Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Cooking writers I have loved.

I was talking to some lady friends of mine the other day when discussion inevitably turned from Global Politics and Feminist Issues, to the making of the family dinners. My line of conversation was, as usual, moaning on about how I had lost my cooking mojo. I know, ho hum.

Yeah yeah, I hear you say, so she opens a tin of beans for the kids for dinner, ho ho, how amusing, oh yes we get it - SLAPDASH - yes, we get it, stop labouring the point already...

WELL guys if you would ACTUALLY let me get a word in, then I would be able to say that I was ALSO talking about how much I used to love to cook. OK? Ugh!

We were also talking about how great it is THESE DAYS how we can just GOOGLE recipes and look them up on Taste.com or whatever those recipe websites are.

Which THEN led us onto the subject of COOKING BOOKS and how much we all used to love them and how they are presumably going to become defunct, what with the RISE OF THE INTERNET, and all.

Which THEN made me think about my own beloved collection of cookery bookery.  Well, mine and M's. He has a prodigious collection himself.  In our courting days we used to spend the whole time cooking each other nice meals and eating them and drinking wine and stuff. Now we just drink.

Here's some miscellaneous thoughts on cookery bookery and cookery writery types for your reading pleasure.

This is the little bookshelf on the end of our kitchen bench wherein we store our cooking books. The bench itself is for storing sunglasses, discarded cardigans, plastic baskets full of assorted miscellaneous household detritus including pencils, notebooks, kindy paintings and fluff. OBVIOUSLY. Also, we have a kiddy gate. Get excited everyone.

I've definitely gone through a few fads cooking book wise but here's some of my consistent performers.

I've already told you lot how much I love Nigella. And that sometimes I am a conduit through which she channels her raw energy. She is my cookery muse. In fact I was inhabited by her body only last week when I spent a good few hours standing in the kitchen shoveling whole loaves of white bread spread with peanut paste into my mouth. Between you and me, I prefer it when she uses me for good not evil. Anyway this is her CLASSIC book that EVERYONE should get. Do it. Has a really good bit in it about cooking for kids too. Everyone who hates Nigella CAN SHOVE IT because I ADORE HER.
This is one of M's and we both love it sick. It is actually falling apart. I think Jill used to be food writer for The Guardian or something. Anyway I used her recipe for Anzac biscuits today, as I always do. I know they aren't hard but it is a real BALANCE of dry vs. wet ingredients, and we all know what happens when the BALANCE IS OUT OF WHACK. It is a veritable DISASTER OF EPIC PROPORTIONS. By that I mean, your bikkie doesn't stick together properly.


OK I should have put these next two up with Nigella but it's too hard to fiddle round with the pics now so we will MAKE DO.  Nigel Slater. I love him so much. I have this book....

...and this one. This is more recent. He has done quite a few. When I am feeling bleak I just flip through this one in particular and it never fails to cheer me the hell up. It has beautiful photos in it from his cool garden at his London house. I mean, you do kind of have to get over your jealousy of reading about how he just trips down the street and picks up odds and ends from fancy butchers and bakers and candlestickmakers when all we have in outer suburbia is Aldi and Woolworths but never mind. Also the recipes are good. And he is a great writer. He wrote a memoir of his early life called "Toast". I borrowed it from my cousin B. It is surprisingly sad and touching. Also he loves Nigella and she loves him. I KNOW! THE BEST!




I couldn't leave Stephanie out. This is THE BEST. M had an older edition but we snaffled this one up for a song when poor old Borders was closing down, and gave our old one to my mum. Beggars can't be chooser eh Mum? I'll thank you to be grateful. Anyway if you haven't got this then do yourselves a favour. It is organised by ingredient, so if you find yourself with a surplus of, say, mushrooms or lamb or tripe then you can look up a recipe for said ingredient. Bob's your uncle! Also it has useful things like a guide for converting measurements. Particularly useful for me at the moment because I broke our digital scales by immersing them in water to wash them. But don't tell M, I am playing dumb.

And speaking of fads, I present to you last, but definitely least, something from my youth.

Up yours Donna Hay. I used to love her so bad. I used to try and master the "Donna Hay spaghetti twirl". Oh how I yearned to twirl it like Donna. I bought her magazines and her cookbooks, even the Marie Claire ones. UNTIL I REALISED SOMETHING! They are crap. The recipes OFTEN don't work. I am sure they aren't tested. Also, I didn't like her on Masterchef. 
 So there you have it readers, some interesting tidbits from my brain to yours.

Do you still use cookbooks? Or the internet? Do you FREESTYLE it like my mum does? Or do you need a recipe for boiling an egg? Do you Donna Hay while the sun shines?

Tell me everything - and bon appetit!


20 comments:

  1. I love cooking and have around 60 cookbooks which I love flicking through for ideas. I also have Nigella's How to Eat and I have a good idea where I'd love to shove it! I love Nigel and have his books, very comforting and calming is old Nigel. I like Jill as well. I love Maxine Clark's Italian cook books and am considering the new Ottolenghi book just out. There are so many brilliant food blogs as well, but I'll always still refer to the books methinks. Today, I'm baking a caraway seed cake, courtesy of a Nigel recipe!

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    1. Yay Nigel! I will ignore your rude comments about Nigella. Sob. There are many many brillo food blogs I have hardly scratched the surface of them. We don't really have an y Italian cookbooks so perhaps that should be an addition to our collection which is nowhere near 60! I am impressed!

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  2. Love me a good cookery book - personal favs are Jamie Oliver, Two Fat Ladies and the Hairy Bikers but although I read them I do tend to be more freestyle like your Mum.

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    1. I LOVE two fat ladies and the hairy bikers! Love them.

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  3. Haha! I love that last pic!
    I feel that way too. Although I love to watch all the cooking shows and I have a hefty collection of recipe books, I think food has become a little too pretentious. My fave recipes are the ones that taste awesome and don't take forever. Time poor.

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    1. Yes time poor is the thing! Hence my low energy re cooking. Gah.

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  4. I too miss cooking. My faves are Bill Granger, Nigella and Jamie Oliver. Agree with you on Donna Hay. I have cancelled my subscription. Also, she was cold to my best friend who went along to a book signing. I own a copy of the cooks companion, but I've never used it because I get most inspired by pictures.

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    1. Oh I love Bill Granger too! We went to his cafe in Sydney once and he was there roaming around chatting to people while they filmed his TV show. I know! Exciting! He didn't talk to us though, just said hello, but he was very friendly.

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  5. Funnily enough, I'm pretty sure the food bloggers I know are single-handedly propping up the cookbook publishing industry with their disposable income.

    I really need to pony up for that Stephanie Alexander bible one of these days.

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    1. It is indeed the bible of home cookery! Interesting about the food bloggers! Maybe I should transform myself into one...nah too hard. THank you for commenting Cindy!

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  6. I love Jamie Oliver and Nigella and Mark Bittman...his book How To Cook Everything is kind of the American version of A Cook's Companion.
    And I love Maggie Beer too.
    I am with you on Donna Hay. Especially her quick cookbooks where the recipes are along the lines of take some lettuce, some chicken, some tomatoes, some avocados and some cheese and you have a salad. Thanks Donna. However I do LOVE her packet brownies...they are my go to when I can't be bothered to bake anything more creative.

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    1. I've never heard of Mark Bittman, sounds great! Will Google...also have never tried Donna's packet thingies although I have to admit they all look very pretty and tempting...

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    2. Agree with you about Donna Hay's packet mixes! Worth every cent. (Not that I often resort to packet mixes ;))

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    3. Of course not! Who would do that????HA!

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  7. I am… FREESTYLER … rock the microphone… Followed Donna Hay on Twitter or somewhere for about 30 seconds then had to unfollow quicksmart cos I kept nearly vomiting. 'I am self-promoting something I am doing about self-promoting about buttering some toast'.

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    1. URGH Donna you silly woman you. And who knew there was such a Donna backlash! I am not alone!!!!

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  8. I'll admit it I dont really like to cook..though am an enthusiastic eater and praiser (word???) of others efforts.. having said that as the weather is slightly cooler my mind is turning to red wine casseroles at least I can use cheaper meat in those..

    I too love Nigella so sensous in all ways isnt she ?

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    1. Oh yes the good old red wine casseroles. I must get some el cheapo meat to do one. I look forward to lamb shanks and so forth...and I am also an enthusiastic eater and praiser! Mostly this is me at the moment. I do drudgery cooking and nothing fancy!

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  9. Great post! I have a lovely collection of Nigellas and Jamies (sitting there...looking nice). Then there's the shelf full of fads like Atkins or 101 baby purees (again, almost never used). Let's not forget several folders of things pulled from magazines (and maybe used once). I love cooking when I have time, wine and no whining - but that's rare these days!

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    1. Thanks Lara! Yes, I agree eith time, wine and no whining!!!!!!!!!!! VERY RARE!!

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