Nancie McDermott cookbooks

[cstout]

I am REAL new to chinese cooking & want to start out with the tried & true recipes that you see in most Chinese restaruants. Saw 2 of her books that sounded like they might work for me. The titles are "QUICK & EASY CHINESE COOKING" & "BEST STIR FRY RECIPES". I know the recipes from her books aren't authenic, but I just want to crawl before I walk. Could you kind folks make a comment on her books?

[buttertart]

There are several threads on Chinese cookbooks here you might want to look at - here's one:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/672743

[cstout]

Hi buttertart, I am furiously jotting down notes from everyone's suggestions, Fuchsia has just been added, have placed a bid on ebay for Irene Kuo's book. Boy, I am getting hungry thinking about all these books, is anybody woking out there? I think I smell some fried rice, or is it my computer catching on fire with all these wonderful suggestions?

[buttertart]

:) Check ABEbooks and Amazon for used copies of anything you're interested in.

[MelMM]

Haven't seen her Chinese books, but I had two Thai books from her that I didn't care for. For accessible and delicious Chinese recipes, I would check out Grace Young's books. Two were recently COTM here on Chowhound, so you can find a lot of info if you look up the COTM threads.

[cstout]

You all are so helpful...helps me to save a dollar here & there on cookbooks that won't be used.
Charlotte

[Candy]

You might check out what is on the shelves in your public library. I used to do that frequently. You can try some on that way. I still occasionally do that with new books. Look for a copy of Irene Kuo's The Key to Chinese Cooking. Approachable and accessible. It is a great book for someone new to Asian cooking.

[cstout]

Candy, thanks so much for the library suggestion, unfortunately I only have access to a very small town library & it is like pulling teeth from a chicken to get them to do an interlibrary loan thing. The Key to Chinese Cooking is definately one I shall persue on Ebay or Amazon.

[buttertart]

The Irene Kuo is my all-time favorite (I've been cooking from it since its release), the methods are clearly described and the results very good. It covers recipes from many Chinese cuisines. You can't go wrong with that one.
I'm not crazy about the Grace Young books, to tell the truth, and the only Nancie McDermott book I've looked at - the Thai one - was very watered-down.

[cstout]

I will certainly check into Irene Kuo..your suggestion sounds like this might be the one. Thanks buttertart

[buttertart]

You're very welcome, and welcome to Chowhound!

[Gio]

Here's the link to the Grace Young Master COTM Thread. You'll find links to the various chapter report threads there.

I'd recommend investigating Land of Plenty by Fuchsia Dunlop for Chinese Sichuan recipes:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/494660

[cstout]

Gio, you folks are really great for responding, this is my first ever post on ANY website & I thought I would give it a go since I have been reading so many informative things here. Hope someday I can contribute to help a fellow Chow.
Charlotte

[Gio]

Oh well then, a HUGE WELCOME to you, Charlotte.

In case you're not familiar with what we call COTM... it's Cookbook of the Month. We discuss various cookbooks and cuisines, nominate books we're interested in, then vote for one, and get to cook from the most popular cookbook for the coming month.

Here's a link to the archived master threads for past COTMs if you're interested:

http://www.chow.com/cookbook_of_the_m...

I hope you enjoy your time here and

[Gio]

...Happy Cooking.

[cstout]

Gio, thanks again...just goes to show you how dense I am at how to get around in this site...I saw the letters COTM quite often, but could not figure out what they ment....DUH....I am now enlightened...boy do I feel dumb.Don't everybody start laughing now. I feel like I just came out from underneath a rock..I need to change my username to Slow Texan...that way everybody will know it's me. Anyway, thanks for taking me under your wing. I am going to that link right now. Bye Bye.
Charlotte

[meatn3]

It took me quite awhile to figure out what COTM was all about too!

[cstout]

meatn3, I feel better now since you fessed up about not knowing the COTM word either. We must all stand together in this, even if it is only the 2 of us.

[meatn3]

Welcome to Chowhound! The beauty of the site is there is always something new to learn. It is a very welcoming, helpful, smart and generous group of fellow food freaks.
Dive in and enjoy!

[buttertart]

Hi again Charlotte, the Fuchsia Dunlop books are wonderful if you're looking for spicy dishes. The recipes are simple and the results great.

[glacier206]

I have the Easy Chinese one. Wish I could remember more so I could give you a detailed reply, but I haven't used it in a long time. The reason I haven't used it is because I didn't really like it. The recipes all sounded delicious, but I found that they invariably needed tweaking.

[cstout]

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment...that helped me to decide against it.
Charlotte from TX