has credibility as a person who can explain cookery. It's a wonderful book, perfect for paging through slowly. Also, I've long loved her cooking for one chapter.

[canucklehead]

No doubt about it - How to Eat

I have a number of her other cook books - but How to Eat is one I actually cook from - and the recipes work. Out all her books HTE is the best written and feels the most natural. Smart and sharply observed - you can see why Nigella was a Man Booker prize judge.

Her other stuff - though entertaining, feels more put on and the cooking becomes oddly baroque. However, I also agree with Smithy, Nigella Express is a welcome return to form.

[torakris]

I only own 2, Forever Summer and Nigella Bites. Forever Summer is one of my favorite books and I really recommend it. Nigella Bites was a bit of a disappointment, there just isn't too much that catches my eye.

I borrowed Domestic Goddess from a friend a while back and found it focused too much on baking, for which I neither have the time nor the desire.

Express sounds wonderful, this is the kind of cooking I do recently. I hadn't heard of this and have now popped it into my cart at Amazon. Thanks!

[Pouncy]

I only own 2, Forever Summer and Nigella Bites. Forever Summer is one of my favorite books and I really recommend it. Nigella Bites was a bit of a disappointment, there just isn't too much that catches my eye.

I borrowed Domestic Goddess from a friend a while back and found it focused too much on baking, for which I neither have the time nor the desire.

Express sounds wonderful, this is the kind of cooking I do recently. I hadn't heard of this and have now popped it into my cart at Amazon. Thanks!

←

I love my copy of Nigella Bites and use it way more than my copies of How to Eat or Domestic Goddess. I don't dig on everything, but the tomato salad, salt and pepper calamari, and sticky toffee pudding cake are all recipes I've made multiple times. The fudge cake was a disappointment, but the kedgeree was a nice smashup that I've adapted into my own thing.

The lemon curd/jam tart recipe from how To Eat is a real winner, as a note.

[Ce'nedra]

THanks for all the suggestions, guys!

You know what, I think I'll just get all of them in time haha! If not for the food, then for her beautifully crafted writing.

Speaking of which, she came down here in Sydney very recently and I missed out! I'm very disappointed in myself -shall go in a corner and sob.