Cookbooks - An ongoing obsession (1 Viewer)

[Hastur]

I have loved to cook for as long as I can remember. My mother was an excellent home cook, and all my neighborhood friends always wanted to eat dinner at my house. She was my inspiration from the start. My father struggled to make instant oatmeal, and I suspect he married my mother out of a desire not to starve. Love came later lol. My brother was also inspired in this way, as he went on to have a very successful career as a chef.

My parents owned a bookstore, and I grew up in that environment. I was running the register by the time I was 9. Always had my nose in a book. When Dungeons and Dragons hit in the late 70’s/early 80’s, I immediately became the first choice to invite for D&D sessions. I always had the books and new manuals on hand. I remember convincing my father we needed to sell dice to go with the books. That started a lifelong unhealthy addiction to the shiny math rocks.

Combine the two paragraphs above, and everyone can arrive at the natural conclusion I have a cookbook problem. My wife and I have heated discussions about shelf space. She has banned me from visiting bookstores at times. I have imposed that ban on myself at times as well. I know she is right. It is something I am working on. I’m betting this thread is the worst idea I’ve had in some time.

I won’t list all my cookbooks, but I will highlight some that I think are ‘essentials’(to me, anyway). There are legendary classics(The Silver Palate, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, The Joy of Cooking, etc.) that go without saying. I’m (initially) going to stick to some that I personally like and are important to shine a light on.

I’ll provide a link to a list of those classics mentioned above, just so it is included in the discussion:

https://www.seriouseats.com/essential-cookbooks-for-every-kitchen

I honestly feel if someone wants to improve as a home cook or is just starting the journey, the following 3 books(when applied and practiced) will put them into the top 10% of home cooks in the world.

‘America’s Test Kitchen’ The New Cooking School Cookbook Fundamentals
‘America’s Test Kitchen’ The New Cooking School Cookbook Advanced Fundamentals
A two volume set, these massive tomes(almost 700 pages each) starts with kitchen equipment and the proper care and use of utensils, and walks you thru basic techniques of how to make a great salad, exhaustive knife skills techniques, velveting, spice rubs, sauces, compound butters, the difference between stewing and braising, handmade pasta and dumplings, spatchcocking a chicken, and so much more. Each new technique they introduce you to they also provide a recipe to try out that highlights that technique or skill.

Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat
An instant classic when it arrived on the scene in 2017, this cookbook introduces you to the theory of flavor profiles and how to mix and match different ways to build a meal. This book debunks the concept of recipes, instead teaching you how to build food(and flavor) from scratch and by instinct.

Next, my personal obsession: Soup

Broth & Stock by Jennifer McGruther
Broth and stocks are the heart and soul of a soup, and this is a great primer on the subject. It introduces you to the basics, and helps you discover why taking the time to make your own is essential to a fantastic bowl of soup.

Mastering Stocks and Broths by Rachael Mamane
Now we’re cookin’. Extensive, in depth, and highly readable. Rachael goes into realms of stocks and broths I didn’t know existed before. Green broth. Roasted tomato and parmesan broth. Russian mushroom stock. Mussel stock. A master class on the subject.

Splendid Soups by James Peterson
My go to when looking for a soup recipe. Authoritative and extensive. Teaches you how to create a soup of your own

The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy by Domenica Marchetti
When someone mentions Italian food, thoughts almost always to to lasagna and pizza. Italy's rich history of soup is on full display in this wonderful book.

The Complete Book of Soups and Stews by Bernard Clayton, Jr.
It becomes obvious very quickly Bernard has a passion for not only soup, but the history behind it as well. Funny and whimsical stories throughout, this is a great addition to any kitchen.

The Soup Book by Louis P. DeGouy
From hints on how to make a good basic cream sauce, to an entire chapter just on garnishes, Louis covers a lot. Great resource for serious soup lovers. The only complaint I have is his way of delivering the recipes. They are in paragraph form. No list of ingredients. He relates the recipes almost in conversational tone. You don’t know what goes in the soup until you read the paragraph in full. With that said, still well worth having.

Anthony Bourdain once said “An ounce of sauce covers a multitude of sins”. Sauces by James Peterson is the gold standard of this subject. An often neglected aspect of home cooking, this essential skill will elevate anyone to near legend among home cooks.

There is an ocean of French and Italian cookbooks. I will instead highlight 3 cuisines I have a love for that is often overlooked:

I love Indian food, and swear by The Indian Cooking Course by Monisha Bharadwaj. The history of the various regions in India(including economic, religious, climate, foreign influence, geography) all play a role in the culinary diversity that is India.

Real Chinese food is not readily available in America. Chinese Regional Cooking by Lucille Liang brings authentic Chinese cooking to the table. You’re not going to find General Tso’s chicken or Crab Rangoon(completely American made dishes) in this book.

Lastly(but not least), Mexican food. I think it begins and ends with The Essential Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy. This is authentic Mexican. Not ‘texmex’ or ‘southwestern’ cooking. In the world of Mexican cooking, Diana is a legend.

That’s all I have for now. What are some of your favorites?

 

[dgreen]

My wife has about 200 cookbooks, so it's good to hear there are others out there who have the same addiction.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

I bought the ATK every recipe from every episode a few months ago. It’s fantastic

The other ones we use are from local churches

We also have a family cookbook that my sister put together with favorite recipes from all of us and our grand parents

 

[Instinctive]

I liked seeing some of my faves here. Sauces still my go-to, and what really got me started as I tried to work through the entire textbook.

 

[Hastur]

I bought the ATK every recipe from every episode a few months ago. It’s fantastic

I have that one too, as well as the sister edition from Cook's Country. Both are awesome, and I use them very often.

 

[Eephus]

It's out of print sadly but my favorite cookbook is Master Recipes by Stephen Schmidt. Its gimmick is that Schmidt divides everything up into a set of master recipes with multiple variations on each of them The master recipes taught me a lot of essential techniques but the whole master/variations concept helped me develop improvisational skills that made me a better cook in general.

 

[Eephus]

It's regionally focused but Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen cookbook has gotten a lot of use over the years.

 

[Scoresman]

Good thread. My current favorite cookbooks are probably The Food Lab, for general stuff, and The Perfect Loaf for my sourdough.

Also recently picked up Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflection on a Timeless Staple. This weekend will be attempting some nixtamalized corn tortillas for street tacos.

 

[Eephus]

Also recently picked up Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflection on a Timeless Staple. This weekend will be attempting some nixtamalized corn tortillas for street tacos.

The first sentence left me hanging somewhere between Japan and Mexico.

 

[ChiefD]

I have loved to cook for as long as I can remember. My mother was an excellent home cook, and all my neighborhood friends always wanted to eat dinner at my house. She was my inspiration from the start. My father struggled to make instant oatmeal, and I suspect he married my mother out of a desire not to starve. Love came later lol. My brother was also inspired in this way, as he went on to have a very successful career as a chef.

My parents owned a bookstore, and I grew up in that environment. I was running the register by the time I was 9. Always had my nose in a book. When Dungeons and Dragons hit in the late 70’s/early 80’s, I immediately became the first choice to invite for D&D sessions. I always had the books and new manuals on hand. I remember convincing my father we needed to sell dice to go with the books. That started a lifelong unhealthy addiction to the shiny math rocks.

Combine the two paragraphs above, and everyone can arrive at the natural conclusion I have a cookbook problem. My wife and I have heated discussions about shelf space. She has banned me from visiting bookstores at times. I have imposed that ban on myself at times as well. I know she is right. It is something I am working on. I’m betting this thread is the worst idea I’ve had in some time.

I won’t list all my cookbooks, but I will highlight some that I think are ‘essentials’(to me, anyway). There are legendary classics(The Silver Palate, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, The Joy of Cooking, etc.) that go without saying. I’m (initially) going to stick to some that I personally like and are important to shine a light on.

I’ll provide a link to a list of those classics mentioned above, just so it is included in the discussion:

https://www.seriouseats.com/essential-cookbooks-for-every-kitchen

I honestly feel if someone wants to improve as a home cook or is just starting the journey, the following 3 books(when applied and practiced) will put them into the top 10% of home cooks in the world.

‘America’s Test Kitchen’ The New Cooking School Cookbook Fundamentals
‘America’s Test Kitchen’ The New Cooking School Cookbook Advanced Fundamentals
A two volume set, these massive tomes(almost 700 pages each) starts with kitchen equipment and the proper care and use of utensils, and walks you thru basic techniques of how to make a great salad, exhaustive knife skills techniques, velveting, spice rubs, sauces, compound butters, the difference between stewing and braising, handmade pasta and dumplings, spatchcocking a chicken, and so much more. Each new technique they introduce you to they also provide a recipe to try out that highlights that technique or skill.

Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat
An instant classic when it arrived on the scene in 2017, this cookbook introduces you to the theory of flavor profiles and how to mix and match different ways to build a meal. This book debunks the concept of recipes, instead teaching you how to build food(and flavor) from scratch and by instinct.

Next, my personal obsession: Soup

Broth & Stock by Jennifer McGruther
Broth and stocks are the heart and soul of a soup, and this is a great primer on the subject. It introduces you to the basics, and helps you discover why taking the time to make your own is essential to a fantastic bowl of soup.

Mastering Stocks and Broths by Rachael Mamane
Now we’re cookin’. Extensive, in depth, and highly readable. Rachael goes into realms of stocks and broths I didn’t know existed before. Green broth. Roasted tomato and parmesan broth. Russian mushroom stock. Mussel stock. A master class on the subject.

Splendid Soups by James Peterson
My go to when looking for a soup recipe. Authoritative and extensive. Teaches you how to create a soup of your own

The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy by Domenica Marchetti
When someone mentions Italian food, thoughts almost always to to lasagna and pizza. Italy's rich history of soup is on full display in this wonderful book.

The Complete Book of Soups and Stews by Bernard Clayton, Jr.
It becomes obvious very quickly Bernard has a passion for not only soup, but the history behind it as well. Funny and whimsical stories throughout, this is a great addition to any kitchen.

The Soup Book by Louis P. DeGouy
From hints on how to make a good basic cream sauce, to an entire chapter just on garnishes, Louis covers a lot. Great resource for serious soup lovers. The only complaint I have is his way of delivering the recipes. They are in paragraph form. No list of ingredients. He relates the recipes almost in conversational tone. You don’t know what goes in the soup until you read the paragraph in full. With that said, still well worth having.

Anthony Bourdain once said “An ounce of sauce covers a multitude of sins”. Sauces by James Peterson is the gold standard of this subject. An often neglected aspect of home cooking, this essential skill will elevate anyone to near legend among home cooks.

There is an ocean of French and Italian cookbooks. I will instead highlight 3 cuisines I have a love for that is often overlooked:

I love Indian food, and swear by The Indian Cooking Course by Monisha Bharadwaj. The history of the various regions in India(including economic, religious, climate, foreign influence, geography) all play a role in the culinary diversity that is India.

Real Chinese food is not readily available in America. Chinese Regional Cooking by Lucille Liang brings authentic Chinese cooking to the table. You’re not going to find General Tso’s chicken or Crab Rangoon(completely American made dishes) in this book.

Lastly(but not least), Mexican food. I think it begins and ends with The Essential Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy. This is authentic Mexican. Not ‘texmex’ or ‘southwestern’ cooking. In the world of Mexican cooking, Diana is a legend.

That’s all I have for now. What are some of your favorites?

Your links aren’t working.

 

[Hastur]

I have loved to cook for as long as I can remember. My mother was an excellent home cook, and all my neighborhood friends always wanted to eat dinner at my house. She was my inspiration from the start. My father struggled to make instant oatmeal, and I suspect he married my mother out of a desire not to starve. Love came later lol. My brother was also inspired in this way, as he went on to have a very successful career as a chef.

My parents owned a bookstore, and I grew up in that environment. I was running the register by the time I was 9. Always had my nose in a book. When Dungeons and Dragons hit in the late 70’s/early 80’s, I immediately became the first choice to invite for D&D sessions. I always had the books and new manuals on hand. I remember convincing my father we needed to sell dice to go with the books. That started a lifelong unhealthy addiction to the shiny math rocks.

Combine the two paragraphs above, and everyone can arrive at the natural conclusion I have a cookbook problem. My wife and I have heated discussions about shelf space. She has banned me from visiting bookstores at times. I have imposed that ban on myself at times as well. I know she is right. It is something I am working on. I’m betting this thread is the worst idea I’ve had in some time.

I won’t list all my cookbooks, but I will highlight some that I think are ‘essentials’(to me, anyway). There are legendary classics(The Silver Palate, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, The Joy of Cooking, etc.) that go without saying. I’m (initially) going to stick to some that I personally like and are important to shine a light on.

I’ll provide a link to a list of those classics mentioned above, just so it is included in the discussion:

https://www.seriouseats.com/essential-cookbooks-for-every-kitchen

I honestly feel if someone wants to improve as a home cook or is just starting the journey, the following 3 books(when applied and practiced) will put them into the top 10% of home cooks in the world.

‘America’s Test Kitchen’ The New Cooking School Cookbook Fundamentals
‘America’s Test Kitchen’ The New Cooking School Cookbook Advanced Fundamentals
A two volume set, these massive tomes(almost 700 pages each) starts with kitchen equipment and the proper care and use of utensils, and walks you thru basic techniques of how to make a great salad, exhaustive knife skills techniques, velveting, spice rubs, sauces, compound butters, the difference between stewing and braising, handmade pasta and dumplings, spatchcocking a chicken, and so much more. Each new technique they introduce you to they also provide a recipe to try out that highlights that technique or skill.

Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat
An instant classic when it arrived on the scene in 2017, this cookbook introduces you to the theory of flavor profiles and how to mix and match different ways to build a meal. This book debunks the concept of recipes, instead teaching you how to build food(and flavor) from scratch and by instinct.

Next, my personal obsession: Soup

Broth & Stock by Jennifer McGruther
Broth and stocks are the heart and soul of a soup, and this is a great primer on the subject. It introduces you to the basics, and helps you discover why taking the time to make your own is essential to a fantastic bowl of soup.

Mastering Stocks and Broths by Rachael Mamane
Now we’re cookin’. Extensive, in depth, and highly readable. Rachael goes into realms of stocks and broths I didn’t know existed before. Green broth. Roasted tomato and parmesan broth. Russian mushroom stock. Mussel stock. A master class on the subject.

Splendid Soups by James Peterson
My go to when looking for a soup recipe. Authoritative and extensive. Teaches you how to create a soup of your own

The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy by Domenica Marchetti
When someone mentions Italian food, thoughts almost always to to lasagna and pizza. Italy's rich history of soup is on full display in this wonderful book.

The Complete Book of Soups and Stews by Bernard Clayton, Jr.
It becomes obvious very quickly Bernard has a passion for not only soup, but the history behind it as well. Funny and whimsical stories throughout, this is a great addition to any kitchen.

The Soup Book by Louis P. DeGouy
From hints on how to make a good basic cream sauce, to an entire chapter just on garnishes, Louis covers a lot. Great resource for serious soup lovers. The only complaint I have is his way of delivering the recipes. They are in paragraph form. No list of ingredients. He relates the recipes almost in conversational tone. You don’t know what goes in the soup until you read the paragraph in full. With that said, still well worth having.

Anthony Bourdain once said “An ounce of sauce covers a multitude of sins”. Sauces by James Peterson is the gold standard of this subject. An often neglected aspect of home cooking, this essential skill will elevate anyone to near legend among home cooks.

There is an ocean of French and Italian cookbooks. I will instead highlight 3 cuisines I have a love for that is often overlooked:

I love Indian food, and swear by The Indian Cooking Course by Monisha Bharadwaj. The history of the various regions in India(including economic, religious, climate, foreign influence, geography) all play a role in the culinary diversity that is India.

Real Chinese food is not readily available in America. Chinese Regional Cooking by Lucille Liang brings authentic Chinese cooking to the table. You’re not going to find General Tso’s chicken or Crab Rangoon(completely American made dishes) in this book.

Lastly(but not least), Mexican food. I think it begins and ends with The Essential Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy. This is authentic Mexican. Not ‘texmex’ or ‘southwestern’ cooking. In the world of Mexican cooking, Diana is a legend.

That’s all I have for now. What are some of your favorites?

Your links aren’t working.

There is only one link in my post. I apologize. It is misleading. I underlined the title and author of each book so someone just scanning the post could easily distinguish them from the rest of my long winded post. I changed them to bolded.

 

[Eephus]

OK, I'll say something about the elephant in the room. It's easier to search for recipes on the Internet than to page through a shelf of cookbooks. Video is generally a better medium for demonstrating technique than some small black & white drawings in Joy of Cooking. I don't like the pop-ups the ads are a necessary evil as is scrolling past a blog post about the author's honeymoon in Tuscany.

 

[Gordo]

Thanks for this,

I have recently and slowly been picking my way through The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and The Complete Cook’s Country Cookbook.

So far The Food Lab seems very promising. I haven’t tried enough of the Cook’s Country to form an opinion, but I’ve tried enough America’s Test Kitchen stuff over the years to know there should be some things of value in there.

I’ll add a few of your recommendations to my list.

 

[Hastur]

OK, I'll say something about the elephant in the room. It's easier to search for recipes on the Internet than to page through a shelf of cookbooks. Video is generally a better medium for demonstrating technique than some small black & white drawings in Joy of Cooking. I don't like the pop-ups the ads are a necessary evil as is scrolling past a blog post about the author's honeymoon in Tuscany.

I agree, it is easier. However, the downside to that you are getting questionable recipes from questionable sources. Sometimes the recipes are good, no doubt. Sometimes it is written by a 12 year old who thinks McDonalds is the best hamburger in the world.

 

[ChiefD]

I have loved to cook for as long as I can remember. My mother was an excellent home cook, and all my neighborhood friends always wanted to eat dinner at my house. She was my inspiration from the start. My father struggled to make instant oatmeal, and I suspect he married my mother out of a desire not to starve. Love came later lol. My brother was also inspired in this way, as he went on to have a very successful career as a chef.

My parents owned a bookstore, and I grew up in that environment. I was running the register by the time I was 9. Always had my nose in a book. When Dungeons and Dragons hit in the late 70’s/early 80’s, I immediately became the first choice to invite for D&D sessions. I always had the books and new manuals on hand. I remember convincing my father we needed to sell dice to go with the books. That started a lifelong unhealthy addiction to the shiny math rocks.

Combine the two paragraphs above, and everyone can arrive at the natural conclusion I have a cookbook problem. My wife and I have heated discussions about shelf space. She has banned me from visiting bookstores at times. I have imposed that ban on myself at times as well. I know she is right. It is something I am working on. I’m betting this thread is the worst idea I’ve had in some time.

I won’t list all my cookbooks, but I will highlight some that I think are ‘essentials’(to me, anyway). There are legendary classics(The Silver Palate, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, The Joy of Cooking, etc.) that go without saying. I’m (initially) going to stick to some that I personally like and are important to shine a light on.

I’ll provide a link to a list of those classics mentioned above, just so it is included in the discussion:

https://www.seriouseats.com/essential-cookbooks-for-every-kitchen

I honestly feel if someone wants to improve as a home cook or is just starting the journey, the following 3 books(when applied and practiced) will put them into the top 10% of home cooks in the world.

‘America’s Test Kitchen’ The New Cooking School Cookbook Fundamentals
‘America’s Test Kitchen’ The New Cooking School Cookbook Advanced Fundamentals
A two volume set, these massive tomes(almost 700 pages each) starts with kitchen equipment and the proper care and use of utensils, and walks you thru basic techniques of how to make a great salad, exhaustive knife skills techniques, velveting, spice rubs, sauces, compound butters, the difference between stewing and braising, handmade pasta and dumplings, spatchcocking a chicken, and so much more. Each new technique they introduce you to they also provide a recipe to try out that highlights that technique or skill.

Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat
An instant classic when it arrived on the scene in 2017, this cookbook introduces you to the theory of flavor profiles and how to mix and match different ways to build a meal. This book debunks the concept of recipes, instead teaching you how to build food(and flavor) from scratch and by instinct.

Next, my personal obsession: Soup

Broth & Stock by Jennifer McGruther
Broth and stocks are the heart and soul of a soup, and this is a great primer on the subject. It introduces you to the basics, and helps you discover why taking the time to make your own is essential to a fantastic bowl of soup.

Mastering Stocks and Broths by Rachael Mamane
Now we’re cookin’. Extensive, in depth, and highly readable. Rachael goes into realms of stocks and broths I didn’t know existed before. Green broth. Roasted tomato and parmesan broth. Russian mushroom stock. Mussel stock. A master class on the subject.

Splendid Soups by James Peterson
My go to when looking for a soup recipe. Authoritative and extensive. Teaches you how to create a soup of your own

The Glorious Soups and Stews of Italy by Domenica Marchetti
When someone mentions Italian food, thoughts almost always to to lasagna and pizza. Italy's rich history of soup is on full display in this wonderful book.

The Complete Book of Soups and Stews by Bernard Clayton, Jr.
It becomes obvious very quickly Bernard has a passion for not only soup, but the history behind it as well. Funny and whimsical stories throughout, this is a great addition to any kitchen.

The Soup Book by Louis P. DeGouy
From hints on how to make a good basic cream sauce, to an entire chapter just on garnishes, Louis covers a lot. Great resource for serious soup lovers. The only complaint I have is his way of delivering the recipes. They are in paragraph form. No list of ingredients. He relates the recipes almost in conversational tone. You don’t know what goes in the soup until you read the paragraph in full. With that said, still well worth having.

Anthony Bourdain once said “An ounce of sauce covers a multitude of sins”. Sauces by James Peterson is the gold standard of this subject. An often neglected aspect of home cooking, this essential skill will elevate anyone to near legend among home cooks.

There is an ocean of French and Italian cookbooks. I will instead highlight 3 cuisines I have a love for that is often overlooked:

I love Indian food, and swear by The Indian Cooking Course by Monisha Bharadwaj. The history of the various regions in India(including economic, religious, climate, foreign influence, geography) all play a role in the culinary diversity that is India.

Real Chinese food is not readily available in America. Chinese Regional Cooking by Lucille Liang brings authentic Chinese cooking to the table. You’re not going to find General Tso’s chicken or Crab Rangoon(completely American made dishes) in this book.

Lastly(but not least), Mexican food. I think it begins and ends with The Essential Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy. This is authentic Mexican. Not ‘texmex’ or ‘southwestern’ cooking. In the world of Mexican cooking, Diana is a legend.

That’s all I have for now. What are some of your favorites?

Your links aren’t working.

There is only one link in my post. I apologize. It is misleading. I underlined the title and author of each book so someone just scanning the post could easily distinguish them from the rest of my long winded post. I changed them to bolded.

I was just trying to be funny.

Definitely some good stuff in there. I’ll probably get the last two you mentioned for my wife for Christmas.

 

[Eephus]

OK, I'll say something about the elephant in the room. It's easier to search for recipes on the Internet than to page through a shelf of cookbooks. Video is generally a better medium for demonstrating technique than some small black & white drawings in Joy of Cooking. I don't like the pop-ups the ads are a necessary evil as is scrolling past a blog post about the author's honeymoon in Tuscany.

I agree, it is easier. However, the downside to that you are getting questionable recipes from questionable sources. Sometimes the recipes are good, no doubt. Sometimes it is written by a 12 year old who thinks McDonalds is the best hamburger in the world.

Agree. You have to able to separate the wheat from the chaff. A lot of times I'm just looking for ideas for the ingredients I need to use and it's a lot easier to pull up a handful of recipes and go from there.

 

[Drunken knight]

Many favorite cookbooks…

consolidated a few years ago. Only one bookcase now

 

[Scoresman]

Reddit has been a great source of “authentic” recipes for me. You just have to know how to search. This is where you get people whose grandmothers have passed down recipes and redditors nerd out over it.

Check out this epic recipe for ramen for example.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ramen/s/lB8I1Klx68

 

[Hastur]

Reddit has been a great source of “authentic” recipes for me. You just have to know how to search. This is where you get people whose grandmothers have passed down recipes and redditors nerd out over it.

Check out this epic recipe for ramen for example.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ramen/s/lB8I1Klx68

I need to explore reddit. I've heard about it for years, but never really got in and poked around.

 

[Nigel]

I hate searching randomly on internet, first 30 results are very nearly the same recipe repackaged. Almost every new recipe I cook these days comes to me via NYT Cooking subscription. Money well spent. Loved OP’s post, huge sauce/soup/stew/braise guy. Makes me want to get back to diving into books.

 

[SWC]

not about cookbooks but brohan i love reading stories like this and learning a bit about a fellow traveler take that to the bank

 

[MTskibum]

My parents owned a bookstore, and I grew up in that environment. I was running the register by the time I was 9. Always had my nose in a book. When Dungeons and Dragons hit in the late 70’s/early 80’s, I immediately became the first choice to invite for D&D sessions. I always had the books and new manuals on hand. I remember convincing my father we needed to sell dice to go with the books. That started a lifelong unhealthy addiction to the shiny math rocks.

Without cheating, assume I have an ac of -5 and you have a thacO of 11 with no additional bonusses. What would you need to roll to hit me.



My wife got the julia child recipe book a few years ago. I keep saying how one of these days I am going to make french onion soup, but in her recipe she uses homemade beef stock. Which is good, that is what I would use as well, but then it turns it into ~4+ hours of prep over multiple days and I just have not gotten that motivated to eat good french onion soup yet.

Any year now.

 

[Hastur]

My parents owned a bookstore, and I grew up in that environment. I was running the register by the time I was 9. Always had my nose in a book. When Dungeons and Dragons hit in the late 70’s/early 80’s, I immediately became the first choice to invite for D&D sessions. I always had the books and new manuals on hand. I remember convincing my father we needed to sell dice to go with the books. That started a lifelong unhealthy addiction to the shiny math rocks.

Without cheating, assume I have an ac of -5 and you have a thacO of 11 with no additional bonusses. What would you need to roll to hit me.



My wife got the julia child recipe book a few years ago. I keep saying how one of these days I am going to make french onion soup, but in her recipe she uses homemade beef stock. Which is good, that is what I would use as well, but then it turns it into ~4+ hours of prep over multiple days and I just have not gotten that motivated to eat good french onion soup yet.

Any year now.

Wow...umm....16?

My 19 year old is a very active D&D player(surprise surprise), and he has told me the newest edition doesn't use Thac0 anymore. It's just straight armor class now. Weird.

 

[MTskibum]

My parents owned a bookstore, and I grew up in that environment. I was running the register by the time I was 9. Always had my nose in a book. When Dungeons and Dragons hit in the late 70’s/early 80’s, I immediately became the first choice to invite for D&D sessions. I always had the books and new manuals on hand. I remember convincing my father we needed to sell dice to go with the books. That started a lifelong unhealthy addiction to the shiny math rocks.

Without cheating, assume I have an ac of -5 and you have a thacO of 11 with no additional bonusses. What would you need to roll to hit me.



My wife got the julia child recipe book a few years ago. I keep saying how one of these days I am going to make french onion soup, but in her recipe she uses homemade beef stock. Which is good, that is what I would use as well, but then it turns it into ~4+ hours of prep over multiple days and I just have not gotten that motivated to eat good french onion soup yet.

Any year now.

Wow...umm....16?

My 19 year old is a very active D&D player(surprise surprise), and he has told me the newest edition doesn't use Thac0 anymore. It's just straight armor class now. Weird.

I played a 5th edition campaign about 4 years ago. They made many changes for the better.

 

[psychobillies]

Talk About Good is in just about every kitchen in Louisiana.

The Plantation Cookbook is also great.

 

[MTskibum]

Reddit has been a great source of “authentic” recipes for me. You just have to know how to search. This is where you get people whose grandmothers have passed down recipes and redditors nerd out over it.

Check out this epic recipe for ramen for example.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ramen/s/lB8I1Klx68

I did that a few years ago, one year I actually made my own noodles.

The World's Most Relaxing Soup

Cream Of Xanax

forums.footballguys.com

 

[Brony]

I hate searching randomly on internet, first 30 results are very nearly the same recipe repackaged. Almost every new recipe I cook these days comes to me via NYT Cooking subscription. Money well spent. Loved OP’s post, huge sauce/soup/stew/braise guy. Makes me want to get back to diving into books.

I've become a fan of the app Paprika. While it is a paid app ($5), it's well worth it to me. When I come across a recipe on the internet, I'll stick that URL into Paprika and the app scrapes the site to find just the recipe component. It then adds the recipe to your local library where you can scale the recipe by quantity, you can check off ingredients as you make the dish, add your review and probably the best feature is that the phone stays on/lit so that you don't have to keep activating/unlocking your phone with dirty hands.

 

[higgins]

I hate searching randomly on internet, first 30 results are very nearly the same recipe repackaged. Almost every new recipe I cook these days comes to me via NYT Cooking subscription. Money well spent. Loved OP’s post, huge sauce/soup/stew/braise guy. Makes me want to get back to diving into books.

I've become a fan of the app Paprika. While it is a paid app ($5), it's well worth it to me.

$5/month? Or one-time fee?

 

[Brony]

I hate searching randomly on internet, first 30 results are very nearly the same recipe repackaged. Almost every new recipe I cook these days comes to me via NYT Cooking subscription. Money well spent. Loved OP’s post, huge sauce/soup/stew/braise guy. Makes me want to get back to diving into books.

I've become a fan of the app Paprika. While it is a paid app ($5), it's well worth it to me.

$5/month? Or one-time fee?

one time fee

 

[Scoresman]

I hate searching randomly on internet, first 30 results are very nearly the same recipe repackaged. Almost every new recipe I cook these days comes to me via NYT Cooking subscription. Money well spent. Loved OP’s post, huge sauce/soup/stew/braise guy. Makes me want to get back to diving into books.

I've become a fan of the app Paprika. While it is a paid app ($5), it's well worth it to me. When I come across a recipe on the internet, I'll stick that URL into Paprika and the app scrapes the site to find just the recipe component. It then adds the recipe to your local library where you can scale the recipe by quantity, you can check off ingredients as you make the dish, add your review and probably the best feature is that the phone stays on/lit so that you don't have to keep activating/unlocking your phone with dirty hands.

I use Paprika on my ipad on a stand in my kitchen. Works very well. I need to be more disciplined about adding recipes though.

 

[MTskibum]

I hate searching randomly on internet, first 30 results are very nearly the same recipe repackaged. Almost every new recipe I cook these days comes to me via NYT Cooking subscription. Money well spent. Loved OP’s post, huge sauce/soup/stew/braise guy. Makes me want to get back to diving into books.

When searching for recipes I try to find out if there is a nerdy internet forum or subreddit that obsesses over that particular food. If you just do a google search you get the most popular, and to be honest most people are terrible cooks.

For example when I want to modify my dough or sauce recipe I read the below site:

Index

Pizza Making Forum

www.pizzamaking.com

 

[Scoresman]

I hate searching randomly on internet, first 30 results are very nearly the same recipe repackaged. Almost every new recipe I cook these days comes to me via NYT Cooking subscription. Money well spent. Loved OP’s post, huge sauce/soup/stew/braise guy. Makes me want to get back to diving into books.

When searching for recipes I try to find out if there is a nerdy internet forum or subreddit that obsesses over that particular food. If you just do a google search you get the most popular, and to be honest most people are terrible cooks.

For example when I want to modify my dough or sauce recipe I read the below site:

Index

Pizza Making Forum

www.pizzamaking.com

Yeah this is the best way to find recipes for me. Reddit is usually the result I use. Searches are usually "Authentic [insert recipe name here] Reddit".

 

[Hastur]

I've been playing with the idea of entering my state chili cook-off competition this coming April. The Judges chili thread hooked me over a decade ago, and I still love making a good pot of chili.

I wanted to expand my knowledge about origins, history, and geographic differences of chili thru the states. I recently got these two books to learn and get ideas from:

The Chili Cookbook by Robb Walsh is a solid book. Enlightening read on the 'family tree' of chili. From Lobster chili in Old Mexico, through the Chili Queens of San Antonio, to everything in between. Some excellent recipes too.

The Ultimate Chili Cookbook by W.C. Jameson is good as well. Over 130 recipes.

I went page by page, and neither of these books contain the Judges chili recipe!

 

[Scoresman]

I've been playing with the idea of entering my state chili cook-off competition this coming April. The Judges chili thread hooked me over a decade ago, and I still love making a good pot of chili.

I wanted to expand my knowledge about origins, history, and geographic differences of chili thru the states. I recently got these two books to learn and get ideas from:

The Chili Cookbook by Robb Walsh is a solid book. Enlightening read on the 'family tree' of chili. From Lobster chili in Old Mexico, through the Chili Queens of San Antonio, to everything in between. Some excellent recipes too.

The Ultimate Chili Cookbook by W.C. Jameson is good as well. Over 130 recipes.

I went page by page, and neither of these books contain the Judges chili recipe!

If you haven’t, make sure you look up the difference between competition chili and regular chili. The differences are massive.

 

[Hastur]

I've been playing with the idea of entering my state chili cook-off competition this coming April. The Judges chili thread hooked me over a decade ago, and I still love making a good pot of chili.

I wanted to expand my knowledge about origins, history, and geographic differences of chili thru the states. I recently got these two books to learn and get ideas from:

The Chili Cookbook by Robb Walsh is a solid book. Enlightening read on the 'family tree' of chili. From Lobster chili in Old Mexico, through the Chili Queens of San Antonio, to everything in between. Some excellent recipes too.

The Ultimate Chili Cookbook by W.C. Jameson is good as well. Over 130 recipes.

I went page by page, and neither of these books contain the Judges chili recipe!

If you haven’t, make sure you look up the difference between competition chili and regular chili. The differences are massive.

Yes, there is. There are 4 categories: Traditional Red, 'homestyle' chili, Vegetarian chili, and Chili Verde.

I called and spoke to the guy who sets it up each year. Each participant is required to bring and cook at least 2 gallons of chili. The chili you are entering in the cook off is required to be cooked on site the morning/day of the contest. It is also strongly suggested you bring a large pot of already made chili to pass out to the people attending the event. The chili you make onsite for the competition and the chili you bring to the event does not have to be the same. In other words, the general public is most likely not going to be sampling the winning chili. Weird.

Ready for this? If, during the course of the event, you run out of chili to hand out to the public, the people hosting the event will bring chili to your 'booth' so you can continue handing out samples. They don't want people to hand out some samples and then close up and leave. He said some people balk at this, and refuse to hand out chili they didn't make.