Country Life Experiment

Simple Country Living

Recipe Books I Use All The Time

I have a lot of cook books. Some I’m not sure how I acquired, while others I bought on a whim, or they were given to me as a gift. Some get used a lot, while others I peruse through occasionally for inspiration. Today though, I’m sharing the recipe books I use all the time. You know, the recipe books you open up whenever you need advice. Here are my favourites:

1. The Cooks Companion – Stephanie Alexander
I had been eyeing this book off for several years when I was at uni, but being a student, there was no way I could afford it. On my 21st birthday, one of my lovely (employed) friends, gave it to me. Several (OK, more than several) years later, rarely a week goes by with out us consulting it.
I love that it is arranged alphabetically by product, and that it gives lots of information about how to prepare and store each product. I also really appreciate how there is a list of other ingredients that go well with each product. When ever I come across an ingredient and I’m not sure what to do with it, Stephanie is always my first port of call! The beautiful illustrations and photos are a bonus.

2. Cook – Jamie Oliver
Where as Stephanie works through ingredients, Jamie (yes we call all our recipe books by their authors first name – like they are friends) goes through lots of basic meal types (salads, pasta, rice, meat, fish etc) and teaches you how to make a variety of dishes. I’ve used this recipe book a lot with my students because it really shows them how to cook. Also we love the recipes.
3. Preserving Through The Year – Oded Schwartz
It’s no secret that we do a lot of preserving around here. Whenever I’m not sure about the best way to preserve something, or I’m not sure what flavour combinations will work, I start here!
4 Fish – Pete Evans

Country Boy and I are both fans of fish and seafood fans. Unfortunately out here, there isn’t a lot of fresh seafood to be found. There is perch in the dam though. When ever we can get our hands on some fresh seafood, this is the book we consult to work out the best way to cook it. I even take it to Magic Beach each year!

5. The Commonsense Cook Book

My mother had this when I was little, and I can still remember the mint sauce recipe by heart all these years later – it was one of the first recipes I was put in charge of. You won’t find fancy recipes or beautiful pictures in here, but if you want a simple recipe for almost anything, this is THE place to start. I have one copy at home, and another at work. I use it all the time to calculate times and temperatures for roasting different meats. Can’t say I’ve used the offal chapter at all, but it’s all there!

So tell me dear friends, what are your favourite cook books, and do you call the chefs by their first name??
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