Which cookbook do you use most?

[Cicatrix]

I have a shit ton of books. And while I tend to flip through my Steve Raichlen bbq books the most and pick my couple Jaimie Oliver books for some inspiration. I subscribe to Fine Cooking and make new recipes from those a lot. But I dont think I could get through a week without grabbing a gift from my mom that I got 15 years ago. The good ol' Big Red Betty Crocker Cookbook. I have a piss poor memory and can never recall what temp to do what meat at and how many minutes per pound. Or what substitutions I can use and conversions there are from metric to imperial. True most of the recipes in there are basic and not terribly inspiring or fancy but for solid culinary info I think it can't be beat.

It sits in my kitchen on top of the microwave where I can reach it quickly while my other books are on their own shelf in my office.

Which book could you not function without?

[Mikey]

I've got a bunch that I rarely use. Old international Time-Life series that I inherited from my mom. Bought several Alice Waters books through Amazon, but haven't really read them thoroughly yet. Seems like you can't do most of the recipes without access to every exotic plant and animal product available.

Mostly I just improvise, but I do consult JoC more than almost any other. I've got an old edition in paperback and and a newer one in hardcover Another that I use fairly frequently for advice is "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Brittman.

[stuckinia]

Joy of Cooking because I always forget the basics, such as time and temperature. The rest I just make up as I go.

[Goober McTuber]

The New Doubleday Cookbook. Betty Crocker wishes she had written this one.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Doubleday-Coo ... 038519577X" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Adelpiero]

none

i go by memory of parents cooking said items or just wing it. many times wingin it has been 10 times better. But when the items fail, they fail miserably, i had some shit i cooked, that the dogs wouldn't eat. Even the ants said NO.


1 item no one in my family can get correct or duplicate, is chicken paprika. My grandma made incredible chicken paprika, none of her kids can even come close to duplicating. Shit was so good, that friends of family and others would ask her to make it for weddings, parties, family events. man that shit was good!

[smackaholic]

I still break out my frugal pedophile cookbooks from time to time. Mostly simple, but damn good recipes.

I really enjoyed that dude's show. Too bad he had a thing for 15 year old boys.

[smackaholic]

I also have a very old hardback cookbook (meta givens) that I inherited from my grandfather. I think it is from the 50s and has his handwriten commentary throughout noting which recipes were good and which were teh suck.

[indyfrisco]

e,

10 years ago, I found this website.

http://www.cook-books.com/dbaccess.htm

Has 1 million+ recipes. This is how I come up with a lot of recipes...including Brent's BBQ Sauce. Back when I was interested in making my own sauce, I wanted to know what went into many BBQ sauces. So I searched for BBQ Sauce. It came back with thousands of results. I opened many and read common ingredients and got approximate quantities. I then made a sauce where a lot of the common ingredients were in them and added some things I would like in a sauce as different heat adding ingredients and a few spices. After quite a few batches, I came up with what I now sell.

I use this site a lot when I want to create something using the same methodology. Chili is one thing I used this site for. Got many ideas on what to put in chili and then made it my own. For example, I hate chili with ground beef and most chili recipes have ground beef. So I took the base, added my own additional ingredients that is not in most chilis such as cumin and chipotle peppers and then smoked flank steak and use that for the meat instead of ground beef.

Just a thought for you. Nice resource.

[Mikey]

Sin,

tardowen

[smackaholic]

e,

10 years ago, I found this website.

http://www.cook-books.com/dbaccess.htm

Has 1 million+ recipes. This is how I come up with a lot of recipes...including Brent's BBQ Sauce. Back when I was interested in making my own sauce, I wanted to know what went into many BBQ sauces. So I searched for BBQ Sauce. It came back with thousands of results. I opened many and read common ingredients and got approximate quantities. I then made a sauce where a lot of the common ingredients were in them and added some things I would like in a sauce as different heat adding ingredients and a few spices. After quite a few batches, I came up with what I now sell.

I use this site a lot when I want to create something using the same methodology. Chili is one thing I used this site for. Got many ideas on what to put in chili and then made it my own. For example, I hate chili with ground beef and most chili recipes have ground beef. So I took the base, added my own additional ingredients that is not in most chilis such as cumin and chipotle peppers and then smoked flank steak and use that for the meat instead of ground beef.

Just a thought for you. Nice resource.

Indy, Try some bison meat in your chili. A local joint specializes in tex-mex and does various buffalo dishes including an excellent chili.

[Mikey]

e,

10 years ago, I found this website.

http://www.cook-books.com/dbaccess.htm

Has 1 million+ recipes. This is how I come up with a lot of recipes...including Brent's BBQ Sauce. Back when I was interested in making my own sauce, I wanted to know what went into many BBQ sauces. So I searched for BBQ Sauce. It came back with thousands of results. I opened many and read common ingredients and got approximate quantities. I then made a sauce where a lot of the common ingredients were in them and added some things I would like in a sauce as different heat adding ingredients and a few spices. After quite a few batches, I came up with what I now sell.

I use this site a lot when I want to create something using the same methodology. Chili is one thing I used this site for. Got many ideas on what to put in chili and then made it my own. For example, I hate chili with ground beef and most chili recipes have ground beef. So I took the base, added my own additional ingredients that is not in most chilis such as cumin and chipotle peppers and then smoked flank steak and use that for the meat instead of ground beef.

Just a thought for you. Nice resource.

Indy, Try some bison meat in your chili. A local joint specializes in tex-mex and does various buffalo dishes including an excellent chili.

I started out years ago buying the Carrol Shelby Chili fixings that come in a brown paper bag, and following the instructions. Started adding different things and eventually did away with the Carrol Shelby bag completely.

Can't believe, BTW, that anybody would make chili without cumin.

I generally use 2 lb of stewing beef and 1 lb of pork in mine. Will have to try the bison thing one of these days.

[smackaholic]

Can't believe, BTW, that anybody would make chili without cum'in.

I like chili too, but not in that way.

Pervert.

[Mikey]

Can't believe, BTW, that anybody would make chili without cum'in.

I like chili too, but not in that way.

Pervert.

You should try my chili.

It's got an extra shot of protein.

[Goober McTuber]

Sounds like RadioFan’s beef stew.

[smackaholic]

You can get a nice rack of baby back ribs from it as well. I can see how it might not be as good for steaks though.

[Goober McTuber]

I never found Bison to be all that gamey, but that may be because I have ready access to venison. The problem with both of them is that they’re too lean. Fat = flavor. That’s why a NY strip or a rib-eye is superior in flavor to a tenderloin. Tenderloin is a nice girl’s steak.