Good general cookbook

[Rachel]

I guess I’ve sort of outgrown my Betty Crocker cookbook that was given to me as a wedding present. I like that it has a wide variety of simple recipes and I have learned how to cook and become a better cook from it. 

However, the last few times I’ve cooked from it, I’ve realized the recipes are too simple. For example, I made chicken noodle soup last night and there were no herbs or spices listed in the recipe at all!  I added a few things but it still tasted plain when I finished. 

I frequently will search online for recipes if I’m looking to make something specific. However sometimes if I’m in the mood for soup (or breakfast or breads) but don’t have a specific soup in mind I just like to browse for ideas.

I would love to find another general cookbook with a variety of recipes but for a more advanced cook. I don’t necessarily mean trendy foods, just more flavorful versions of everyday foods. Any suggestions?

To better describe what I mean here’s a video I watched the other day.  My Betty Crocker cookbook is level one. I’m looking for a level 2 cookbook with some level 3 recipes.

 

[Liz CA]

Well, not sure if any of these fit your needs but I will mention them anyway:

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig - not only a cookbook but a wealth of information mostly based on Weston Price philosophy. 

Just about any cookbook by Ina Garten - love her recipes.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking - this is more involved but has the priceless wisdom of Julia Child. 

[Rachel]

Just now, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

The Food Lab by Kenji Lopez-Alt. 

https://www.amazon.com/Food-Lab-Cooking-Through-Science/dp/0393081087/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543933443&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=the+food+lab+by+j.+kenji+lopez-alt&dpPl=1&dpID=41ufhLxL-TL&ref=plSrch

If you can, check out anything you are interested in at the library first. It helps save a bunch of lousy cookbook purchases. 

I had forgotten about this! I checked it out from my library when it was first published. 

[Rachel]

1 minute ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

You also might look at some Michael Ruhlman books. It sounds to me like you’re wanting to up your techniques rather than just get more complicated recipes? 

Also, no one is better imo for teaching technique than Jacque Pepin. You could get his Techniques book- or look online. He’s got a million videos. 

Yes I think improving techniques is what I’m looking for. I don’t want dinner to take 3 hours to cook every night, but I do like more complicated flavors. 

[meena]

I love Cook’s Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen books for recipes that are researched well and typically work as written the first time you try them. I’ve had the ATK Family Cookbook for 10+ years and used it so much the binding is falling to bits. I also love their magazines. 

The former editor of Cook’s Illustrated, Christopher Kimball, has a fairly new cookbook from his new Milk Street Kitchen brand. I’m picking it up from a hold at the library today so will report back on how it looks compared to CI/ATK.

I have Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, and it does have reliable recipes for a huge variety of foods. But I don’t use it that often because the lack of pictures is kind of uninspiring for me. 

[Rachel]

22 minutes ago, Liz CA said:

Well, not sure if any of these fit your needs but I will mention them anyway:

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig - not only a cookbook but a wealth of information mostly based on Weston Price philosophy. 

Just about any cookbook by Ina Garten - love her recipes.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking - this is more involved but has the priceless wisdom of Julia Child. 

Nourishing Traditions looks like something I would enjoy!

[Rachel]

1 minute ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

Have you read Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat? I don’t know if it would help with recipes, but it’s a very friendly intro to how to use those things to improve cooking. That’s one I would check out if you have the option as I’d hate to have you spend that money on the wrong kind of book! 

I haven’t read it but I do think my library has it. 

[City Mouse]

I like Alton Brown for exhaling the science behind cooking, but his books are not the best for simply browsing.

[meena]

6 minutes ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

The Food Lab by Kenji Lopez-Alt. 

https://www.amazon.com/Food-Lab-Cooking-Through-Science/dp/0393081087/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543933443&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=the+food+lab+by+j.+kenji+lopez-alt&dpPl=1&dpID=41ufhLxL-TL&ref=plSrch

If you can, check out anything you are interested in at the library first. It helps save a bunch of lousy cookbook purchases. 

 

I love Kenji (no surprise since he was one of CI’s lead recipe developers) and his book is beautiful. But it is such a brick! I borrowed it from the library and determined that if I ever bought it I would have to remove it from the binding because for me it’s too heavy and unwieldy for regular kitchen use. 

[Liz CA]

4 minutes ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

Have you read Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat? I don’t know if it would help with recipes, but it’s a very friendly intro to how to use those things to improve cooking. That’s one I would check out if you have the option as I’d hate to have you spend that money on the wrong kind of book! 

 

I have seen the Netflix series on it after we ha a thread about it. This was very enjoyable and she is so bubbly and easy going. OP, you could see if you can watch it and then get the book if it seems it would be helpful.

[SamanthaCarter]

I think you just need an updated book that covers everything like your Betty Crocker did. Try this? https://www.amazon.com/New-Basics-Cookbook-Sheila-Lukins/dp/0894803417

 

[KungFuPanda]

Ds is using The Food Lab in his Cooking Science class this year.  It might be that next level boost you need.  The chapter's are divided by food type and it explains the science, walks you through techniques, and provides lots of next-level recipes.  It helps to own All The Gadgets, but you can use it without them. If you enjoy reading cookbooks like they're novels it's enjoyable.  A person who isn't that into cooking would die a thousand deaths trying to get through it.  

[Bootsie]

I enjoy perusing specialized cookbooks to get ideas for recipes--a cookbook focused on cajun cooking, Italian vegetables, or bread baking, for example.

For more instructional information, such as how to dress up a basic sauce Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking is great.   

[KungFuPanda]

58 minutes ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

Those are my favorite kind of cookbooks. If you have any rec's I'm all ears. I've got Food Lab, Momofuku, a punch of Pepin, Ruhlman, and Marcella, but I'm always game for others with the novel/autobiography feel. 🙂

I bought What Einstein Told His Cook, but haven’t read it yet. DS also has The Science of Cooking for his class. It’s very photo-and-diagram heavy book, which I find almost as entertaining as food stories. I’m the person who actually enjoys the food blog rambling before they get to the recipe. 

[Rachel]

1 hour ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

Those are my favorite kind of cookbooks. If you have any rec's I'm all ears. I've got Food Lab, Momofuku, a punch of Pepin, Ruhlman, and Marcella, but I'm always game for others with the novel/autobiography feel. 🙂

You might like Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn.

[Harriet Vane]

Joy of Cooking

 

[ktgrok]

Fast Food My Way (there is a sequel as well) by Jaques Pepin! You can find episodes of the show by the same name online to see if you'd like that style of food/cooking first. Quick and easy to make dishes that are more adventurous in flavor. https://www.amazon.com/Fast-Food-Way-Jacques-Pépin/dp/0618393129/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1544034304&sr=1-1&keywords=jacques+pepin's+fast+food+my+way

[vonfirmath]

On 12/4/2018 at 8:31 AM, meena said:

I love Cook’s Illustrated/America’s Test Kitchen books for recipes that are researched well and typically work as written the first time you try them. I’ve had the ATK Family Cookbook for 10+ years and used it so much the binding is falling to bits. I also love their magazines. 

The former editor of Cook’s Illustrated, Christopher Kimball, has a fairly new cookbook from his new Milk Street Kitchen brand. I’m picking it up from a hold at the library today so will report back on how it looks compared to CI/ATK.

I have Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, and it does have reliable recipes for a huge variety of foods. But I don’t use it that often because the lack of pictures is kind of uninspiring for me. 

 

WE love the Cook's Illustrated cookbook.  Their recipes are not always a "Win" for us. (We seem to have different tastes than they do) But they explanation of why they work the way they do allows us to figure out how to tweak to make something that tastes the way we want it to.

 

[ktgrok]

My only complaint about America's Test Kitchen is that their recipes can be VERY long and involved. Not always, but a lot of them are. Like, I'm sorry, I get that the tater tots you took 3 hours to make taste better, but aint nobody got time for that 🙂

And to go back to "Fast Food My Way" by Jaques Pepin, this is a link to a few recipes to see if they are the kind of thing you are looking for. I find his stuff simple but flavorful, and if you watch some of the shows he tells you how you can modify or adapt to suit your tastes or what is in the fridge. (he cooks like I do..."use this, or if not, that's fine too, whatever you like" is a common thing he says, lol. 

https://www.kqed.org/w/morefastfoodmyway/recipes.html

[Familia]

11 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

My only complaint about America's Test Kitchen is that their recipes can be VERY long and involved. Not always, but a lot of them are. Like, I'm sorry, I get that the tater tots you took 3 hours to make taste better, but aint nobody got time for that 🙂

haha, as a devoted ATK-Cookbook-Only cook, I couldn't agree more.  The food scientist in me loved the lengthy discussion/directions when I was a new cook many years ago (DH, who does not cook, subscribed to Cook's Illustrated when it was rebranded in the early 90's)  With our family growing, I had enough experience with ATK recipes to streamline processes.  Although they do spell out each step, it takes experience to see where those steps can be skipped/modified when one doesn't want the best result, just one that will put dinner on the table!  Usually, I save ATK recipes for company, but their techniques taught me to cook well on the fly.

[ktgrok]

3 minutes ago, Familia said:

haha, as a devoted ATK-Cookbook-Only cook, I couldn't agree more.  The food scientist in me loved the lengthy discussion/directions when I was a new cook many years ago (DH, who does not cook, subscribed to Cook's Illustrated when it was rebranded in the early 90's)  With our family growing, I had enough experience with ATK recipes to streamline processes.  Although they do spell out each step, it takes experience to see where those steps can be skipped/modified when one doesn't want the best result, just one that will put dinner on the table!  Usually, I save ATK recipes for company, but their techniques taught me to cook well on the fly.

LOK, yes! they are single person, or company is coming recipes for me. I still watch the show to get the tips/tricks, but not the full recipes. 

[ScoutTN]

2 hours ago, vonfirmath said:

 

Their recipes are not always a "Win" for us. (We seem to have different tastes than they do) But they explanation of why they work the way they do allows us to figure out how to tweak to make something that tastes the way we want it to.

 

Yes!

[prairiewindmomma]

18 hours ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

Those are my favorite kind of cookbooks. If you have any rec's I'm all ears. I've got Food Lab, Momofuku, a punch of Pepin, Ruhlman, and Marcella, but I'm always game for others with the novel/autobiography feel. 🙂

Are you into bread making? Because Ken Forkish's The Elements of Pizza like this. It goes into how he traveled to famous pizza places to learn technique. Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast is a more comprehensive study of his bread techniques. He's a bit obsessive--I had to take breaks during reading the cookbook because it was a bit overwhelming at times. 

Dorie Greenspan is also good....

[MeaganS]

We use the Food Lab more than any cookbook as a reference for techniques. It is quite weighty though. Most of the recs are ones we use and love.