TOP COOK BOOKS

[beckybee]

I am looking to buy a new Cook Book. Nothing to plain but not to Difficult to make either, I also like pictures. Just bought Fine cooking annual and I love the recipes. Any Suggestions?

[chrystaldawn]

I have always had great luck with Williams Sonoma cookbooks. They have a food made fast series with different focuses i.e. Soup, Pasta, Chicken. With lots of pictures. The books are usually set up in 10/15/20 minute recipe sections.

[Mila]

Try a Delia Smith cookbook. The recipes are very tasty and directions are rock solid.

[NYchowcook]

Susan Sungen of the Martha Stewart empire has a cookbook out called "Recipes" which is pretty down-home easy w/ pics. And good too.

[ali patts]

For cooking with a picture I normally go to one of my Donna Hay books - every recipe has a nice picture and everything I've cooked has been tasty. Certainly not complicated, in fact, they might be a bit 'simple'.

[NiKoLe1625]

The new cookbook from Giada DiLaurentis, "Everyday Pasta" is great. She has mostly pasta dishes in it, but also some accompaniments.

[beckybee]

Wow, thank you all so very much, for all your help!!!

[Marianna215]

Giada's other books are great too. Her recipes are simple but delicious.

[onebite]

I like Jacque Pepin's Fast Food My Way. His recipes are so simple yet elegant. Like you, I love to have pictures to get the juices flowing, and the photos in this book are very nice. Check it out!

[wenster]

Something simple and straightforward are Sara Foster's books. I used to frequent Foster's Market in Durham when I was out there a few years ago for b-school. My sister gave me her Fresh Everyday cookbook, which I use quite a bit. It's not fussy or pretentious, or uses weird ingredients you have to search high and low for. If you want to take a look at some recipes, you can go on the site: http://www.fostersmarket.com/recipes..... It gives you a good idea of what to expect.

[FAL]

G Bugialli on Pasta. My wife had to buy me a new one. I used it so much it fell apart. A must if you love cooking pasta.

[msbo78]

Agreed as to her first two books, which I like. Avoid her third book, Casual Cooking at all costs. Unless, of course, you need a recipe for a pepperoni english muffin pizza.

[Megiac]

Try the Barefoot Contessa books.

[valerie]

Agreed. I always go back to the original Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

[cookingschool]

I, too, love the original Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. My brother just sent it to me, and I've already made several of the recipes....all of which turned out great. My original love, though, is Julia Child's The Way to Cook. Beautiful pictures and instruction on everything you can imagine. Here's a quote of Julia's from that book....it should give you some idea....

"You can do so many attractive things with cold fish."-Julia Child

[THenderson]

I second the Barefoot Contessa books - - they are without a doubt my favorites and the food photography is beautiful - (I'm a photographer, so, of course I appreciate that aspect) but the recipes - most of them - are great. Many of them have become my "go-to" recipes. Great, simple, fresh food - - not overly pretentious or overdone.

[daily_unadventures]

Agreed, just be careful, her recipes make HUGE portions so you usually need to half or even quarter the recipes.
Katerina
http://dailyunadventures.com

[adventuresinbaking]

Check out "Fresh Foods Fast" I don't remember the Author, but all the recipes I have tried out of it have been wonderful.

The cookbook proviedes 12 meals for each season that can be prepared in an hour. They are all vegetarian, but everyone who has eaten the food has loved it.

[NYchowcook]

Peter Berley is the author of Fresh Food Fast. He also wrote The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen. He was a chef at a NYC vegan restaurant, I believe.

[brokergal]

I bought Rick Bayliss' "Mexican Everyday" last year and love it - the recipes are for the most part healthy but satisfying, not too difficult (a number of them can be quickly whipped up after work) and the ingredients called for are relatively easy to find in most supermarkets.