Calling all cookbook lovers

yirara

mtaratoot wrote: »

Thanks @yirara. That's the kind of feedback I was looking for. I thought I remember someone mentioning them here in the last month - it might have been you.

I'm not sure what an "American" taste is though. I wonder if I have one. I don't use mayonnaise or ketchup. I don't eat fast food. I like sauerkraut and kimchi. I like rutabaga. I like "stinky" cheese.

To be honest I don't know either. I have a couple of American cookbooks, and there's something about using aromatics that doesn't work for me. It's always kind of simple, and almost a bit boring. I'm much happier with my British books. My US books kind of feel like a step upwards from prairie cooking, if you get what i mean, while my British books might have a huge pile of spices, which you can all buy in normal supermarkets no problem.

I don't have any of them, nor have looked into, but lots of people say that the Milkstreet books are better than ATK, especially with regards to international cuisine. Not sure though.

yirara

Important to note: I think what tastes good to someone is what people grew up with.

acpgee

@Athijade

My Japanese cookbook was first published in 1980 but is considered a classic. "Japanese Cooking - A Simple Art" by Shizuo Tsuji. It's traditional, so not full of shortcuts.

For looking up more modern Japanese dishes online I like this website: https://norecipes.com/

AnnPT77

yirara wrote: »

Important to note: I think what tastes good to someone is what people grew up with.

Yeah? No. I think that's gonna vary individually.

The only resemblance between how I ate growing up, and how I enjoy eating now, is that I still like veggies.

My mother was a good mainstream Midwestern US cook - not one of those mushy veggies and boil everything people. We had good meals, of the type. But she didn't use much in the way of herbs and seasonings, no one tolerated hot spicy foods, meals were meat-centric.

Other than her recipe for banana chocolate chip cookies (my favorite, but I've subbed coconut oil or butter for lard), I can't think of a single dish that I cook that is the same as I ate when growing up. Different foods (other than some veggies), different flavor profiles, spices and herbs, international flavor profiles, . . . zero meat/fish. I still eat cheese, but it's different cheese, even.

Hobartlemagne

Not a book, but I really like Milk Street Magazine (by Chris Kimball of America's Test Kitchen).
I photocopy my favorite recipes and keep them in a binder.

Hobartlemagne

mtaratoot wrote: »

Does anybody have or use any of the "Best of America's Test Kitchen" cookbooks? Apparently there is (or at least was) a new one each year. I saw a couple at a thrift shop today, and I almost got one... or both. I was on foot, though, so didn't want to tote 'em back home. I might go pick them up next week when they open again if they are worth owning.

They are good-looking hard-bound books, but I didn't spend much time looking through the recipes. I don't usually follow recipes per say; I use them as a guide when I want to cook something. I often look at several recipes and then "wing it."

There were some others I might go peruse next time I'm up there, especially if I have either my vehicle or a backpack to schlep 'em home.

Their old editions in the gingham pattern covers were great. Red was regular/ Green was healthy.
Those are now out of print. I think they wanted to reprint recipes in new editions.

acpgee

@Athijade

For ethnic cookbooks I tend to buy the classic pioneers in English such as Elizabeth David for French provincial, Marcella Hazan for Italian, David Thompson for Thai or Claudia Roden for Middle Eastern as a first introduction.

For Mexican, this would be Diane Kennedy. Her first three books are available in a single volume nowadays.