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cookbooks food

my favourite cookbooks of 2016

I love a new cookbook. That bit where I settle down in the evening with a batch of post-it notes, leaving little reminders poking out of the top is a great feeling, excited with inspiration for future meals.

To me, this year seems slightly muted. The era of the mass-produced celeb chef book appears to be moving on. Joe Wicks is an excellent new talent, and baking manuals are steadfast, but the days of Jamie, Hugh and Gordon duelling for the top spot are nowhere in sight. Maybe everyone now Googles any recipe they want, then move on? I feel a study coming on…

As in previous years, several books have come my way. Some stick around and some move on. Missed my round-ups from before? Here they are:

The 2015 cookbook list

The 2014 cookbook list

The 2013 cookbook list

The 2012 cookbook list

The 2011 cookbook list

The 2010 cookbook list

However, here’s my favourite books of 2016. If you’re looking for a cookbook gift for that foodie someone in your life, you could do worse than buying one of these!

3. Bitterman’s Craft Salt Cooking

Low-sodium dieters, look away now. Mark Bitterman, the expert on salt, launches a bible on using salt in cooking. It’s an impressively detailed look at salt, varieties of salt, and how to maximise the flavour of the different types. I particularly like the exhaustive table in the front describing how to match food preparation with the right salt. The recipes are a world tour of flavours and technique, but the tone is very macho; it’s not a delicate, feminine book. Well worth seeking out.

Buy Bitterman’s Craft Salt Cookbook on Amazon

2. The A-Z of Eating by Felicity Cloake

Ah Felicity. I’ve been reading her Perfect… column in the Guardian for years and I absolutely love it. It’s my go-to these days when recreating a classic. This book is an admitted chance to break free and just cook all the things she wants and the joy is unconfined on the page. There’s a shout out for MiMi Aye’s Noodle! and a large section on potatoes so it was always going to be a winner with me. In fact, if it was just the potato chapter this book would be in the same position. But that’s a dis-service to all the wonderful recipes in this book, many of which I’ve made over and over again.

Buy In The A-Z of Eating on Amazon

1. Vegetables by Antonio Carluccio

There may well be some bias here. I was over the moon meeting Antonio Carluccio earlier this year, entertaining us with his theories on life and food. When his book came out this Autumn I rushed out to buy it on launch day. I can’t recall the last book, DVD or film I did that for. And I wasn’t disappointed. It’s packed with minimum of fuss / maximum of flavour recipes that are sure to delight. Flick to any page and you’ll find something worth cooking. The potato cake, dense with ham and cheese and crisp with breadcrumbs, has quickly become a staple in my house. Just divine cooking from the master of simplicity.

Buy Vegetables on Amazon

That was my year in cookbooks – what were your favourite books this year?

Other cookbooks you might want to buy (chosen by Amazon):

Categories
cookbooks food

my favourite cookbooks of 2015

Another year brings another list of my favourite cookbooks. Jamie, Nigel and Nigella have all got new books out in 2015, Ottolenghi brought out another volume and Bake Off continued to inspire a clutch of recipes.

As in previous years, several books have come my way. Some stick around and some move on. Missed my round-ups from before? Here they are:

The 2014 cookbook list

The 2013 cookbook list

The 2012 cookbook list

The 2011 cookbook list

The 2010 cookbook list

If you’re looking for a cookbook gift for that foodie someone in your life, you could do worse than buying one of these!

3. Noodle Kids by Jonathon Sawyer

Last year, MiMi’s Noodle was my pick of the year. It seems only right that torch is borne by Noodle Kids! It’s an absolute charmer of a book, using the loose American definition of ‘noodle’ to take in pasta. But the recipes are delightful, suitable for the whole family and actively encouraging them to get involved. It’s created a wonderful new staple in our house: the “noodle party”, where you lay out lots of lovely meat, vegetables and condiments along with some freshly cooked noodles and broth. Then everyone piles in to make their own personalised bowl of noodles. Great communal food. The book is peppered with cheeky asides offering tips to mini-cooks in the kitchen. A very cute buy.

Buy Noodle Kids on Amazon

2. In The Mood for Healthy Food by Jo Pratt

This is the book I have cooked more from than any other. It’s been a constant presence in my cookbook stand and despite the ‘healthy’ tag the recipes are packed with flavour and fun. There’s lots of great, sensible substitutions helping to cut down on your meat intake and replace with vegetables. It’s helped me make great tasting meals that lose nothing from their fattier versions: wonderful seed-and-lentil-packed meatballs, creamy yghurt dressings and wonderful ragus. A delight to cook from.

Buy In The Mood For Healthy Food on Amazon

1. The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

I’ve been following J. Kenji Lopez-Alt for years. Through his Serious Eats column I’ve joined him on many madcap experiments finding the ultimate cookie, the best brining methods and stupendous air-fried chicken. He’s an inspiration.

“If there are three rules that I think would make the world a better place if everyone followed them, it’d be these: challenge everything all the time, taste everything at least once, and relax, it’s only a pizza.”

This quote distills everything brilliant about The Food Lab book. It’s less of a recipe book (although it has plenty of those) and more of a exploration of why cooking techniques work. If that sounds hopelessly nerdy, that’s because it is. And superb because of it. Discussions range from stainless steel woks to microwave radiation, from ceramic knives to egg cooking times. Much in the way Heston does with his books, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s book forces you to think about the processes you carry out when preparing your favourite meals. In this, you can improve them no end, and decide for yourself how hot the water needs to be for pasta, or why meat caramelizes at certain temperatures. If you want to be a better cook – not just the one with the most recipes – this is the perfect book.

Buy The Food Lab on Amazon

That was my year in cookbooks – what were your favourite books this year?

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cheese christmas pudding cookbooks food pistachio

december round-up

You possibly don’t want to hear about December again but let’s shoo the last knockings of it out of the door. There were a few posts to talk about this month but even more in the way of nibbles, goodies and gewgaws I sampled.

Potatoes: I started on an introspective note, discussing why I like potatoes so much as a way to pay tribute to my mum.

Speaking up for Sprouts: I also put forward the defence for the green December beacon, the humble Brussels Sprout, and gave it a little more life with potato and cream.

Best Cookbooks of 2013: I also carried on my annual tradition of running through the top cookbooks of the year. Slim pickings for me this year so I presented a crowdsourced list instead. Pitt Cue was top of the shop so it’s ended up on my shelf. I’ll let you know how I get on with it later in 2014.

Waitrose Christmas Desserts: Waitrose pulled out all the stops with their Heston festive treats: their mince pies with clementine sugar were by a million miles the best mince pies I’ve ever eaten. It’s worth saying that I’m not usually fussed about mince pies at all; and these things were completely different beasts, all cakey and sweet. Better than can be said for the “hidden chocolate” Christmas pudding, which was kinda boring and nothingy. To finish on a high, the infamous Heston box of chocs were intriguing and delicious, particularly the Earl Grey tea one which tasted different with every chew.

Aldi Christmas Pudding: On a related note, Aldi sent me their 12 month matured Christmas Pudding. It was super-average. Nothing is beating the hidden orange, it seems.

Image copyright Garner’s pickledonionlovers.com

Garner’s Pickles: Garner’s sent me a sample of their pickles. There’s an odd North-South thing in my house; Mrs. Spud originally from the North refers to pickled onions simply as ‘pickles’ and I always wonder if she means generic pickled things. As far as I’m concerned pickled onions are called just that. December always meant Grandad had a batch of his eye-watering onions ready to munch on Boxing Day with cold turkey. Garner’s Sweet Pickled Baby Onions (pictured) were particularly good, a perfect balance of crunch, sweet and sharp. I also received a few others in the range, notoriously the pickled eggs which I immediately dispatched to my brother’s so a true connoisseur could enjoy them. “Yummy” was his one-word review. What more can I say! Not a favourite of mine.


Sage Appliances Heston Fryer: Did you think I’d had enough of fryers? Nope, I’m currently trying out the Sage Appliances Heston deep fat fryer and early reports are good. A more detailed writeup on this in January.

Bill’s Restaurant Hamper: After last month’s disappointing John Lewis hamper I was anxious about opening another. The one supplied by Bill’s Restaurant brought a massive smile to my face. Bespoke produce all sourced and branded by the restaurant, and each one a joy. The fudge was packed with Christmassy flavours, the toffee cookies snappy and sweet, and the chutney was fruity and punchy. Not a duff job among them. I’ve not heard of the brand before but I’ll definitely pop along to one this year to find out more.

Castello Cheese: Castello sent me a range of cheeses, but they were the sideshow to their invite to test a “molecularly paired cheeseboard”. You had me at “molecule”. They had a flavour expert, Danny Hodrien, break down the flavour profile and pair them up with some unique partners. So I tried their creamy white (Brie-style cheese) with blitzed pistachio and fennel dust, and that was very interesting. The cheese and quite tangy yet smooth, and the nut-seed combo helps both flavours linger on in the mouth. Surprisingly good. I tried some of the cheese on their own and the Castello Blue is very tasty, not pungent but very savoury. There are a number of other combinations they’ve asked me to try, and I’ll be digging further into how they can influence my cooking.

And I must mention my favourite foodie Christmas present of this year: the Sgt. Peppermill. Thanks Mrs. Spud!

Categories
cookbooks food

best cookbooks of 2013

I’ve made it an annual tradition to run through my favourite cookbooks of the year; previous winners included Yotam Ottolenghi, Heston Blumenthal and Alex Mackay. I always look forward to it.

But this year, pickings have been slim on my shelf. Yes, Jamie Saved Money with some interesting recipes, if not that frugal. That aside, nothing has stood out for me. I really wanted to read and review Historic Heston but £125 is an absurd price for a recipe book and my pleas to PR peeps have been ignored.

So I put the call out to Twitter: what are the best cookbooks of 2013? Turns out there were loads.

Among those mentioned included:

Home Cooked by Donal Skehan: The One Direction stunt double doesn’t do it for me but I have to say the recipes are tempting.

The Higgidy Cookbook by Camilla Stephens: Here’s a review of it from Kavey. I really like the sound of this one – it’s all pies, how can you go wrong?

Do-ahead Dinners by James Ramsden: Not the first book from James, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

John Whaite Bakes by John Whaite and Brilliant Bread by James Morton: the winner and runner up respectively of Great British Bake Off 2012 were favourites of mine from the series.

Eat by Nigle Slater: Since breaking through to primetime, I’ve gone off Nigel a bit. The recipes seem a bit slapdash and incomplete. I don’t think he’ll ever match the pure joy of Appetite again.

Crispy Squirrel and Vimto Trifle by Robert Owen Brown: I should disregard this for the twee name alone but as it’s recommended by InSearchOfHeston I should pursue it further.

But those that scored the most votes were:

Proper Pub Food by Tom Kerridge: Tom’s recent series of the same name was nearly great. Good recipes, plenty of passion and enjoyment but wrestled to the ground by the dreaded BBC-cookery-show-format: boppy chart-bothering inoffensive Indie-style soundtrack, pointless visit to a food producer coupled with some of the most shocking scheduling (barbecue recipes in October!). That said, Tom is irrepressible and the recipes are dynamite. You can read about the salt beef bagels I made inspired by him here.

Curries Of The World by Atul Kochhar: Here’s a review by Zoe Perret (you have to scroll down to read it). I have a lot of time for Atul, a really skilful yet crowd-pleasing chef. Most famously he defeated Gary Rhodes in the first Great British Menu which surprised everyone. Along with Cyrus Todiwala he is at the forefront of the reinvention of Indian food as a modern and stylish cuisine. His regular appearances on Saturday Kitchen show him to be a interesting and kind chef, so I’ve every reason to believe this book would be a stunner.

But the most votes were for Pitt Cue Co. – The Cookbook by the Pitt Cue Co. Despite spending every weekday there I don’t eat in London a great deal, but a truckload of the people I follow on Twitter do. Pitt Cue’s American BBQ-style food has been building a solid following. Pulled pork, smoked barbecue chicken, deep fried mac and cheese… I really should check it out, completely up my street. I love the sound of it so much that off the back of the recommendations I’ve ordered myself a copy of the book.

What have been your favourite cookooks of 2013?

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