There is a plethora of cookery books these days, from those written by 'name' chefs (almost always men) to those written by good home cooks like the remarkable Marcella Hazan who has died recently and who is the subject of another thread.
Delia Smith describes herself, very honestly I think, as a recipe tester - her approach is such that you can almost guarantee that if you try a Delia recipe, it will work.
Even though he is a renowned restaurateur Rick Stein (he seems to own most of the eateries in Padstow) creates recipe books to follow his travel series on TV and aims to produce recipes that almost anyone can prepare at home.
One of my favourite cookery writers is Claudia Roden whose works about Jewish & Middle Eastern cookery are as much about social history, with wonderful stories as well a do-able recipes.
Of the modern crowd, 'names' like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay have produced books which are better perhaps than the snob in me might have anticipated. Nigella Lawson likes to pass herself off as a busy housewife cooking simple meals in hurry but there is a certain amount of poetic licence taken with each of those terms. However I fuind her book "How To Eat" a very good book to snuggle up with an read (provided that you have either something cooking in the oven or some suitable snacks to hand.
Of the old crowd, you can still find books by Elizabeth David, who started the climb out of the
Great British post-war culinary doldrums almost single-handed, Julia Child who managed a similar feat in the USA, and Philip Harben and Fanny Cradock (the first male and female TV chef/personalities).
So .. who are your favourite cookery book writers, the ones you turn to for inspiration or for a recipe for the glut of veggies at this time of year, or the ones you turn to for flashy show-off food for when guests are coming?
Delia Smith describes herself, very honestly I think, as a recipe tester - her approach is such that you can almost guarantee that if you try a Delia recipe, it will work.
Even though he is a renowned restaurateur Rick Stein (he seems to own most of the eateries in Padstow) creates recipe books to follow his travel series on TV and aims to produce recipes that almost anyone can prepare at home.
One of my favourite cookery writers is Claudia Roden whose works about Jewish & Middle Eastern cookery are as much about social history, with wonderful stories as well a do-able recipes.
Of the modern crowd, 'names' like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay have produced books which are better perhaps than the snob in me might have anticipated. Nigella Lawson likes to pass herself off as a busy housewife cooking simple meals in hurry but there is a certain amount of poetic licence taken with each of those terms. However I fuind her book "How To Eat" a very good book to snuggle up with an read (provided that you have either something cooking in the oven or some suitable snacks to hand.
Of the old crowd, you can still find books by Elizabeth David, who started the climb out of the
Great British post-war culinary doldrums almost single-handed, Julia Child who managed a similar feat in the USA, and Philip Harben and Fanny Cradock (the first male and female TV chef/personalities).
So .. who are your favourite cookery book writers, the ones you turn to for inspiration or for a recipe for the glut of veggies at this time of year, or the ones you turn to for flashy show-off food for when guests are coming?
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