Learning 'ow to cook

[munnki]

I really want to learn how to be a better cook. My wife is Thai and I have tried to learn some of the mysteries of her cooking but I'd like to expand my repetoire... Can anyone recommend any good books they used to learn cooking. There are too many books in the bookstores on cooking and recipes for me to know what's good or not. Advice should start on the assumption that I know nothing except the names of some of the objects in my kitchen...
I'm particularly interested in French, Indian and Japanese cooking... and also breads etc....

Any advice/book recommendations?

[Matty]

i love the Les Halles Cookbook by Anthony Bourdain (french bistro and main technique stuff) .
http://www.leshalles.net/images/cookbook.jpg
Even though many of the dishes can be found in other cookbooks, what sets this one apart is Bourdain's signature wise-ass attitude that pervades nearly every recipe, explanatory note and chapter introduction. Profanity adds frequent color. If Aunt Doris would blanche at pearl onions being called "little fuckers," a cook who prefers boneless meat in Daube Provençal a "poor deluded bastard," or a person nervous about making these recipes a "dipshit," this book is not for her.


The first couple of Naked Chef books have a bunch of v easy no messing but damn good recipes and no annoying twatty sound-over unlike the TV show.
Annoying mockney goon or not, Oliver has certainly done a decent job of making cooking more approachable for lots of people and the books are useful. I like his bread recipes in the first one.

For Indian get the Curry Club Official Cookbook by Pat CHapman. Its awesome.
PLus there are a ton of fodies about the place, fire away here and see what people come up with.

[David B]

I hardly look at cookbooks any more, since I had a friend called google.

And another http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/

David

[Ray Moscow]

My wife and I really like this one: Pasta: Every Way for Every Day (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pasta-Every-Way-Day/dp/0751308900)

If you don't like pasta, it's not for you. ;)

[miss djax]

'how to cook everything' by mark bittman. i do believe it's my kitchen bible.

[hecaterin]

I'm told Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food is good for beginners. I'm with Matty - Oliver's TV personality is twattish, but his books & actions are good. Nigella Lawson's How to Eat is also good. They should both be easy to find in London.

Mu first serious non-children's book was a Margaret Fulton, but I suspect she, like Stephanie Alexander, might be harder to find outside Aus.

[Valheru]

"How to Eat"?

What the fuck? Is Nigella dabbling in occupational therapy for retards, now? :D A rather unfortunate choice of title.

[DMB]

Delia Smith may not be all that excitng, but she is good for basic techniques and all her recipes work, which cannot be said for all writers of cookery books.

However, for a book which one will come back to again and again because it teaches cookery techniques, I would suggest this one (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Leiths-Cookery-Bible-Prue-Leith/dp/074756602X). It's a bit pricey, but even though I've been cooking for about 57 years I still find this sort of thing an invaluable reference.

[hecaterin]

"How to Eat"?

What the fuck? Is Nigella dabbling in occupational therapy for retards, now? :D A rather unfortunate choice of title.Deliberate gimmick. Meh.

[Matty]

i'm also liking the Gordon Ramsey - Cooking for friends, book.
Forgot to mention that.

Tbh though far and away the people i have leant the most about cooking from, are my two grans. I still remember the glow i got when my then 70 odd yr old born and bread Yorkshire gran rated my Yorkshire puddings as "almost as good as one of hers (wink) ".

Also if you get chance to see re runs of a program called 2 Fat Ladies, that is proper top notch old school cooking. Not exactly nutritionally approved but damn their stuff tends to taste good on the odd occasion. They arent quite as fun to watch doing the orgasmic tasting bit as Nigella, but ya cant have everything.

[miss djax]

Also if you get chance to see re runs of a program called 2 Fat Ladies, that is proper top notch old school cooking. Not exactly nutritionally approved but damn their stuff tends to taste good on the odd occasion. They arent quite as fun to watch doing the orgasmic tasting bit as Nigella, but ya cant have everything.


i LOVE two fat ladies!!!! i have a couple of their cookbooks..i miss them :(

[Valheru]

i LOVE two fat ladies!!!! i have a couple of their cookbooks..i miss them :(

Meh. "Find a big pot, fill with water, bring to the boil, and fuck perfectly good food up in it." :)

Floyd's the same.

Brit cooking's never been a particular favourite.

[miss djax]

wrong, wrong, wrong, valheru.

it's find a big pot, fill it up butter and olive oil and cream :D

[His Noodly Appendage]

Honestly, you could do worse than Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver.

Their TV gimmicks are annoying as fuck, but they can cook, and tend to cook fairly realistic things that a person might conceivably want to make for themselves.

My wife started out with virtually no cooking skills at all, and rapidly outdid me, just from watching these and related shows.

[David B]

Honestly, you could do worse than Nigella Lawson and Jamie Oliver.

Their TV gimmicks are annoying as fuck, but they can cook, and tend to cook fairly realistic things that a person might conceivably want to make for themselves.

My wife started out with virtually no cooking skills at all, and rapidly outdid me, just from watching these and related shows.

the BBC website allows a search for recipes by chef. I think they cover all BBC TV chefs, and all their recipes.

Nigella, for instance

http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/food/recipes/queryengine?templatestyle=refine_by_1_gg&orig_kw=&config=db&scope=recipes&page=1&pagesize=15&attrib_26=keywords&oper_26=eq&val_26_1=&attrib_2=programme_name&oper_2=eq&val_2_1=&attrib_3=chef_name&oper_3=eq&val_3_1=Nigella+Lawson&attrib_12=healthy&oper_12=eq&attrib_13=quick&oper_13=eq&attrib_10=vegetarian&oper_10=eq&submit.x=36&submit.y=13&submit=Search

David

[Matty]

i LOVE two fat ladies!!!! i have a couple of their cookbooks..i miss them :(

Meh. "Find a big pot, fill with water, bring to the boil, and fuck perfectly good food up in it." :)

Floyd's the same.

Brit cooking's never been a particular favourite.

guess you havent eaten in the UK much then? :p or do i need to start clicheing about americans only eating burgers and hot dogs, huh, huh huh? :D

Two Fat ladies are big on butter salt sugar and cream as miss djax says and Flloyd was a great fish guy till his crown was well and truly taken by Rick Stein (who is fucking awesome)

Ramsey is probably the dogs bollocks as far as UK chefs go at the mo but i have time for Jamie Oliver and have used his books plenty in the past.

Of course the seppos have Batali and Bourdain amongst a good few other mega chef types, but how much of that is actually American cuisine as opposed to recreated french or italian? Hmmmmm.

[dug_down_deep]

We have better tans than you.

[SteveF]

I can second the Rick Stein recommendation, he's wonderful.

Oh and the cliche about British food is just that, a cliche. I believe I read something recently about London being voted the best city for food in the world. We still lack a bit of consistency in the low to mid range price bracket, but British food has come an awful long way in the past couple of decades.

[Joykins]

This is the one (http://www.amazon.com/impoverished-students-cookery-drinkery-housekeepery/dp/B0007FXR9E)my mother lovingly handed over to me when I got married.

It teaches you techniques, some ethnic dishes, and most importantly, how to make beer in a trash can.

[Goldie]

I have cooked for a large family since before I was 8 yrs old. Before 8 yrs, I had to ask someone else to turn on the oven or the gas stove. While I'll look at a recipe...it's usually only for ideas. I've never read a cookbook.
The idea is just weird.

I mean I have cookbooks...but I rarely look at them. They are basically for inspiration.

Sorry...I'm no help.

So cool that you are attempting it.
To me...knowing how to cook is like knowing how to swim, or ride a bike.

[Matty]

thats what cookbooks are for most peopl arent they? I dont know anyone who has ever slavishly followed a recipe down to the last detail.

I too flick through them for inspiration more than anything else.

[Goldie]

I dunno, Matty. Some people are awfully "religious" about following a recipe and their cookbooks.

[muidiri]

The American-International Encyclopedic Cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/American-International-Encyclopedic-Cookbook-Anne-London/dp/0690072368/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1250121123&sr=8-1)

My mother has this cookbook. It's a complete compendium of cooking. Not only does it tell you what ingredients to use, it also explains the differences between various cooking utensils, and when it is appropriate to use them, and it explains how to saute, what braising is, etc. It actually teaches you how to cook - it's not just recipes.

My mom's version is pretty old - it was my grandmothers before that. It even has directions on how to set the table, how to garnish your dishes, and has suggestions on preparing a complete meal - what appetizers and side dishes will go well with a particular main course. The thing is fantastic.

If you're interested in vegetarian cooking, I have a great (and entertaining) cookbook for that too, but I'll have to look at it later to figure out the title.

[Sodong]

Nigella grosses me out because she's always sticking her fingers in the food and tasting things with them too. You never see her washing her hands when she's cooking. Meat, vegetables, mouth. Adds up to a lot of yuk for me, but I guess the cooking is only marginally what that show is all about anyway.

[Godless Wonder]

This recipe for roasted chicken (http://scaryreasoner.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/perfect-roasted-chicken-recipe/) which I unassumingly posted on my blog one day astounded me by consistently appearing on the first page of google results for "roast chicken recipe" alongside the likes of Emiril and Rachel Ray. It's a great recipe, in that it makes a lot of excellent foot in one pan in the oven (with some minor stovetop stirring afterwards). Super convenient, and makes you appear to be a Super Chef. Even in the eyes of google, to my own amazement.

[Garrett]

I unassumingly posted on my blog one day.
Sorry man, but that's a contradiction.

Chicken works if you have no beef. imo

[miss djax]

calm down, garrett, there's no contradiction. it was a mild, mannered recipe turned internet sensation.

looks fab, gw. have you tried it in a dutch oven or larger pot? just wondering how that might turn out. my most giant frying pan is non-stick. i've discovered that can be funky for roasting.

[Matty]

This recipe for roasted chicken (http://scaryreasoner.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/perfect-roasted-chicken-recipe/) which I unassumingly posted on my blog one day astounded me by consistently appearing on the first page of google results for "roast chicken recipe" alongside the likes of Emiril and Rachel Ray. It's a great recipe, in that it makes a lot of excellent foot in one pan in the oven (with some minor stovetop stirring afterwards). Super convenient, and makes you appear to be a Super Chef. Even in the eyes of google, to my own amazement.

DHlWWpiSu3s

[His Noodly Appendage]

Nigella grosses me out because she's always sticking her fingers in the food and tasting things with them too. You never see her washing her hands when she's cooking. Meat, vegetables, mouth. Adds up to a lot of yuk for me, but I guess the cooking is only marginally what that show is all about anyway.

YES.

If you're going to build a career out of your sex appeal, then hygiene matters. Srsly.

What's worse is how she'll be rubbing oily marinade into a roast or something, then reach up and pull stuff out of the back of the cupboard, without even wiping the excess off.

Jesus, I am not going in there. In either sense.

[Garrett]

calm down, garrett, there's no contradiction. it was a mild, mannered recipe turned internet sensation.

Sure there was a contradiction. You can't be unassuming when you update your blog.

The recipe was fine, I suppose. I like chicken sometimes. Breaded, deep-fried and gravied makes it palatable.

[Notta]

My mother was a terrible cook. I started cooking at eight, with the help of my father and my aunt. The Joy of Cooking (http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Cooking-75th-Anniversary-2006/dp/0743246268) has been my bible. Not too many ethnic dishes in it, but huge amounts of explanatory text with definitions, tips, and easy-to-understand terms.

Nothing trendy, just good, old-fashioned instruction about everything from the basics to the most complex recipes. I learned almost everything I know about good cooking from this, and now I only refer to it when I need to learn how to do something new.

[Goldie]

My mother was a terrible cook. I started cooking at eight, with the help of my father and my aunt. The Joy of Cooking (http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Cooking-75th-Anniversary-2006/dp/0743246268) has been my bible. Not too many ethnic dishes in it, but huge amounts of explanatory text with definitions, tips, and easy-to-understand terms.

Nothing trendy, just good, old-fashioned instruction about everything from the basics to the most complex recipes. I learned almost everything I know about good cooking from this, and now I only refer to it when I need to learn how to do something new.

You and me...the 8 yr old chefs! :)

My mom could cook but was never as daring as me.

She just went to work when I was young and I cooked for my parents and 3 brothers.
I loved to cook when I was a kid. Now, it seems like a chore.
I do enjoy cooking once in a while, tho.

[Notta]

You and me...the 8 yr old chefs! :)

My mom could cook but was never as daring as me.

She just went to work when I was young and I cooked for my parents and 3 brothers.
I loved to cook when I was a kid. Now, it seems like a chore.
I do enjoy cooking once in a while, tho.My mother's oldest sister was retarded, and in those days was taught how to cook (she was sent home from school at the age of 8 and told not to return - circa 1920). So she lived with us from time to time. She couldn't read, but she could COOK! That's why my mother never learned - it was her sister's job, and she was very protective of her work. But she said to me (at age 8), that if I learned to cook, the boys would like me. So I learned from an illiterate, retarded woman how to make cookies, pies, and pot roasts! I cooked Friday night and Sunday night dinners for a family of 6 from the time I was 10 years old.

I taught all my children how to cook when they were old enough to stand on a stool at the counter. All of my (now grown) children can cook a whole cornucopia of items, from pastries to whole dinners to exotic dishes. They frequently call me and tell me what they've made. I gave them each a home-made cookbook of their favorite recipes for Christmas about 5 years ago.

[Sodong]

Nigella grosses me out because she's always sticking her fingers in the food and tasting things with them too. You never see her washing her hands when she's cooking. Meat, vegetables, mouth. Adds up to a lot of yuk for me, but I guess the cooking is only marginally what that show is all about anyway.

YES.

If you're going to build a career out of your sex appeal, then hygiene matters. Srsly.

What's worse is how she'll be rubbing oily marinade into a roast or something, then reach up and pull stuff out of the back of the cupboard, without even wiping the excess off.

Jesus, I am not going in there. In either sense.Nyet. Me either :D That show always makes me think of that scene in Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life" where Death comes to collect the members of a dinner party who have consumed the hostess' salmon mousse.

[Godless Wonder]

calm down, garrett, there's no contradiction. it was a mild, mannered recipe turned internet sensation.

Sure there was a contradiction. You can't be unassuming when you update your blog.

The recipe was fine, I suppose. I like chicken sometimes. Breaded, deep-fried and gravied makes it palatable.
Well, I sure didn't assume that it would consistently rank on the first page of google results for "roast chicken recipe." Perhaps you should take your complaint about "unassuming blog posts" to your blog, moron. :)

Edit: Forgot to add "moron."

[hecaterin]

Nice recipe, GW, do you know how it came to rank so high?

Here's mine. It's not so much about the chicken as the accompaniments. http://thecanberracook.blogspot.com/2008/12/classic-roast-chook-with-stuffing-and.html

[Octavia]

wrong, wrong, wrong, valheru.

it's find a big pot, fill it up butter and olive oil and cream :D

Yeah. Valheru, how do you think the two fat ladies got to be fat in the first place? :D

Cream, butter and lots of it.

[miss djax]

calm down, garrett, there's no contradiction. it was a mild, mannered recipe turned internet sensation.

Sure there was a contradiction. You can't be unassuming when you update your blog.

The recipe was fine, I suppose. I like chicken sometimes. Breaded, deep-fried and gravied makes it palatable.



to borrow a line from the princess bride 'i don't think that word means what you think' ;) you can totally be unassuming in a blog update.

[Joykins]

I thought GW's recipe sounded delish which is probably why it ranks so high.

I don't remember how old I was when I learned to cook--but I remember standing on a stepstool to reach the electric skillet on the counter. So I must have been a pre-teen. My mother taught me to make some simple stuff (spaghetti, chili, salad) and I would do so once a week or so to give her a break.

[Anne]

thats what cookbooks are for most peopl arent they? I dont know anyone who has ever slavishly followed a recipe down to the last detail.

I too flick through them for inspiration more than anything else.

Me. You know me. :)

I mean, it depends what I'm making. Tonight's dinner is thrown together with no cookbook for inspiration, either, but sometimes I'm slavish. That doesn't mean I won't futz with a cookbook example to get what I really want to eat out of it though. When I get there, I don't futz anymore, though.

My uncle refused to follow recipes. One day he could put heaven on a plate, but then never be able to repeat it. I vowed not to let that happen.

That said, pastry is not something I fuck with. I'm consistently slavish to that. Bread? Stew? I can throw that together with a blindfold.

[Anne]

smell everything.

Hold something over the pot and smell both of them together to see if you want to add it.

Watch PBS cooking shows. Those seem to still be about food and cooking, not marketing.

[Matty]

fair point on pastry and cakes etc, the proportions of ingredients are much more important in that way so I'd follow a recipe more closely for those.

[Joykins]

My uncle refused to follow recipes. One day he could put heaven on a plate, but then never be able to repeat it. I vowed not to let that happen.

What you do when you put heaven on a plate is *write down* what you did before you forget it. Then refer to the ingredients lists (I never measure :lol) next time.

That said, pastry is not something I fuck with. I'm consistently slavish to that. Bread? Stew? I can throw that together with a blindfold.

You know you're getting good when you can bake bread without a recipe.

[Anne]

Bread? With a recipe? Salt, flour, yeast, water... mix until it's right.

But when you write it down, you become slavish. At least that was my uncle's reasoning. Me, I try to remember what I did and write it down later, if it was good.

And, yeah, Matty. Pastry is chemistry. Cooking is magic. ;)

[munnki]

Thanks ... this thread will be my reference point. I've found a site on which I get can many of these books... awesome
:D

[Anne]

Child's Art of French Cooking is a classic because it deserves it.

[willynilly]

I couldn't cook and my husband did it all. For one I really didn't enjoy it so why bother. Then he got diabetes and quit making certain baked goods. I decided to start. First thing I learned was how to make bread from his mother because he can't, lol. I found I do enjoy it some. I have branched out to baked goods and recently dishes. I use recipes because I have no idea how spices and herbs work with various meats and what not. My husband can taste a spice and just know what it would go with. Find a food you want to make, get a recipe and practice. If you enjoy it you will get to where you will be braver and more adventurous. I don't have any cook books I just get recipes from the internet and friends/ family. I am going to have to try some that have been recommended.