Cooking For Dummies...

[g.johnson]

There is, of course, Cooking for Dummies. No idea what it's like.

[maggiethecat]

I've read some fairly bad reviews of the Bittman book which point out that it is not as simple as it claims to be, and not as comprehensive.

Are you referring to "How to Cook Everything?" I have never been tempted to buy it...too dense. I was talking about "The Minimalist Cooks at Home", which provides some straightforward and interesting recipes from his N.Y. Times columns.

Not a basic cookbook, but interesting from the Food Science point of view, is Shirley Corriher's "Foodwise." Excellent recipes, great info, charming voice, and terribly badly organized.

[201]

Well, after reading through everyone's suggestions thus far, I'm leaning towards the Joy of Cooking, the Pepin technique book, and probably a couple of others.

I guess I really need the equivalent of cooking theory in the beginning. Sort of like color theory... hot flavors come forward, cool flavors recede, primary-secondary-tertiary flavors? I also really need to learn the basic equipment and prep-work guidelines. It's going to be a long process, but I'm glad that (as always) eGullet is the fantastic place that it is.

Once I get the basics down pretty well, I'll venture off to try more particular recipes. Most likely, I'll concentrate on Mexican/Spanish/Cuban/Latin-style cuisine first, but there are plenty of other cuisines that I'd like to learn. I guess the last great hurdle will be that Thai cookbook that everyone seems to like around here!

Thank you all for the suggestions and I'll be sure to post about my experiences (once I've read enough, of course).

[britcook]

Yes, it was the 'Everything' book that attracted abuse.

[Allura]

Just wanted to thank 201 for starting a thread I was too embarrassed to. I think my problem is mostly a lack of experience, but there are still plenty of things I don't know how to do, too. And tools I don't have....it's hard to slice eggplant thin enough to use as a manicotti shell without a mandoline! *wry*

[phaelon56]

I'll throw in another vote in favor of "The Joy Of Cooking". What I like is the fact that the index is so well cross referenced and also the previously mentioned feature that tells "about" various things. I'm not an accomplished cook but like to experiment and am better than the average middle-aged bachelor in the kitchen. I use JOC as a starting point whenever cookign something I haven't tried working with before. It give sme the general guidelines and then I go from there. It also has a noce little red ribbon sort of thing attached to the spine that serves as a placeholder for the page you're on when you close it or go to the index to check other details.

It's often available at wholesale clubs such as BJ's or Costco in the book section at a huge discount. When I'm looking for recipes in a particular ethinc category I try to find a book that is targeted at that cuisine and is specific on techinques and ingredients rather than just being full of pretty pictures.

[201]

Just wanted to thank 201 for starting a thread I was too embarrassed to.    I think my problem is mostly a lack of experience, but there are still plenty of things I don't know how to do, too.  And tools I don't have....it's hard to slice eggplant thin enough to use as a manicotti shell without a mandoline! *wry*

If it makes you feel even better, I don't know what a mandoline is! That would be one of those things I hope to learn about in my reading.

[Dave the Cook]

201:

Hope no longer! A mandoline can be used to make manicotti shells from eggplants, but it truly excels at getting see-through-thin slices of knuckle and fingertip. Much more efficient than a chef's knife.

[Jaymes]

The book that was on my shelf, pre-marriage, was...guess what?  "The Joy of Cooking."  It's still the desert island cookbook.

"desert island" cookbook.

What a great phrase.

Yes, I admit, if I knew I was going to be marooned, and could grab only one, that'd probably be it.

[Toby]

I taught myself to cook, starting at the age of 16, using cookbooks. I just cooked what sounded good; when I didn't understand a term, technique, or know where to find a particular ingredient, I looked it up and continued cooking. I think reference-type books are secondary to finding ones with really great recipes that are clearly written and don't leave out steps. Julia Childs is great for French food and Marcella Hazen for Italian. For Mexican food, Rick Bayless' books, especially Authentic Mexican and Mexican Kitchen, are excellent and give very detailed instructions with lots of sidebars about ingredients and techniques. Cooking something that tastes wonderful and that you really want to eat will teach you so much and please you as well.

[mixmaster b]

anne willan's book.

it's tells about it all, in a very instructive way. good deal of basic, classic recipes, too. i spent the first two weeks after buying it reading, reading, reading, because though it is not just theory, reading it all makes you sense what are the groundstones. gives you an idea of where you stand, and what you have to learn.

it's cheap in denmark, must be DIRT cheap in usa as it's a reader's digest thing (it is, really).

I second Ann Willan. I adore La Varenne, which is a comprehensive manual of cooking with lots of great pictures. Really a technique book with some recipes, it has a ton of good, solid info. It will be useful for years, too--it has everyhing from selecting and baking a potato to making a terrine--a whole spectrum of levels, with baking included along with cooking. (Also a nice bit on how to use a mandoline!)

I think it might be my desert island book because it helps me get my head around what I am cooking and then get creative, as opposed to simply following recipes. (That being said, Joy of Cooking was my first cookbook, too, and I learned lots from it.)

If you are inclined, also check out Larousse Gastronomique, as well. A very old-scool book with alphabetical listings of every type of (Eurocentric) food imaginable.

Interesting that these are so firmly based in French thinking--I guess that, while not Plotniki-ist in my perspective, I still put a lot of value on those basic French techniques! (Not that I really know so many of them yet, but I am learning! )

And I agree with Dave The Cook's statement about e-gullet being a great place for advice. The only danger is that you might get more that you know what to do with!

Edit: Toby is absolutely right about cooking what sounds good to you. With that as your inspiration, you can't go wrong! A good reference guide is great used as a companion to a recipe that you want to master, as well as teaching and inspiring on its own. The main thing is to let your own palate and preferences guide you!

Edited December 10, 2002 by mixmaster b (log)

[Suvir Saran]

anne willan's book.

it's tells about it all, in a very instructive way. good deal of basic, classic recipes, too. i spent the first two weeks after buying it reading, reading, reading, because though it is not just theory, reading it all makes you sense what are the groundstones. gives you an idea of where you stand, and what you have to learn.

it's cheap in denmark, must be DIRT cheap in usa as it's a reader's digest thing (it is, really).

I second Ann Willan. I adore La Varenne, which is a comprehensive manual of cooking with lots of great pictures. Really a technique book with some recipes, it has a ton of good, solid info. It will be useful for years, too--it has everyhing from selecting and baking a potato to making a terrine--a whole spectrum of levels, with baking included along with cooking. (Also a nice bit on how to use a mandoline!)

I think it might be my desert island book because it helps me get my head around what I am cooking and then get creative, as opposed to simply following recipes. (That being said, Joy of Cooking was my first cookbook, too, and I learned lots from it.)

I have never cooked from the book. I have it.. and signed for me with a very nice note. I had the great good fortune to have been introduced to her by a publisher (a friend) that was once a student at La Varenne. Ann Willan is a grand lady. And she had me smitten rather quickly. In fact two years later, her face is vivid in my memory and every bit as handsome as it was when I saw her.

I will have to bring down the book... and cook with it. I feel deprived that I did not let myself go beyond the "smitten by her charm and presence" and cook from her book.

I shall cook from it very soon.

[awbrig]

By the way, I think Awbrig would buy Charlie Trotter-brand snow tires if given half a chance!

Charlie Trotters has snow tires out?! I would actually buy them, funny enough

[Steebles]

Thanks for this thread :) A LOT of good suggestions I want to look into.

I only started to cook after my divorce 8 years ago.. I wasn't actually *allowed* to cook during my marriage. I couldn't boil an egg.

Anyway.. the first book I picked up on the subject was Bittman's "Everything..." and, perhaps because it was my "First", it's still my favorite stand-by cookbook. I liked that it was huge and seemingly exhaustive, and I appreciated his sense of humor and willingness to allow an occasional shortcut.

Plus, absolutely everything I've made from this book has come out wonderfully.

(Although, he would have me poke a hole in an egg before boiling.. I found that *very* difficult to do. Where's the How To Boil an Egg thread?)

I own "Joy of Cooking" too but it really feels very 40's - 50's to me.. very Eisenhower... not Jello Mold 50's but I don't really find myself gutting rabbits very often.

Anway.. my 2 cents from someone who's in similar position. Gonna check out some of the other books mentioned.

Steve

[Belmont3]

I have used the 6th Edition of the Professional Chef, it is put out by the guru's at the CIA and is a pretty comprehensive book on just about every aspect of cooking

[Jaymes]

I own probably a thousand cookbooks... Kind of started off with wedding gifts, then bought one or two in order to learn particular things, then became a "collector" and then everyone figured it's a good gift, so now am unable to stop the snowball even if I wanted.

I'd suggest that you select one no-nonsense, all purpose, 'refer-to-it-for-basic-info' book. For me that was/is Joy of Cooking. (Oftentimes when I find a recipe that looks promising elsewhere, but if I have some doubts as to measurements or methods or something, I check my JOC just to see what they say by comparison.)

And then, get at least two others - one a highly-recommended book in whatever is your favorite cuisine - and a third either by some chef noted for excellent technique and imagination, or another national cuisine.

Like perhaps an Italian one, and a French one. Or Chinese or Thai or Mexican or whatever else you really adore. Or a particular type of cooking you're also interested in, like baking/pastries, or desserts, or chocolate or whatever.

And then one by a famous/cook/author/chef that you admire.

Regarding Larousse Gastronomique, I have it and use it. I now view it as an absolutely indespensible reference resource. But I will add that for the first few years while I was just getting started, LG was really of no practical use to me.

What I'm trying to say is that I would suggest that you start off with at least three books - one for your brain, one for your soul and one for your spirit. And all of them will eventually wind up being very valuable to your tummy.

And to the tummys of those around you.

Best wishes. I believe you are starting out on one of life's grandest adventures.

Edited December 10, 2002 by Jaymes (log)

[maggiethecat]

I own probably a thousand cookbooks...

(Great post, Jaymes. I think you nailed it.)

I have this vision of collecting all the cookbooks we eGulleteers own and putting them all in one room. How large would that room have to be? The size of St. Peter's? The Pentagon?

They would be laid out flat, not stacked.

[Suzanne F]

Yet another vote for Joy. And for Mastering the Art. And for The Way to Cook.

Plus one more: The New Cook: Essential Cooking Basics, by Mary Berry and Marlena Spieler (published here by DK Publishing, © 1997, ISBN 0-7894-1996-3). The fly-leaf says: "Do you want to cook for yourself and your friends -- but don't know where to start? If so, The New Cook is for you." True, true. It is basically a picture book with explanatory text. Starts with Pantry, then Equipment, then Techniques (eg, how to crack an egg) before getting into Master Recipes. Not necessarily the most comprehensive book -- that would be too daunting for the beginner -- but excellent for what it is.

And, 201, I will make you the same offer that I made Cabrales when she decided to roast a chicken: I will devise a cooking course just for you and come to your house to teach you. (I promise to cover my tracks, so no one follows me there ). Seriously, think about it. You get some guidance and instruction, and I get teaching practice.

[Jinmyo]

I heartily recommend and testify hand on heart St. Jacques Complete Techniques.

The Joy of Cooking, while ubiqitous, I have never been able to focus on a line or two of before I feel joyless and glazed, as if I had picked up a housewife magazine from the early 1960s. I feel all kind of Stepfordy.

awbrig's, I mean Trotter's Gourmet Cooking for Dummies covers a wide base of fundamentals but is also good at conveying a range of possibilities.

Professional Cooking by Cordon Bleu is good as is the CIA's Professional Chef.

[Jaymes]

I feel all kind of Stepfordy.

I think you have some unresolved issues with your mother. Who undoubtedly used it.

[201]

...And, 201, I will make you the same offer that I made Cabrales when she decided to roast a chicken: I will devise a cooking course just for you and come to your house to teach you.  (I promise to cover my tracks, so no one follows me there  ).  Seriously, think about it.  You get some guidance and instruction, and I get teaching practice.

It is a VERY gracious offer, but you do realize that I live in the wilds of New Jersey, right?

Unfortunately, it really wouldn't be practical due to some other factors that I can't disclose, but I thank you very much for the offer. Who knows... after a couple of months of going it alone, I might try to work out a way to take you up on it!

[201]

...And then, get at least two others - one a highly-recommended book in whatever is your favorite cuisine - and a third either by some chef noted for excellent technique and imagination, or another national cuisine...

So which Mexican cookbook would you recommend for me, Jaymes?

[Jaymes]

...And then, get at least two others - one a highly-recommended book in whatever is your favorite cuisine - and a third either by some chef noted for excellent technique and imagination, or another national cuisine...

So which Mexican cookbook would you recommend for me, Jaymes?

Oh dear.

Which of my children do I love more???

[Lady T]

A book I would recommend highly for use ALONG WITH (not instead of!) whatever books you choose from the discussion above would be Shirley Corriher's great volume 'CookWise', for a wonderfully explained and good-humored analysis of the science that makes recipes work. I rarely use her recipes, but that's the book I turn to when something doesn't work out and I want to know why.

Edited December 10, 2002 by Lady T (log)

[Jinmyo]

I feel all kind of Stepfordy.

I think you have some unresolved issues with your mother. Who undoubtedly used it.

Hardly. Welsh with Italian parents.

edit:

Also, 1950s, long before it was published.

Edited December 10, 2002 by Jinmyo (log)