Why buy a cook book?
March 16, 2009 by cook-books
Filed under Cook Books
They are popular for so many reasons. I love finding new ways to use just very simple ingredients - it never ceases to amaze me how many delicious recipes can be created. And when you find a couple of ingredients that you wouldn’t expect to go together well thats fascinating.
Gordon Ramsay - Cooking for Friends
April 10, 2009 by cook-books
Filed under Cook Books
Gordon Ramsay’s Latest Cook Book: Cooking for Friends
Gordon Ramsay’s popularity has absolutely sky-rocketed in the last few years and to help you re-create some of the masterpieces you may have seen on his shows he has also released a number of cookery books. These cook books are designed for anyone to use although those who are already quite experienced in the kitchen will probably get the most out of them.
Gordon’s latest offering s called Cooking for Friends: Food from my Table. It is a collection of recipes which are designed with dinner parties in mind, and is exactly the type of stuff that Gordon (apparently) dishes up to his own friends.
Something for Everyone
So can we really all cook up something to serve to our friends which is of Gordon Ramsey’s standards? Well, the answer is yes, of course we can! The recipes are all very well written and are quite easy to follow. There are a couple in the cookery book which you would need to be very brave to attempt if you are not an experienced cook, but there is definitely something in this cook book which everyone will be able to pull off. In fact there are over 100 recipes to choose from which are split into 9 different chapters. For those who are not used to cooking there is even one entire chapter which is entirely devoted to basics.
For those who are feeling a little more adventurous the pies and tarts section of the cookery book may offer you an enjoyable challenge, with mouth-watering dishes such as Cornish chicken pie. The desserts section too also has some great ideas with old favourites such as lemon meringue pie paired with new tasty treats such as chocolate swirl cheesecake.
Making Cooking Simple
Gordon Ramsey’s cook book also does everything possible to make the recipes easy to follow. As well as the recipes themselves being well-written and clearly laid out, there are also lots of beautiful full-colour pictures which help you to understand exactly how the finished dish should look. Another element of the book which is particularly helpful for novice chefs is that each recipe has a little set of tips which will help you to recreate it how it is supposed to be. Even for those who already have a bit of cooking know-how the introductions to each recipe are still worth a read, as they give some interesting facts and information about each of the dishes.
A Tribute to Gordon Ramsey
Although there is no doubt that Gordon Ramsey’s latest cook book would be a great addition to any bookshelf the book is perhaps best suited for those who are actually fans of the man himself. In between the recipes there are a lot of full-coloured photos of Gordon and his family, something which you may not appreciate if you are not a particular fan. Even if Gordon Ramsey is not your cup of tea you still should not let that put you off this great cook book.
Nigella Lawson - Cook Books
April 10, 2009 by cook-books
Filed under Cook Books
Nigella Lawson: Cook-books for the Modern Woman
Nigella Lawson, the daughter of politician Nigel Lawson, is one of the most famous female chefs to come out of the UK in recent years. Nigella loved to cook from a young age, and was also trained as a journalist and food critic, so making a move into writing cook-books was one which was fairly natural.
Nigella the Writer
Nigella’s first foray into the field was the cook-book called How to Eat which sold 300,000 copies. The follow-up is perhaps Nigella’s most famous cook-book to date - How to Be a Domestic Goddess. This book also sold 180,000 copies within the first few months and won Nigella the Author of the Year Award at the British Book Awards.
It was these first two cook-books which then launched Nigella’s career into TV, with her series Nigella Bites first screening in the UK on Channel 4 in 2000. From this series there was spawned yet another cook-book, this one named after the series - simply Nigella Bites.
Nigella’s popularity continued to grow, both in the UK and abroad, and in 2006 her new show Nigella Feasts debuted in the US. This subsequently was contracted to be shown across numerous other countries, a sign of Nigella’s increasing popularity and a signal that there may be yet more cook-books to come.
Sure enough, a Christmas special entitled Nigella’s Christmas Kitchen led onto a new BBC series called Nigella Express, a series which did lead to another published cook-book.
What’s in Nigella Lawson’s Cook-books?
One of the main reasons that Nigella Lawson’s cook-books are so popular is that they take a no-nonsense approach that is much more suitable for the modern lifestyle, while still maintaining the same essence as more traditional cook-books. For example in Nigella’s Christmas there are a whole host of recipes which are designed to make your Christmas celebrations elegant but low-fuss. There are heaps of yummy dishes in the cook-book including simple edible Christmas tree decorations, several recipes for fabulous Christmas cakes and puddings. And to top it all off, Nigella even shows you how to make a turkey with all the trimmings which will delight all your guests.
Nigella Express, as the name suggests, is aimed specifically at those who haven’t got a great deal of time on their hands to spend in their kitchen. As well as a whole host or recipes, Nigella takes you through the absolute essentials that all kitchen cupboards should be stocked with to save you time in the long run. There are also lots of tips to help you cut corners in the kitchen without compromising quality.
Nigella Lawson’s Published Cook-Books
If Nigella Lawson’s style of cooking sounds like exactly what you need, you should check out some of her cook-books. This is a list of all the cook-books which Nigella has currently got in print:
- How to Eat: Pleasures and Principles of Good Food
- How to Be a Domestic Goddess
- Nigella Bites
- Forever Summer with Nigella
- Feast: Food to Celebrate Life
- Nigella Express
- Nigella Christmas
Posts about Cook Books as of March 16, 2009
March 16, 2009 by cook-books
Filed under Cook Books
Sounds delish? Have you ever heard of “The Cake Mix Doctor” cook book? Great! Joy, I have been praying for your daddy and fo rall of you! Going to pop over to your blog now!