I have just conjured up Chicken A La Puke Sauce, courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine. It was meant to be Thai peanut lime but it really didn't taste very good.
I don't actually own a cookbook. A lot of recipes I just have in my head or if I'm feeling reckless I'll cook something from a magazine. I wonder if anyone else has a good one they might recommend? I was thinking about getting something from Jamie Oliver.
I have a bookshelf full of cookbooks but have to admit I look at themmuch more than I use them for recipes.
They often give me inspiration as I usually don't have all the ingredients for any particular recipe.
I suppose if you wanted to buy one is to go to the bookstore and browse till you find one that has the kinds of food you are wanting to cook. There are so many it can be overwhelming to find exactly what you need.
I don't have a cookbook. I tend to make it up as I go along. Variations on a theme of Southwestern is what I usually tend to go with.
I would eat tamales and burritos and beans and rice every night if I could.
I tend to commit most recipes to memory and only ever measure something if it's cakes or bread. Nigella and Jamie grace my coffee table oh, and a couple of Indian cookery books too. If I need inspiration then I browse the internet - the BBC food site is very good as is this one
My Cook Book which I found when I was looking for a
Beef and Ale Pie recipe.
What I would do is purchase a ring binder and a box of clear plastic pockets then you can print out tried and trusted recipes to keep for future reference which has the added bonus of being wipe-clean too.
People's Friend regards.....
Debs x :)
Have loads of cookbooks Jamie, Nigella and ones that I have picked up from our various duty stations with local dishes in them. I find allrecipes.com a great help with both everyday meals and those for special occasions.
Never heard of Nigel Slater before but I think he's got a good idea there, cooking without a recipe. I've been winging it for years.
Thanks for the internet sites too. D
I like Nigella, Gary Rhodes, Ainsley and Nigel Slater, and have a lot of cookbooks. Jamie Oliver's recipes, I find, dont work out that well, although he's good for inspiration.
There's no need to buy any of the books these days though. Try the Websites Deb suggested, and most of the celebrity chefs have their own websites with recipes. Delia Smith's is particularly good (but you'll have to google ity as I can't be arsed to find the link wink )
I've got Gary Rhodes but it's full of weird muck like pigs trotters so I really just use it for xmas dinner and intend to make some fattening desserts at some point.
I have 3 of Jamie's but none of the ingredients. Sometimes I just look at the pics and salivate a bit.
The one I use most is Linda McCartney's Vegetarian something book (great carrot cake recipe) and Quick and Easy Cooking for One by Cas Clarke (UK).
I'm not a very inspired cook though...
I tend to wing it for cooking, as I never have the ingredients that seem to be commonplace for the likes of Nigella and Jamie. However I do have a couple of Ainsley Harriot's cook books (always in the bargain basement of Borders Bookstore) and he has some great quick and easy meals.
I tend to just "google" the ingredients that I have and usually I can find a recipe online which uses them and gives me some inspiration.