What is your Favorite Cookbook?

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Woodman1

Executive Chef
Joined
Jan 8, 2005
Messages
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Location
Mentor, Oh
I have three: (in this order )

1)" Joy Of Cooking" (Rombauer and Becker )-it was my first and it covers everything to a degree. When you consider when it was put together, it was revolutionary. A great "jumping off" point for the beginning cook.

2)"The Food and Life of Oaxaca" (Zarela Martinez) real Mexican food from the State of Oaxaca on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in southern Mexico. Some of the stuff is bizarre, like huitlacotche (corn smut fungus) and maguelitas (the worm in the Mezcal bottle, and dried shrimp (an aquired taste) but the Oaxacan's passion and penchant for earthy sauces made from nuts and seeds coupled with chiles and fruit ,like "moles" and "pipians" along with with their love of the indigenous chiles; makes their cuisine the most interesting on the continent to me. This book is filled with complex, difficult to execute recipes and hard to find ingredients which is precisely why I love it!

3) Smoke and Spice (The Jamisons) My first foray into BBQ. The reason I bought a Klose. The "Succor Rub" is great on butts. The Smoked Rosemary Walnuts" rock. Not the best BBQ book, but a great all around introduction to the art.

Woodman
 
Greg Rempe said:
What's a book...the next book I read will be the first! <Greg ducks for cover> :shock:

A "book" is what I'm going to write someday about this modern ,"e-community" phenomenon of groups like this , who , even though they have never laid eyes on one another, can develop strong relationships and mutually shared interests across, not only the country, but the world as well. The social implications,are tremendous. The marketing possibilities, even more so! I have "known" most of you for what, about two weeks? I already have a pretty good feel for your basic personalities. I have bonds now with folks on the other site I post on, that will likely morph into lifelong freindships. BBQ101, is driving all the way from Maryland to here in April, to take me to Houston in order to pick up my pit. Now that's what we call a "Q-Brother." So, put that in your pipe and smoke it Rempe!!!!!!!

ps. If you catch me while I'm all coffe'd up in the morning it can be a wild ride!
 
Woodfriend, and what's tough is that it's hard to explain it to people who don't participate in some kind of computer forum, they look at you like your some kind of computer stalker. I am, but that's beside the point. My wife still doesn't get it. :roll:
 
I was disappointed in The Barbecue Bible. There are great tips for beginners, but 90 percent of the recipes are things I'll never try. I don't really care what Iranian radicals are grilling.

I really like the old church cookbooks from the 70's. If you can find them, they have some great old recipes. Any recipe that calls for
oleo is fine with me.
 
GlennR said:
kidding-I'll get the recipe posted later today. It's not for those who fear fat and cholesteral.


Fear fat?!?! Hell that's the only reason I eat meat is have something to go with my fat!

Did you guys every see that steak/toast thingy that called for the sauce that started with a pound of butter? lol, it's great, I'll post it if you want, but all I can say is....it's butterific!
 
Capn'n, You need to try the East Coast Diner favirite called a "Texas Tommy" Take a fat hot dog. Split it lengthwise. Stuff it with cheese. Wrap it in bacon. Secure the bacon with a toothpick. Deep fry until the bacon is crisp. Enjoy it with an egg cream! Woody
 
Love AB's book. It's more of a why, instead of a how to.

Recently got Paul Kirks, Championship BBQ. Haven't made it through the whole thing yet, but it's a good book.

Used to cook a lot from the Frugel Gourmet cookbooks.

Southern Living cookbooks (have 1985 thru current)

Justan Wilson and Tony Chachere.
 
Chris Finney said:
Love AB's book. It's more of a why, instead of a how to.

Recently got Paul Kirks, Championship BBQ. Haven't made it through the whole thing yet, but it's a good book.

Used to cook a lot from the Frugel Gourmet cookbooks.

Southern Living cookbooks (have 1985 thru current)

Justan Wilson and Tony Chachere.

Chris, I used to watch Jeff Smith (Frugal Gourmet) every week! I credit him with inspiring me to try new things (no jokes please). It is a shame his , ahem, indescretions ruined the good he accomplished. He is totally forgotten now. He got me started on pesto. I now grow basil and put up at least a couple quarts of the stuff each summer.
 
Me too, Woodwatcher.

I turely learned a lot from him. Met him a couple of times at events.
He never touched me inappropriately. :shock:

Hey... what's wrong with me? :?
I was young... hot...
Dare I say it? ... Sexy :shock:


I need a Scotch after typing that. I feel so... dirty. :oops:
 
My favorite for real informative, how to cook something is "The Best Recipe" by the editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine. Has a lot of science behing the recipes and techniques. Kinda like AB

The one that I use when I want to cook something that really is spectacular, is "Paul Prudhommes Louisiana Kitchen".

Uncle AL
 
Uncle Al said:
... The one that I use when I want to cook something that really is spectacular, is "Paul Prudhommes Louisiana Kitchen".

Uncle AL
A while back, I asked for a recipe for blackened sword fish over on TVWB and a recipe from Paul Prudnommes Louisiana Kitchen came up...And it was posted by our favorite, Double D.!! LOL!! Paul Prudnommes' book keep coming up as someone's favorite so I'm gonna buy it! Thanks for the reminder, Al. 8)
 
I used to like Paul Prudhomme better whe he drag raced as "The Snake" against Tom Mckewan (The Mongoose) in the 70's. That must be how he ended up in the wheelchair! :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
 
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