Top 10 Cookbooks

By RachelAdmin

By Rachel Davies

I have a question for you – do you have cookbooks on your bookshelf that you’ve never opened?

You might not be surprised to hear that I have an extensive collection of cookbooks that is quickly taking over my bookshelves (this photo is only a selection!). I’m seduced by the pretty covers, big name chefs, high profile restaurants, exotic cuisines, and good-enough-to-eat photographs, and I do try to cook from as many of them as possible.

To avoid disaster purchases which end up in Oxfam, I’d suggest you have a flick through a real-life copy of the book before you buy it. Look at the recipes and ask yourself whether you like them, and what purpose the book would serve – everyday meals, entertaining, experimenting, inspiration, learning new techniques, or is the book not really your thing?

Sometimes I buy a recipe book for inspiration, to challenge me to try new things, or to introduce ingredients and techniques. For example, I love Ottolenghi’s cookbooks because they contain lots of vegetables, they teach me interesting combinations of flavours and ingredients, and I trust that his recipes will work, which matters.

I will probably never cook from Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck Cookbook – it has six columns of ingredients to make just one dish, but the photos and explanations are pure inspiration, and I treasure the book for that.

And some books I don’t need. For example, I won’t be buying Fergus Henderson’s Nose to Tail Eating. You might, and at some point I will probably flick through it and think it’s amazing, but for now I’m not going to make Bone marrow salad or Rolled Pig’s Spleen, so I’ll pass.

So here are the top five cookbooks I own, and five from my wishlist. Have a flick through them and see what you think.

1. Jerusalem, Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Covering a wide range of cuisines all found in Jerusalem, these are exciting recipes full of big flavours, fairly long lists of ingredients, well worth a little effort. Ottolenghi’s other books are equally delightful, and the results are always fabulous.

2. Bill’s Everyday Asian, Bill Granger

I haven’t made a recipe from this book that hasn’t been divine. Bill Granger demystifies Asian food, with simplified recipes and gorgeous photography.

3. Pastry, Michel Roux

This is for people intrigued by pastry, and willing to take a leap of faith. It contains lots of wonderful recipes and step-by-step instructions, but you’ll need to dedicate some time to giving them a try.

4. Dough, Richard Bertinet

Famous for his bread, you could do worse than taking Bertient’s advice if you want to give bread-making a try. Again, if you’ll never find the time to do a little kneading, this isn’t for you, but if you’re interested in making bread for the first time, or in widening your repetoire, he explains the processes well with plenty of photos, and I love the results.