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May 2007
I love to cook. I have a whole bunch of favorite cookbooks...and
yet every once in a while I want to find a good recipe for
something that is not in one of the cookbooks I already own.
Since the Bay Area is full of foodies, I ask the foracle...oh
great berkeley parents network...where do YOU go online for that
occasional odd recipe?
I'd prefer a place that is full of fairly eclectic recipes from
around the world. For instance...the other day I was looking for
a recipe that used urad dal/black lentils. Once I was looking for
basic hints on modifying bean and chile recipes for a crockpot.
This afternoon I was looking for a Sangria recipe. I still need
help troubleshooting my croissants...the pastry kind that you
have to fold with butter a gazillion times.
Know what I mean? Any suggestions?
foodgeek
Epicurious always wins hands down for me because even though it
has some holes in ''ethnic'' cooking the often extensive user
comments and tips are so helpful.
I especially like that, unlike some other recipe websites, very,
very little on Epicurious calls for readymade ingredients (e.g.
packets of cake mix, canned soups, etc.). Probably helps that
many of the recipes are originally from Bon Appetit and Gourmet.
(And it's a nice bonus that there are some really old recipes
from those mags included, so if you're hankering for shrimp in
aspic, you can probably find a way to make it there.)
I've also looked at blogs to doublecheck what I find on
epicurious. I was looking for a Hungarian recipe the other day
and ended up making a version of something I found on a blog by a
Hungarian woman while also comparing it with the epicurious
version. Of course this approach is probably easier for recipes
with distinctive ''Googleable'' names.
Happy eating!
Ahhh .. another foodie!
Here are a few of the websites that I use for recipes. Granted,
with two 4.5 year olds in the house, and being a single mom, I
don't do a lot of cooking for grown-ups, so my list isn't as
eclectic and exhaustive as you might want, but here goes.
www.epicurious.com -- archives recipes from Gourmet and Bon
Appetit, going more than 10 years back
www.americastestkitchen.com -- provides recipes from the current
year's shows. You can subscribe to www.cooksillustrated.com
through this website, if you like, which would give you access
to all of those ''best recipe'' recipes that Cook's Illustrated
provides. I would bet they would have the answer to your
croissant dilemma.
www.foodtv.com -- yes, the TV Food Network has slid recently (in
my opinion -- too many ''personalities'' and too little serious
cooking), but there are still many of the shows from which I
draw inspiration. If you're not familiar, I recommend Barefoot
Contessa (Ina Garten) and Good Eats (Alton Brown) to start. Not
much in the way of ethnic cuisine, however.
www.KQED.com -- there are some recipes on their website from
their many cooking shows
http://www.indianfoodforever.com/ -- a good source for Indian
recipes -- well organized to find what you're looking for
Happy cooking!
I'm sure there are craftier responses than this, but
CookingLight.com has been pretty reliable for me. A quick
recipe search found 51 black lentil recipes, 11 sangria
recipes, and you can search recipes by all sorts of ethnic
origins. Sorry, nothing on making croissants. For that kind
of thing, try Yahoo Answers (answers.yahoo.com) in the Cooking
and Recipes section.
Fellow Food Geek
I too love to cook and have many different cookbooks. But my
one-stop internet recipe search place is with www.epicurious.com.
I have found some great recipes there. It's really a database of
years worth of recipes from Gourmet, Bon Apetit, and several
other magazines. The best part about it is actually the user
comments from other people who have tried the recipe and note
substitutions they made, or changes in cooking time, or whatever.
Check it out -you can even collect your own virtual ''recipe box''
of recipes you find.
I have been impressed with epicurious.com
can type in a single ingredient and browse 100's of recipes or
search various other ways. also people write in rating the
recipe, and suggesting modifications, etc.
chris
There are a ton of recipe websites. The one I use the most is
Epicurious (http://www.epicurious.com). Users rate and review the
recipes, which is so helpful. I have picked up a ton of tips and
variations on the recipes that way. They just revamped their site
and have cooking forums now, which I suppose would be a good
place to ask specific questions relating to types of food or
cuisines you need help with. The advanced search function is
awesome. You can specific certain ingredients, type of cuisine,
low fat, etc, or you can exclude certain items such as dairy,
eggs, and wheat.
I recently ran across another site called The Post Punk Kitchen
(http://www.theppk.com). It has a lot of vegan and world cuisine.
It also has reviews, but I find the ones on Epicurious to be a
little more helpful.
Lastly there is AllRecipes, which I find to be a little more
middle-of-the-road, Family Circle, Betty Crocker-ish, not to
sound like a total snob. But it never hurts to check it out:
http://www.allrecipes.com
Lastly,I think The SF Chronicle's food section is really great.
All the articles and recipes are archived online at
http://www.sfgate.com.
http://www.epicurious.com
Try Epicurious.com. I searched for urad dal and they gave me
four recipies. Three were from Gourmet; one from Classic
Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking.
Cheers!
Another foodie
Hi there!
I know I am responding late, but if the person who asked for the recipe website - and I
have to agree that www.epicurious.com is great for all the reasons people mentioned as
well as suggesting that you check out www.recipesource.com (although it can be a little
all-over-the-map) - is reading, I am a pastry chef and would be happy to answer your
questions about croissants.
Claire
April 2004
My husband and I are venturing back into our kitchen and, since
I can cook about as well as I can do advanced algebra, I'm
looking for a favorite, trusted, wonderfully tasty cookbook
that I can rely on to produce consistently delicious but
manageable meals. Our kids are now 8 and 10 and willing to try
new things within reason. Vegetarian we are not, nor do we
subscribe to anything remotely Atkins-like, although of course
we'd rather make healthy meals given the opportunity. There
has to be some completely great cookbook out there to fit the
bill, but I haven't come upon it yet. Archives do not have
said recommendation. Many thanks.
Alice Waters wanna-be
2 books came to mind as I read your post. I love ''How to Cook
Everything'' by Mark Bittman. It really has EVERYTHING in it.
Also, ''Cooking with Claudine'' by Jacques Pepin--the master chef
cooks with his 20-something daughter. Instead of just dishes,
there are whole menus for meals, from appetizer to dessert.
That's always tough for me, figuring out what will ''go'' with
what. The dishes are sophisticated, but not too complicated or
with too many ingredients. Happy cooking!
Heidi
You could try Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely. It gives 32 weeks of menus, 8 for each
season and includes recipes and a shopping list for each week. The recipes I've tried
so far are mostly good, quick and easy to make. They're also pretty healthy. You can
get it on Amazon.
Mimi
We received the New Joy of Cooking years ago and I constantly
use it. It works as a ''bible'' to me and I not only use it for
the recipes but it also gives great descriptions on how-to, why,
what, etc. Everything we've cooked from it has been great.
There are a lot of basic recipes in it, too. Happy Cooking!
Felicia
Hi,
I have many (many, many) cookbooks just because I enjoy reading
them. I think it is important to define the cooking style that
you want before selecting the right cookbook. I have a big
collection of Williams Sonoma cookbooks with pretty colored
pictures. I enjoy these books very much but never really use
any recipes from them. (Yes, some cookbook collectors behave
this way :) With my 5 1/2 year old daughter, I now need my
cooking to be practical. The most practical cookbooks I use are
from Reiman Publications. There are a few of them -- Tase of
Home and Light & Tasty are my favorite. You can check them out
by going to this website:
http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/category.asp?SID=&REFURL=I305&SelTab=Cookbooks&CatID=CBK
It's hard to recommend just one cookbook to people whose tastes
I don't know but . . . here are some suggestions: first,
vegetarian or not, I love, and use ALL the time The Savory Way
by Deborah Madison. I also find that the Sunset books are very
user-friendly, have pretty easy recipes, and turn out
consistently tasty food. They cover a huge swath of various
cuisines, from crockpots to Thai. For basic stuff (how to make
pot roast, how to cook a turkey, how to make a yellow cake)
Fanny Farmer, ed. Marion Cunningham and/or James Beards'
American Cookery. I can also wholeheartedly recommend, speaking
of Alice Waters, Chez Panisse Vegetables.
Wendy
My vote for favorite cookbook goes to Mark Bitman's ''Cook
Everything.'' It's like today's version of the Joy of Cooking
(and there's no recipe in there for possum or bear!!) It has
chapters on everything, from meats to fruits/veggies to breads
and deserts. He educates you as well. Recipes are easy to read
and complete, and virtually everything I've made has turned out
delicious.
A few of my other favorites include Madhur Jaffries' Indian
Cooking (the Delhi-style lamb - oh my God) and Moosewood Cooks
at Home.
Happy cooking!
Taught myself to cook
Mark Bittman: How to Cook Almost Everything (or something like
that)is a 21st Century Joy of Cooking (more low-fat, low
sugar,and ethnic/California cuisine type recipes as well as
basics such as cornbread and mac and cheese). I like that in
addition to set recipes, he gives suggestions for substitutions
or variations and gives sample menus for different occasions. I
would say that its a good basic cookbook that is useful for
almost every skill level. I refer to it for basic techniques as
well as special occasion recipes.
Karen H.
My long-time favorites are: The Joy of Cooking; Better Homes
and Gardens; and any of the Taste of Home (or others from that
family) annual collections. The Sunset recipe book for slow
cookers (crock pots) is great, too. Happy cooking!
Amy N
I highly recommend The New Basics Cookbook (and The Silver
Palate Cookbook, and The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook) by
Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. Every one of their recipes I have
tried has been excellent. Beware, however, they are not the most
fat conscious. They are all about taste. And their recipes are
not too complicated. They include very useful information as
well like measurement conversions (e.g., how many tablespoons in
a 1/4 cup), all the different cuts of meats and which are best,
what fish can be substituted for one another, etc! Check it out.
Burr
We have a few. Lately, I've been using How to Cook Everything,
by Mark Bittman. It has manageable, good recipes for, well, just
about everything. It's kind of like a Joy of Cooking for the
2000s. Another good one (and we aren't vegetarians, but like it
anyway) is Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.
It's been very helpful as we try to use up those organic veggies
we get in our box every week.
Happy Cooking!
Michael
A great first inclusive and trustworthy cookbook is the new
edition of The Joy of Cooking. The cookbook has been
completely updated with many recipes contributed by
renowned Bay Area cookbook writers. The range of dishes
is wide - and the preparation is usually quite simple.
Certainly the instructions are always clear. I am not a novice
chef at all - I have hundreds of cookbooks - but I heartily
recommend the new Joy of Cooking.
Lucy
As an avid cookbook collector (I have over 300), congrats on
making your foray back into cooking. My favorite ''starter''
cookbook for people who love to eat good food but are perhaps
not equipped with tons of equipment or the luxury of lots of
time is THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA or THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA FAMILY
COOKBOOK. Ina Garten's recipes are simple and tasty, and she
tends to have lots of things children are willing to eat. The
pictures are lovely, the instructions are straightforward. I
would not recommend her foods as the most diet friendly, but
they are wholesome and fun.
Another great book is THE BARBEQUE BIBLE, if you are a meat
eater. As the title suggests, it's got lots of marinades and
rubs and recipes for grilled and barbequed meat, plus a smaller
assortment of vegetable recipes. I like this book because its
unintimidating and everyone loves to play around the barbeque
(try the fabulous adobo marinade!).
Daniel Boulud, my favorite chef, has a number of cookbooks
include THE CAFE BOULUD COOKBOOK. Each section is peppered with
memories of his childhood in France, which gives you an idea of
his philosophy. His recipes range from simple savory foods,
like short ribs, and chicken grand mere francine, to more
complicated preparations that require specials pans and a little
baking prowess. That said, it's a wonderful collection.
As a dessert book, my hands-down favorite is ROOM FOR DESSERT,
written by the former pastry chef at Chez Panisse. Simple,
beautiful desserts that are absolute show stoppers.
You may also want to go with a subscription to Bon Appetit.
That way, you will have a little of everything: they have a
quick cook section, a more elaborate section, typically they
have healthy foods intermingled, and best of all, the book is
seasonal so the recipes are timely for what's in the grocery
store. What's more, you can ''test'' your recipes a month later
on Epicurious.com. Readers try the recipes and write comments
about them. It's a great way to cook for the beginner.
Best of luck.
Tsan
I have 3 to recommend. The first two *are* vegetarian
cookbooks, since I started my passion for cooking while I was a
vegetarian, but have since started eating fish and poultry.
The recipes in these books can often be supplemented, if you
like, with cooked ground turkey or something else. These are
Mollie Katzen's The Enchanted Broccoli Forest and Jeanne
Lemlin's Quick Vegetarian Pleasures. I refer to them over and
over again, even when I'm improvising, for ideas.
The other one is called Extending the Table - it's a spiral-
bound, fairly low-budget cookbook that's a collection of
recipes from around the world (but I think you can find it on-
line). I have 5 or 6 standards from it that I make over and
over again, and every once in a while I try something new (and
almost always love it).
Jen
March 2004
Juggling work, 3yr old, 6 month old, marriage, managing a
household...it's always a challenging to come up with super fast,
easy, yet interesting meals day in and day out...I'm curious how
others manage this situation! Any cookbooks recommended?
tana
This has been fabulous for us: www.savingdinner.com. Each week
you get a menu of 6 easy to cook meals (put together by a
nutritionist) plus a grocery list. Print it off, go to the
store (once a week, not every other day, like I used to), and
cook to your heart's content. It's not haute cuisine, but it's
not bad, it's quick to cook, and it beats pizza and take out!
Cheaper too. They have regular and low carb menus for families
of 2 or 6. The regular menu has vegetarian substitutions
listed. The veggie options can be a bit unimaginative, but I
just make my own substitutions if I find theirs boring. Happy
cooking!
Saving Dinner in Kensington
I really like ''Pasta e Verdura'' by Jack Bishop. It has 140
vegetable & pasta recipes that are quick, simple, and quite
child-friendly. I often refer to it when I have a few veggies
left in the bottom of the fridge and/or when I just can't come
up w/ anything creative.
Thanks for posting -- I look forward to seeing what others
recommend!!
Christine
I love the ''Five in Ten Cookbook'' by Paula Hamilton. Here is a
review:
''The 5 in 10 Cookbook makes -- and keeps -- an extraordinary
promise: quick and easy recipes that use 5 ingredients (or fewer)
and cook in 10 minutes or less. If you're like Paula Hamilton,
tired of fast-food meals and determined to serve your family a
delicious, nourishing dinner even if you've just come home from
work, The 5 in 10 Cookbook is just what you need. Meals in
minutes are guaranteed by limiting the recipes to 5 ingredients
and 10 minutes of cooking time. Now your family can sit down to a
home-cooked meal together every night. The 5 in 10 Cookbook
encourages healthier eating and saves money too. Why waste one of
the 5 ingredients on fat when herbs and spices contribute more
pizzaz and flavor? And by limiting the number of ingredients
purchased and cooking in rather than carrying out, you will save
a fortune on food bills.''
Helena
I have this problem, as well as having the TIME to cook, with a
toddler.
About saving time: I usually cook a big pan of something every
few days after my son has gone to sleep, and eat off it for a
couple of days - that way dinner prep is quick; just throw it
in the microwave. I also, when I do have time, prepare veggies
ahead of time, so they can just be thrown into a pan to cook
something quick (a few days ago, I cleaned and chopped a bunch
of spinach, and I have been throwing handfuls into everything I
make). And I save special activities for my son for when I
need to cook, so that I don't have to entertain him and cook at
the same time (he's 1.5, so little things still amuse him -
last night I let him play with a flashlight and it kept him
busy for half an hour while I made dinner. When he was
littler, I just put him in the sling and cooked).
About variety - we get an organic veggie basket delivered every
couple of weeks. They put veggies in there that I wouldn't
usually buy at the grocery, and it's great because I am forced
to improvise with new stuff. Also, I skim the food section in
the paper, and it gives me new ideas. Sometimes I try to
duplicate things I have eaten in restaurants, and that forces
me to be creative.
Cookbooks I like - Molly Katzen's books are great. Also is
something by Jeanne Lemlin (spelling?) called something
like ''Quick Vegetarian Meals''
anon
Try the MenuMailer program at savingdinner.com. Check out the
sample menus on the website;
http://savingdinner.com/menumailer.html and here is a link to
the book on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345464869
Happy mailee
P.S. regarding the recommendation for MenuMailers from
savingdinner.com. . . if you write my email address in your
correspondence when you join, as in, ''ldaniels@tularik.com
referred me,'' I get free months on my own subscription. That
would be much appreciated!
Also, there is a new support/chat group for subscribers to any
of the Menu-Mailers and/or owners of the Saving Dinner book. It
generates a lot of mail, so if you sign up you may wish to go no
mail or receive a digest:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/simplysavingdinner/
And finally, the same author has a new book called Saving
Dinner: The Low Carb Way coming out in January 2005.
Happy MenuMailee
I really like Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals 2 - sophisticated
enough palate for adults, yet most foods can be enjoyed by young
kids (can always leave sauces off etc., if you have an eater who
prefers it plain. Plus you really can make them in 30 minutes! I
also like the 99-cent magazine you can buy at the Safeway
checkstand - Safeway Select. They have an easy weeknight section
and those meals are also good.
Valerie
Oct 2006
I have developed an allergy to eggs, but love to bake! Can anyone
suggest a good cookbook that features baking recipes that don't require
eggs, or offer an alternative to eggs?
Elizabeth
I have flipped through a book called The Wholesome Oven:
Successful Baking Without Dairy or Eggs and the recipes look
good. Haven't tried them though...
You can use Ener-G egg replacer for most of your favorite recipes
too
Liz
I love to bake too. Try ''Bakin' Without Eggs'' by Rosemarie Emro
Lois W
April 2004
I would like to find a cookbook that has recipes using Flax
seed and Flax Oil.
Sandra
The Fat Flush Cookbook by Ann Louise Gittleman has some recipes
for spreads, dressings, and toasted flaxseeds. You should not
cook with flax oil, so you won't find any recipes in which it
replaces other cooking oils.
Leslie
Nourishing Traditions
anon
July 2003
Can anyone recommend a really good, practical (not gourmet)
Southwestern cookbook? I want to get my daycare lady a present
for all her years of amazing service. She loves all things Santa
Fe and loves to cook. So I'm hoping someone who's more in the
know about this topic than I am can recommend THE Santa Fe or
Southwestern cookbook. Thanks for any ideas!
Julie
Several years ago, my mother gave me many of ''The Beautiful''
cookbooks -- large format, with many beautiful photographs. I
have really enjoyed The Southwest -- The Beautiful Cookbook.
It's really a coffee table book, but I like the recipes and the
background information on the cuisine (and the glossary) is
quite interesting. I don't know if you can find these books new
anymore, but you might be able to in used book stores.
an Arizona transplant
I have ''Southwest, The Beautiful Cookbook'' published by Harper-
Collins 1998. I found copies available on bookfinder.com. It
has beautiful photos of the food and the places.
Elaine
I don't know if it's THE Santa Fe cookbook, but it's certainly gotta be ONE of THE Santa Fe cookbooks: it's Coyote Cafe's cookbook - put out by the famous Santa Fe restaurant.
stephanie
I lived in New Mexico for a number of years and it seemed
everyone I knew had Simply Simpatico: A Taste of New Mexico
from the Junior League of Albuquerque. You can mail a check to
The Junior League of Albuquerque, Inc., 2920 Yale Boulevard SE,
Albuquerque, NM 87106. They have new additions every year to
every three years. My copy (1992) requests 14.50 for shipping
and handling. I imagine it has gone up but I have no phone
number--hopefully they still are printing them.
It has all the excellent basic staple receipes that make up the
New Mexican cuisine--very practical, tasty, and easy to follow.
I happened to professionally cook in Santa Fe (Gernonimo's) for
a time and this book is my absolute favorite for home cooking
while satisfying my snooty side too.
kathleen
Oct 2004
Hi all,
I am interested in creating my own customized recipe box and
printing my own cards (rather than writing them by hand).
However, I don't quite know where I could turn to, in terms of
company that could help me do this, materially, and help me
with printing exactly what I want.
Would anyone have some recommendation, at least about the type
of company I should turn to? Something like a local printing
shop (I don't think that Kinko's is going to be the type of
business that would do a very nice customized job)? Or does
anyone in the list do these type of things professionally?
Thanks!
Mom who has an idea
I would suggest finding a graphic designer. There are plenty of
freelancers out there, and they can help you set it up and get it printed,
and possibly even help with distribution.
You can start by looking on Craigslist, or place an ad yourself.
Note that the going rate is averages about $50 an hour. There's always
room for bargaining, but you need to know where you're starting.
Graphix Person
PrintMasters in Castro Valley has great customer service for
unique small printing jobs. It's run by a woman with a graphic
arts streak; she's patient and very helpful in getting things to
look beautiful.
Ann
Try Fig & Twig on Walnut Square (Walnut @ Vine, Berk), a new
custom print shop. They do everything, though might be
expensive. Or Canterbury Press on University.
Katalin
I have used Kinkos many times for business printing and found
them to be absolutely fantastic. Very flexible, fast, easy to
work with, lots of materials options, customized service.
Liz
July 2003
I am putting together a cookbook of my family's favorite
recipes, and need some help finding someone to bind it. It will
be 50-75 pages long and will include some color photos and
drawings. I want to make about 20 copies. I do *not* want it
to be a 3-ring binder or a folder; I really want it to look like
a book, but don't know what the options are for binding (I have
done all the typing and can scan the pics in myself). I know
this might be an expensive project... Any suggestions on where
to start? Thanks!
Ellen
Try Kinko's on Shattuck Avenue for binding your cookbook. They have
several attractive choices for binding and they are definitely a step
above three ring binders, though they may not be as professional
as you want. The prices are reasonable.
anon
Right in Berkeley, there is a great place called Taurus
Bindery. They do all sizes of projects (many grad student
dissertation) and you can choose from a variety of cover styles
(cloth, leather, etc.) and lettering to go on it.
Here is there contact info: Taurus, (510) 548-2313, 2748 9th
Street
Hilary
Check out Cafe Press -
http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/sell/books.aspx
anon
Self publishing is a booming business and not as expensive as you
might imagine.
On the cheap side, places like Copy Central might be able to
print your material off disc and then do a simple glue binding.
Do a web search of self publishing and you will find companies
that do very small runs and also what is called ''print on demand''.
Check out Dan Poyntner's web site, he call himself Mr. Self
Publishing. He offers a lot of free information and leads on
every possible aspect of self publishing.
Bon voyage!
Helene
I used to work at Kinko's and they have a pretty good selection
of binding options. Just take one of your books in, or all if
you think you might make the decision right then, and ask them
about their options. They do everything!!
Good Luck!
Michelle
try talking to the folks at Copy Central in Shatuck Square - the
one at Shattuck/University. They can show you your options, Ann
is the manager and is very good. If you want the cook book to be
bound like a paperback book, that is generally called ''perfect
binding'' but there are many other options that might work for
you. Although parking is hard downtown, I would not go to the
Ashby/Shattuck Copy Central, I have not had good service there.
cynthia
My mother-in-law's bridge club published a cookbook using
Fundcraft. The toll free # is 1-800-351-7822 or
www.fundcraft.com. It has a hard front and back cover, original
artwork cover, and is bound with a thick plastic ''spiral''. Good
luck!!
Courtney
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