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Waitrose Food Illustrated magazine has published in their February issue, a list of their 25 Greatest Cookbooks of All Time. I’m not entirely sure that I agree with their listing. Reading through the list, however, started me thinking… I probably own upwards of 160 cookbooks (lets not add up how much money that works out to!) and I’m not sure that I could come up with my all-time favourite cookbook. The furthest I could go would perhaps be my favourite books for different types of cooking, and even then this would involve much internal debate and counting the number of times I’ve actually used the book. Or would love of the writing count in lieu of not actually having tried any recipes? How does one decide what makes a cookbook great?
So, after much debate about what constitutes greatness (I’m still unable to pin any definite criteria down), here is my list of favourite cookbooks by category.
Best bread book
“Bread: From Ciabatta to Rye” – Linda Collister
Best baking book
“How to be a Domestic Goddess” – Nigella Lawson
Best Low-Fat
“Pure Points” – WeightWatchers UK
Best Italian
“The Essentials of Classic Italian Cookery” – Marcella Hazan
Best Dinner Party Cookbook
“Cooking for Friends” – Raymond Blanc
A close second: “A Chef for All Seasons” – Gordon Ramsay
Best written cookbook
I’m going to subdivide this – I appreciate cookbooks on two fronts. They should either shine with technical excellence or be so well written that its like coming home to a good gossip with a friend over coffee and cakes.
Technical excellence – “A Chef for All Seasons”, Gordon Ramsay
Well written – “How To Eat”, Nigella Lawson
My all-time/allround best cookbook
I’m really not sure about this one. I don’t remember having any specific tome that introduced me to cooking or baking so I can’t be influenced by nostalgia. Looking back over all the cookbooks I’ve used over the last quarter, I can’t say that I’ve used any single volume more than another, with the notable exception of Linda Collister’s books.
Maybe I’ll discover a wonderful all-round cookbook this year – I’m sure my bookshelves are groaning at the thought!
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So pleased to see Stephanie Alexander’s “The Cook’s Companion” on this UK list. It’s definitely my favourite, and most comprehensive cookbook – along with many other people I know. It’s become so definitive that we refer to it as The Orange Bible. If you’re looking at some particular ingredient and wondering what to do with it, the cry of “What does Stephanie have to say” or “Let’s check Stephanie” is common!
What’s so great about it is that it’s divided into chapters according to ingredient.
Say you’ve been given a bag of lemons – check her chapter on them. She’ll include descriptions of every type of commercially available lemons, how to store them, prepare them, purchase them – and then include her definitive recipes.
Brilliant book!
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I was pleased to see Stephanie on the list too, Niki. I have been cooking my way through her quince chapter this month and it’s been lovely.
But I was a little bit cross to see the magazine’s description of her as “a bit of an antipodean Delia”. I don’t think so!!!! Stephanie offers eclectic, interesting recipes written for people who already have a bit of gumption when it comes to cooking, not reliable but generally boring stodge like Delia! Of course, my partner just rolled his eyes when I spluttered to him about this, so I may be massively over-reacting.
I agree with lots of your choices, Angela, but I’d definitelyl say that The Cook’s Companion is my allround best cookbook, both for its massive range and the general deliciousness of the recipes. I was thinking about giving it to a friend for a brithday present last month, but I couldn’t find it on sale in the UK, and amazon.com is selling it for $175! A bit steep – I think I got it for about Australian $60, six or seven years ago.
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Hi Niki and Meg – I must say, I’d never heard of Stephanie Alexander before reading this article in WFI. Sorry! The only Australian foodwriters I’d encountered before were Jill Dupleix and Donna Hay, who I am very fond of. I’ll have to hunt around for some of Stephanie’s recipes as she (and the book) sounds fab
I was quite surprised that Elizabeth David came top of their list. I’ve never managed to get any of her recipes to work properly and I find her writing style very odd and dry. I was even more surprised to find Julia Child on the list. Its only been in the last couple of years that I’ve heard of Julia Child and I certainly haven’t seen any of her books in British bookshops. I think that she’s a firm American institution, in the same way as Delia is a British institution.
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Stephanie is *certainly* not Delia and I get the feeling she’d be a bit insulted at that! She’s far more earthy and adventurous for that . She also reflects the Australian way of cooking by incorporating the techniques and ingredients of many other cultures, particularly Asia, into her recipes.
I’ve tried reading Elizabeth Davis, but can’t really get into it. I agree that the prose is a bit dull. I also had never heard of Julia Child until I started reading the Julie/Julia project food blog!
Meg, The Cook’s Companion tends to go on sale a regular intervals in Australia. Most recently at Christmas, but also Mothers’ Day etc. I saw it on sale for about $50-$60 at some places, but they sold out fairly quickly. You should be able to get it somewhere. Readings Books and Music in Melbourne (Readings.com.au) is a good place to contact.
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Meg – I just bought a copy of “The Cooks Companion” in Books For Cooks (Notting Hill) for £35. I bought the only copy there, but they’ll be able to get another one for you. Weighs a bloody ton!!!!
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Thanks Niki and Angela for the info on where to find the Cook’s Companion – I was sure that the amazon price was crazy. I’m really glad that we inspired you to get a copy, Angela! Let us know what you think when you’ve had time to have a read. Books for Cooks sounds fantastic, if so so dangerous. I’m going up to London tonight to take my boy to Tamarind for his birthday, and I am seriously tempted to go up early and drop by the bookshop. On the other hand, really must save some money to pay for dinner…
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