Cookbooks – How Many Do You Own? (Part 3)

[Priscilla]

So, four recent acquisitions.

Purchased on purpose, (and long overdue it was, too), Paula Wolfert's Mediterranean Cooking.

Scored serendipitously, Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Cooking, Frank X. Tolbert's A Bowl of Red, and also James McNair's Pizza, McNair's single-subjects something with which I have no experience, but people I like and respect find 'em useful. Saw no reason not to invest the 50 cents.

[MaxH]

... Scored serendipitously, Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Cooking, Frank X. Tolbert's A Bowl of Red, and also James McNair's Pizza, McNair's single-subjects something with which I have no experience, but people I like and respect find 'em useful.  Saw no reason not to invest the 50 cents.

Not only serendipitous but great values in my opinion. I don't know the middle title, but my copies of Sahni's Indian cookbook and McNair's little pizza book are worn from use, ever since they appeared (late 1980s I think). And while I'm on the subject of proven cookbooks that deliver the goods, here's something I put out recently elsewhere, in a discussion of the useful and citrusy "Szechuan peppercorn."

One particular Chinese cookbook I have has some of the most rewarding spicy stews and similar dishes, some of which (like the simply named "red cooked beef with noodles") exquisitely use Szechuan peppercorns. (In that case, with lots of of scallions, ginger and whole garlic cloves.) This book has spoken for most of those peppercorns that I used in recent years. (Including when they were "banned" locally, yet available by asking around.) The book transcribes oral recipes from a Chinese cook who came to live with husband-and-wife US writers after they studied in China.

Schrecker and Schrecker, Mrs. Chiang's Szechwan Cookbook, Harper and Row, 1976, reissued 1987. ISBN 006015828X for the reissue. Readily available on the used market and probably some libraries. amazon.com [April 16] lists 44 copies available, starting at $4.07 . Another great value, in my opinion.

[MicBacchus]

Just one more for me but a biggie - Vegetables: From Amaranth to Zucchini.

I've been coveting this for awhile and thanks to some gift certs from students and and a 25% discount from Borders, this one is mine - just in time for the farmers' markets!!!

[ruthcooks]

One more for me...

My son-in-law just returned from New Orleans yesterday and brought me the Uglesich's Restaurant cookbook.

My advice is to skip the book unless you have a favorite dish there that you'd like to duplicate. The book needed an editor, a proof reader and a real writer, and I question some of the recipes. Mayonnaise + chopped hamburger dill slices = tartar sauce? Macaroni & Cheese with evaporated milk, Egg Beaters and margarine? Jarred spaghetti sauce?

Guess you have to eat there.

[MaxH]

My son-in-law just returned from New Orleans yesterday and brought me the Uglesich's Restaurant cookbook. ... I question some of the recipes.

Guess you have to eat there.

I think that's true. They have some spicy-garlicky grilled shrimps served over artichoke bottoms, and other specialties, that may be worth a detour, as the Michelin puts it. We once met a man there from Montreal who was devouring some oysters as a preliminary and said that he traveled to New Orleans periodically just to eat at Uglesich's. Even for sandwiches and other specialties containing fried oysters, they shuck to order. Funky little place and unless you get there at 11:30 you have to wait forever in a line with lots of tourists with guidebooks in hand (sometimes even medical-conference attendees with attitudes, who put their empty glasses on your table). Also, it is said to be closing "for good" this year (not to forget that it's said to be closing most years at this time).

[rjwong]

Add 3 more books:

Jones, Evan. Epicurean delight: the life and times of James Beard.

I bought this one at the same bookstore in Pasadena. They're still having a huge book sale (now 50% discount).

Yard, Sherry. The secrets of baking.

I went to the LA Times Festival of Books on Sunday and saw Sherry Yard doing a cooking demo. So, I HAD to buy her book and get it personally autographed.

McGee, Harold. On food and cooking.

I went to Costco today and they had it for $21.99 ($35.00 retail).

[heyjude]

Seven more for me from the used book stores in Tacoma including the very hard to find Stars Desserts and Four Star Desserts by Emily Luchetti. I have been reading Candy Freak by Steve Almond which I wouldn't count for our purposes, but would certainly recommend. I also got a Gary Rhodes BBC Fabulous Food for half price. What do you think of him?

[maggiethecat]

91,491.

rjwong: for our LA cookbook addicts---which bookstore in Pasadena?)

[rjwong]

91,491.

rjwong: for our LA cookbook addicts---which bookstore in Pasadena?)

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Book Alley on Colorado Blvd. (north side), near Vroman's. This is the place that I bought my previous two dozen.

Go ahead and click here

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...ndpost&p=875637

[judiu]

Add two more for me; The New Basics and a church sponsered cookbook from LA.

Got them both at the Friends of the Library bookstore here in Deerdield Beach.

[mona]

I bought another cookbook today.  It is the just for fun cookbook, "Nanny Ogg's Cookbook"  'A useful and improving Almanack of Information including Astonishing Recipes from Terry Pratchett's Discworld.'

I am a big fan of Terry Pratchett's stories and this little book is worth buying just for the chuckles produced when reading the titles of some of the recipes.

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Are there actual recipes in there and are they useful? Is Distressed Pudding in there? Is it? Huh? HUH?!!

[mona]

I bought another cookbook today.  It is the just for fun cookbook, "Nanny Ogg's Cookbook"  'A useful and improving Almanack of Information including Astonishing Recipes from Terry Pratchett's Discworld.'

I am a big fan of Terry Pratchett's stories and this little book is worth buying just for the chuckles produced when reading the titles of some of the recipes.

←

Are there actual recipes in there and are they useful? Is Distressed Pudding in there? Is it? Huh? HUH?!!

←

Er the tone I was hoping to produce was one of inquisitiveness, not annoying interrogativeness. Borders, the world's biggest bookstore has just opened here and I hope to complete my Pratchett collection come Thursday.

[Smithy]

Add another for me: "Food Fit for Pharaohs", published by the British Museum, and I've already forgotten the author's name. Most of the recipes look like something you'd find in a Middle Eastern cookbook, but a few are new to me. The author asserts that the ingredients and cooking methods were all available to Egyptians during the Pharaonic times. I dunno whether that means the recipes are "authentic", but the artwork and hieroglyphs are fun.

[Safran]

One more for me!! *Cartwheels* Mario Batali's Molto Italiano... Five copies had just arrived at Chapters "and were in the arrival pile in the basement" I was told... He was really sweet: off he went and got me a copy. Now, that's service!

Oh! The photography!!!!!! Ohhhhhh!!!!

[Sartain]

Some of my contributions since Christmas:

From random trips to Borders/Barnes&Noble:

The Bread Baker's Apprentice, Peter Reinhardt

Louisiana Kitchen, Paul Prudhomme

All about braising, Molly Stevens

Broke down and joined Good Cook Book Club:

Buchon, Thomas Keller

Barefoot in Paris, Ina Garten

On Food & Cooking, Harold McGee

Marcella Says..., Marcella Hazan

Other bookstores:

Good Enough to Eat Cookbook (totally from nostalgia of my college days, when I took significant others to the restaurant for brunch)

License to Grill, Chris Schlesinger (grilling weather here we go!)

How to Cook Meat, Chris Schlesinger (mmm meat...)

Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery

Food of New Orleans

Louisiana Real and Rustic, Emeril Lagasse (got this from ebay, normally not a bam-man fan myself, but heard this one actually is pretty good, so...)

Martin Yan Quick and Easy

Rick and Lanie's Excellent Kitchen Adventures, Rick and Lanie Bayless

From the Dining Car, James Porterfield

Essentials of Asian Cuisine, Corinne Trang

David Rosengarten Entertains

coming from bookcloseouts.com: A Return to Cooking, Eric Ripert and Michael Rulman; and James Peterson's The Duck Cookbook.

These are the ones that I can remember now, sitting in my office. I know there are more, not to mention the bunch in Chinese that I brought back from Hong Kong in January. That's over 5 new books a month.

This is an addiction!

edited to say - eh, that's 20 - so no one has to count for me.

Edited May 4, 2005 by Sartain (log)

[bloviatrix]

Another one for me: a copy of Fergus Henderson's The Whole Beast, personally inscribed to me.

[heyjude]

I have 2 new Donna Hay cookbooks signed to me. She was in Seattle for a Cooks and Books Visiting Chefs dinner and I was her escort. She's as funny as she is talented.

[Chris Amirault]

Another one for me: a copy of Fergus Henderson's The Whole Beast, personally inscribed to me.

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I am deeply, profoundly, irrationally envious.

[rjwong]

Add 1 more: Julia Child's The French Chef cookbook.

I bought it at a used bookstore I stumbled onto today for $6!!

[maggiethecat]

91.519.

[Laura B]

Add 230 for me!

[Pam R]

Is it terribly pathetic that at my own book-signing today I ended up with a copy of: Nibbled-200 fabulous finger food ideas?

I also just received the Rebar cookbook and Pretty Party Cakes (for decorating ideas), the Cupcake book and another baking book that I left at work and can't remember the name of

[Priscilla]

At St. Vincent de Paul the other day with but a mere moment's perusal I added to the Modern Library shelf a beeyootiful dust-jacketed Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.

This is relevant because as a result of having given the books a glance at all I also quickly amassed four cookbooks, including the robust La Cuisine by Raymond Oliver, which I have been curious about for years, and here it was for 99 cents.

Yesterday, blowing through the Friends of the Library room, the nice volunteer on duty turned out to be a neighbor who recognized me as belonging to my child, and I recognized her as the owner of a very refined Palomino horse and a very handsome Anatolian dog and a very cute tortoiseshell cat. Also I scored a very groovy Peter Max vegetarian cookbook, which I hastened to pay 50 cents for because I love Peter Max.

So that's five accidentally, and then there's one on purpose, Chuck Williams's Celebrating the Pleasures of Cooking, which is strangely not releated to the Cuisinart mag with the quite similar name MtheC wrote about in TDG, but is a chronicle of his life's interest in food and cookery, since even before he founded Williams-Sonoma.

So that makes six.

[ludja]

Two new books for my birthday:

Healy and Bugat's The Art of Cake ($ commission for egullet if you order thru this link)

I'm pretty excited about this as I really love their book on French Cookies.

An older book on regional American Cooking by Jean Anderson, The Grass Roots Cookbook.

[SuzySushi]

Add 1 more for me, Classic Chinese Cooking from Quantum Books (London), a propmotional publishing house, bought for $2.99 at my local supermarket. I was sold as soon as I saw the recipe for Steamed Whole Fish Wrapped in Lotus Leaves.