Novice: recommendation for a good starti
Peggy Shambo
From: jfse...@unix1.tcd.ie (John Senior)
>Hi everyone - I am looking for a good book on basic cookery. The
>sort of book I am after is not a listing of recipes but something
>that gives ideas and explains for instance what goes well with
>what, how much to use etc - I find that whenever I try to follow
>a recipe the results aren't great but when I cook using whatever
>is to hand usually things turn out fine.
Go out and invest in a copy of Joy of Cooking. I find it to be
the definitive cookbook, when it comes to the basics. It also has
great non-basic ideas, too, for when you become more confident. I
think the most important part of the book (in the middle for some
reason) is "Know Your Ingredients". I turn to it for reference
often. It also discusses equipment: pots n pans, knives, how to
measure different things, etc.
I think it is a great jumping-off point. (IMHO) And a worthwhile
investment. (I've got the hardcopy.)
Peg
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I'm an American. I live in England, which is in the United Kingdom
jaz...@cix.compulink.co.uk <--- see? it says "uk" on there!
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>>>MATRIX version 1.21e
Blondie
>Go out and invest in a copy of Joy of Cooking. I find it to be
>the definitive cookbook, when it comes to the basics. It also has
>great non-basic ideas, too, for when you become more confident. I
I really like the Joy of Cooking as well. My other two references are
The New Laurel's Kitchen and Jane Brody's Good Food Book; I use all
three for different reasons.
However, there is one thing lacking in all of these. I am a
vegetarian, and I like to bbq marinated veggies shish kabob style.
All of these books are lacking in marinades (JofC has *lots* for meat
that just seem too heavy for veggies). I'd like something quick and
easy and tasty. I'd like a *real* recipe to start with that I can
adapt once I get used to it. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Judy Frawley
Meg Worley
Judy Frawley asked about vegetarian grilling & lamented the
lack of information in Irma, Laurel, & Jane. But Mollie
comes through for us: *Still Life With Menu* (my favorite
of all her cookbooks) has a section of vegetarian BBQs. If
you like, I can post some of the tidbits she offers.
Rage away,
meg
--
mwo...@mathcs.emory.edu: Oldest Living Emory Junior Tells All
Betty Lise Anderson
1/3 c lemon juice
salt (1/2 tsp?)
pepper (1/2 tsp?)
There may be a fifth ingredient but I can't remember. Anyway, the recipe is
perfect.
Tanya Heikkinen
*Rodale's Natural Foods Cookbook*. Besides having thousands (literally!) of
recipes, it lists cooking times for various foods, herbs and spices that
compliment, and tips for purchasing. I am a vegetarian, and have gained a
lot of useful information from this book, but it also has sections on meat
dishes if that is your bent. If you do get this book, you will learn a lot
about food basics.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tanya Heikkinen
theik...@marvin.ag.uidaho.edu
hunti...@umbc2.umbc.edu
I don't know any recipes offhand, but I know where
to find some... Since you're already a Jane Brody fan,
you might try looking through her Good Food Gourmet
book (jeez--I hope that's the right title). I was just
looking through it last night and noticed it had some
recipes for vegetable marinades. (One of my favorite
books.)
Robin
Karen Paik
The recipes weren't easy. Each took several hours to make.
I recall one recipe that Julia claimed would take 1/2 hour and actually took
about 4. I wouldn't try to make more than one recipe for the same meal.
The explanation of techniques, such as how to peel and seed tomatoes, was very
good.
I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner, except as a reference for cooking
techniques.
Jim Hartley
>I found Julia Child's "The Way to Cook" to have both good and bad points.
>The recipes weren't easy. Each took several hours to make.
>I recall one recipe that Julia claimed would take 1/2 hour and actually took
>about 4. I wouldn't try to make more than one recipe for the same meal.
>
>techniques.
You seem to be missing the point of this cookbook. _The Way to Cook_
is meant to be an instruction manual, not a collection of recipes.
As Julia Child explains, the way to learn to cook is to master simple
recipes, like sauteed chicken, by making them several times, and then
once those recipes are mastered move onto the more complicated dishes.
_The Way to Cook_ is not meant to be opened to a page at random and
have the recipe therin made for dinner. One must first master the
techniques leading up to that recipe. THe same is true of the cooking
times--they are for cooks who have mastered the necessary skills, not
for the novice cook.
This is why _The Way to Cook_ is an excellent book for beginning,
intermediate, and even advanced cooks. It doesn't merely give you
a bunch of recipes, but *teaches* you *how* to cook--hence the name.
--
Jim Hartley
jeha...@ucdavis.edu
"If ignorance paid dividends, most Americans could make fortunes out of
what they don't know about economics." -Luther Hodges
Blondie
>
>Judy Frawley asked about vegetarian grilling & lamented the
>lack of information in Irma, Laurel, & Jane. But Mollie
>comes through for us: *Still Life With Menu* (my favorite
>of all her cookbooks) has a section of vegetarian BBQs. If
>you like, I can post some of the tidbits she offers.
>
Please post. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's interested.
Thanks,
Judy Frawley
Meg Worley
Okay, here goes. The menu reads as follows:
Ricotta-Spinach Dip with Chips
Mexican-Style Corn with Chili Mayonnaise
Grilled Marinated Delicacies (eggplant, zucchini or summer squash,
peppers, sweet potatoes, tofu)
Grilled polenta
Bread
Fresh tomatoes
Artichokes
Grilled fruit: pears, bananas, pineapple, peaches
(I'm going to leave out the dip, since that's not grilled.)
CORN:
Wrap the corn in foil & put in the coals for 10-15 minutes. Take
out, squeeze lots of lime juice on it, then spread on chili mayo
(1 c. mayo, 2 T. chili powder). I lived off this stuff in Mexico,
and their version wasn't really mayonnaise but a clabbered cream.
I try to imitate it by mixing together sour cream & mayo in equal
proportions -- much better than Mollie's mayo version.
GRILLED VEGS:
Salt eggplant slices & let them sit. Pat dry. Slice squash
lengthwise. Marinate at least 12 hours in 6 T. olive oil, 4-5 T.
cider vinegar (or more), 4-5 cloves crushed garlic, and pepper.
Quarter the peppers lengthwise. Brush with a mixture of 1/2 c.
olive oil and 3-4 cloves crushed garlic that has been heated
completely.
Wash sweet peppers (don't peel) & boil until tender. Cut into
3/4" slices. Brush with the garlic oil.
Cut onions into quarters or sixths lenghtwise.
Slice tofu into 2-1/2" squares, 3/4" thick. Marinate 12 hours in
5 T. olive oil, 5 T. cider vinegar, 2 T. soy sauce, 1/4 t. salt,
4-6 cloves crushed garlic, and pepper.
(Obviously, toss all this stuff on a *well oiled* grill &
take it off when you can no longer restrain yourself.)
GRILLED POLENTA:
Make a *very* thick polenta and chill for several hours, till it
is solid. Cut into wedges, brush both sides with garlic oil, &
place over glowing or ashy coals (no direct flame). Grill for about
8-10 minutes per side, so that it is crispy on the outside & warm
all the way through. Keep well oiled -- this stuff sticks something
fierce.
B, T, & A:
Brush thick chunks of Italian bread or baguette with garlic oil &
grill until toasty.
Grill whole or half tomatoes very quickly. They can withstand a little
bit of flame -- it is okay for the skin to blacken. Either peel
it off or eat it.
Precook the artichokes. Halve lengthwise & brush all surfaces
with garlic oil. Grill over moderate heat.
There you have it. All from Mollie Katzen's *Still Life with
Menu*, with liberal rewording by me.
!Buen apetito!
L.A.Z. Smith
kitchen bible has been The New Doubleday Cookbook. It has excellent
explanations of techniques, different kinds of foods and their uses and
best cooking methods, as well as a wide variety of recipes. I am almost
entirely a self-taught cook, and I never learnt to cook until I was an
adult; I relied heavily on this book while I was learning.
If it has any faults, it is that it isn't especially visual. There are
diagrams, but if you need to see photographs, you may want something
like Time-Life's "The Good Cook" series (I'm not sure if this is still in
print) or Anne Willan's new "Look and Cook" series. These are expensive,
however, if you want the whole set.
Good luck.
---
Leah A. Zeldes le...@smith.chi.il.us
Food Editor
Lerner newspapers
Marcia
>If it has any faults, it is that it isn't especially visual. There are
>diagrams, but if you need to see photographs, you may want something
>like Time-Life's "The Good Cook" series (I'm not sure if this is still in
>print) or Anne Willan's new "Look and Cook" series. These are expensive,
>however, if you want the whole set.
If you like/want/need pictures of what you are about to cook, I recommend
the "Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook". It has a color photograph for
every recipe in the book, in addition to step by step recipes. I basically
taught myself to cook out of this book, since I knew what things were supposed
to come out like.
--
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Marcia Bednarcyk ADDRESSES: mar...@netcom.com
"Sweaty Snugglebunnies." m...@cisco.com
trumpe...@husky1.stmarys.ca
>From: jaz...@cix.compulink.co.uk (Peggy Shambo)
>Subject: Novice: recommendation for a good starti
>Date: Tue, 8 Jun 1993 18:03:56 +0000
Mrs Beatons everyday cookbook, if its still in print.
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Sharen A. Rund
or if you're in a hurry, Italian dressing
one of the easiest is :
Put into large plastic/glass container (plastic bag)
1 lb scallops (varries on how many people - can also do scallops & shrimp)
1 onion cut into bite size pieces
1 green pepper cut into bite size pieces
1 lb mushrooms
[optional: red and or green peppers cut into bite size pieces]
Pour Italian dressing over to coat, cover and let stand up to
an hour - tossing the ingredients every so often to keep
well coated in marinade
Using wood kabob sticks skewer the pieces on alternating the scallops
between the veggies - usually start with pepper piece, then scallop,
then onion, then sacllop, etc ...ending up with a mushroom
Serve on bed of rice.
--
____________ __ ____________ "They that can give up essential
\_____ / /_ \ \ _____/ liberty to obtain a little
\_____ \____/ \____/ _____/ temporary safety deserve
\_____ _____/ neither liberty nor safety."
\___________ ___________/ --Benjamin Franklin
/ \ ALL disclaimers apply ....
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