Best us regional cooking, food & wine books according to redditors
We found 416 Reddit comments discussing the best us regional cooking, food & wine books. We ranked the 159 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
6. Nothing in This Book Is True, But It's Exactly How Things Are, 15th Anniversary Edition
9 mentions
Get the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook. Tons and tons of classics made with perfect technique. It'll be your new go-to.
Talk About Good!!!
One of the best cookbooks with some fabulous Cajun and creole recipes. The Lafayette and Baton Rouge junior leagues had a friendly rivalry and both put out some of the best selling junior league cookbooks.
For those interested here’s an amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Cookbook-Louisiana-Lafayette-Junior-League/dp/0935032029
And here’s a great article in the Washington Post about it: How a 50-year-old community cookbook became a mainstay in almost every Cajun kitchen
Source: from Lafayette, LA. Mais cher dat cookbook good good yeah.
http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Family-Cookbook-Edition/dp/1933615486/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1404596627&sr=8-2&keywords=cooks+illustrated+cookbook+family
Rice and beans. Beans and rice. Also, check out the More with Less, a cookbook put out by the Mennonites. It has lots of good, cheap recipes.
I'm trying to remember the name of it! Hold on... :)
edit: got it! More With Less (https://www.amazon.com/More-Less-Cookbook-World-Community/dp/083619263X)
I got The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine by John Folse last Christmas, every recipe has been amazing in it. He even goes into the history of Louisiana and how all the different cultural influences makes the cuisine unique. He goes from the basics of making a stock and roux to the advanced techniques like blackening.
I recently donated away about 100 cookbooks I had collected over the years (I organize virtually everything digitally now) but I kept these 5:
Child et al, Mastering the Art of French Cooking (well-used, next to the stove)
Hazan, Essentials of Italian Cooking (carried to Italy and used there twice)
Lewis, The Taste of Country Cooking (such a good read)
Rombauer. An older than I am edition (with how-to-skin-a-squirrel recipes) of the Joy of Cooking (falling apart, kept for sentimental reasons)
Fox, On Vegetables: Modern Recipes for the Home Kitchen (for the porn)
Buy this:
https://www.amazon.com/Cookbook-Louisiana-Lafayette-Junior-League/dp/0935032029
It’s Junior League of Lafayette’s cookbook originally published in the 70s or 80s. It’s basically everybody’s grandma’s best recipes
EDIT: first printed in 1967 now in it’s 30th printing
Instead of a sub to Cook's Illustrated, OP could also just get their cookbook. It's pretty inexpensive, has pretty much every recipe I could ever want, and I've only gotten raves when I've made recipes out of it. I use it all the time. I literally have it open in front of me right now.
A lot of famous restaurants and chefs have cookbooks that feature recipes from their restaurants.
It can be pretty hard to replicate a restaurant dish at home. I cook for a living and you have a lot of advantages in a professional kitchen. Hotter ovens and burners and all kinds of other toys.
So the recipes in restaurant cookbooks aren't always the most reliable when you do them at home. And the cookbooks are pricey. But they have pretty pictures.
If you want to get really crazy try one of these,
Mugaritz: A Natural Science of Cooking
or
Alinea
or
Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine
this is my mom's favorite gift to buy for my ex's: https://www.amazon.com/Whos-Your-Mama-Catholic-Make/dp/0925417556
​
i think she's bought 3 of them so far.
Upvote for ATK.
Though if you're new to ATK, I'd stick to their classic red book or green book for healthier options instead of whatever book they happen to have published this year.
White Trash Cooking
Any Bitch Can Cook
OP checks out!
I respect your progression up to Alton Brown, and I do enjoy Alton's cooking science, but I watched his show for years and never learned as much as I did since I started watching America's Test Kitchen on PBS. Sometimes they go into some complex recipes though, ignore those and pay attention to their basics, they explain what they tried and why it failed. They have an excellent beginners cookbook that covers all the essentials without going into the complex recipes they do on the show, it's found here The show has excellent product recommendations too. It's now the only show I watch, although I still occasionally look for specific episodes of Good Eats on youtube.
Aight girl-
Foreign Cuisine-
How to Eataly - Oscar Farinetti - We made the most AMAZING brisket meatballs and a super simple yet completely delicious red sauce out of this book
Around My French Table - Dorie Greenspan - Where the Cornish hens and gougeres came from.
Real Korean Cooking - Maangchi - Korean Fried Chicken. We've made them twice now because they're so good and can't wait to do more.
Mexican Everyday - Rick Bayless - Learned how to make perfect guac from this book and so far we've made these v tasty chorizo/mushroom/potato tacos. The recipe is SO cheap and SO voluminous that we had it as a taco filling, a quesadilla filling, and we're making a hash with it for brunch this morning.
Every Grain of Rice - Fuchsia Dunlop - We haven't tried anything out of here yet but there are sooooo many good-looking recipes in here.
Entice with Spice - Shubhra Ramineni - Likewise, haven't made anything out of here yet but looking forward to trying it all out soon.
Jack's Wife Freda - Dean & Maya Jankelowitz - This is actually a book from a restaurant that my fiance and I LOVED when we last visited NYC. It's got a lot of fusion recipes. Mediterranean/Israeli/South African/etc. Really unique flavors and also v comfort-food based. We're making rosewater waffles out of this book tomorrow!
Baking-
Rose's Baking Basics - Rose Levy Barenbaum - This book is incredible. She has tons and tons of step-by-step photos which is SUPER helpful. We made the dark chocolate caramel tart out of this book, but pretty much everything in here looks amazing.
Modern Baking - Donna Hay - I mean... There is some INSANELY decadent looking stuff in here. We haven't tried any of these recipes yet but I can't wait to!
Misc-
Cook Like a Pro - Ina Garten - It was really hard to pick just one Ina book but I liked most of the recipes in this one. She has this ridic recipe for a dijon mustard chicken that is INCREDIBLE. Also, this bitch knows how to cook some veggies. Big fan of this one.
The Food Lab - /u/j_kenji_lopez-alt - I just love this guy, tbh. We've made a really fantastic beef tenderloin out of this book and an incredible red wine sauce to go with it and of course, his famous roasted potatoes which are now my holy grail recipe for roasted potatoes. This book is like a science textbook only instead of boring stuff it's FOOD science, which is my favorite kind.
Those were all the ones we purchased ourselves (though technically Eataly was a gift BUT we love it and plan to use it often.) We have other cookbooks in our stable that we've received as gifts, which is what resulted in my fiance and I deciding we wanted to embark on this journey. We kept being given cookbooks and never doing anything with them. But man, do people love it when you send them pics of stuff you cooked out of a book they gave you. If people give you cookbooks, use them!! It will make their day to see it's being used. Here's what else is on our cookbook shelf-
The Forest Feast Gatherings - Erin Gleeson - This is a vegetarian book my fiance's mom gave us a few years ago for Christmas. We have a bunch of veggie friends (and friends with a lot of different allergies) so we turn to this book to have a few things that are edible by all of them when we have them over, as we often do. This book has a really delicious salad that has pomegranate seeds, pear, and hazelnut that is out of this world good. I also got my HG salad dressing from this book.
The Salad Bowl - Nicola Graimes - Another gift from my fiance's mom. Is she trying to tell us something?? Honestly haven't looked much into this book yet but it sure is pretty.
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook - Dinah Bucholz - This was a gift from the assistant in my office. Everyone in my office knows me as the Harry Potter girl because I have a lightning bolt tattoo, haha. We haven't made anything out of this yet, but we probably will have some sort of epic feast with recipes from this book when GoT starts back up later this year.
Talk About Good - Louisiana Lafayette Junior League - My boss gave this to my fiance and I as part of an engagement gift. My fiance went to school in New Orleans. It's primarily New Orleansian/Cajun food. Haven't made anything out of it yet, but we are looking forward to it.
And that's what's on our cookbook shelf for now.
edit also omg thanks for the gold!! <3
America's First Cuisines was my source in favor of the wild maize theory. It was published in 1991, and says "At the moment, some people think that the ancestor of maize was maize. This hypothesis has been with us a long time, although for it while it was submerged under a sea of other scenarios, and it seems to be surfacing again.", and then mentions 80,000 year old maize pollen being found under the Belles Artes concert hall in Mexico City, and teosinte not being good eats.
Doing a bit of googling, I found this paper from 2001, which suggests that the debate has been more or less settled via genetic evidence in favor of an origin from teosinte.
I like America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook. It's huge! So many recipes :)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933615567/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1
That was no Google search for a jambalaya with shrimp; I am familiar with Folse's work and legacy (I own a copy of his 10 lb. Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine and read it on the couch sometimes), and I knew I would find a proper Creole jambalaya on his site.
Gonzalez (so named the "Jambalaya Capital of the World" as a publicity stunt by McKeithen in '68 to promote the first ever Jambalaya Festival) is in Acadiana, so I would not expect them to cook Creole jambalaya at their festival; I would be an idiot to do so.
Don't get me wrong--I prefer Cajun Jambalaya, and spent a summer in 1996 working with 400 qt. batches in BR using that style. It's just that claiming that one style is "authentic" while the other is not makes us both look dumb, which everyone already assumes about us because we're from Louisiana, and we don't need that. Solidarity, brother! Gumbo can be thickened with okra, roux, or filé; and jambalaya can be made with or without tomatoes and/or shrimp. It doesn't mean that your mother did anything wrong, it just means that Louisiana cuisine may be more diverse than you ever imagined. Did you know that andouille is popular in red beans in some areas, but not so popular in others? Even hot sauce choices (Tabasco, Louisiana Brand, Crystal) can vary regionally--or even intra-regionally!
I love most Cook's Illustrated cookbooks, but for a new cook it can seem rather daunting and some ingredients are not in a simple grocery store.
That being said, everything I have made from my Cook's Illustrated Cook Book has been delicious.
Go to you local library and try them out first. Cookbooks are expensive and this way you can get a really good feel for it without spending a bunch. Also try used book stores lots of people get rid of quality cookbooks and you can get them pretty cheap. Oh an my favorite basic book for anyone is Cooks Illustrated Cook's Illustrated https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933615893/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_7K0YBbEMF8DN3. Most cookbooks don't test all of their recipes and this one dose. It's not full of fancy pictures but quality basic and delicious recipes.
The Alinea cookbook has several dessert recipes and is beautiful
Alinea https://www.amazon.com/dp/1580089283/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_zIIBzbCXCSD9V
For the ATK fans in the house: http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Healthy-Family-Cookbook/dp/1933615567
This has been my go-to for quite some time now. Love everything in there!
The cookbook "More with Less" is a good one for different ways to use pantry staples like your rice and beans. Bonus is they have info on what combos of grains/beans/veggies make complete proteins to help keep nutrition up.
https://www.amazon.com/More-Less-Cookbook-World-Community/dp/083619263X
I get all my best recipes from good cook books. I highly recommend Cooks Illustrated ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933615893/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KbjOAb6PBRC4Y ) and if you want to learn everything in and around food for any occasion then try Joy of Cooking ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/0743246268/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_TcjOAb55Z5TRH ).
Five star rating on Amazon and no one has given it a 1 star. That might be the single best rating I have ever seen.
You got cheated. It's only $2.18 on Amazon.
I love the Test Kitchen. I have learned so many tips, techniques, and great recipes from them in the past 2 years. I think a useful pick up is The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. I use it at least once a week.
*edit for grammar
Afro Vegan
Vegan Soul Kitchen
Crossroads: Extraordinary Recipes from the Restaurant That Is Reinventing Vegan Cuisine
Dirt Candy: A Cookbook: Flavor-Forward Food from the Upstart New York City Vegetarian Restaurant
PLANTLAB
The Blossom Cookbook: Classic Favorites from the Restaurant That Pioneered a New Vegan Cuisine
Candle 79 Cookbook: Modern Vegan Classics from New York's Premier Sustainable Restaurant
I read “Nothing in this book is true but it’s exactly how things are” back in 1997. It explains how there are microscopic inter dimensional space ships inside a chamber in the Sphinx which can be activated using star tetrahedron technology which is some sort of interior mechanism anyone is capable of activating through meditation. I think I’m going to read the book again. It’s excellent in my opinion.
https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-This-Exactly-Things-Anniversary/dp/1556438311
I'm a bit of a cookbook junkie, so I have a bunch to recommend. I'm interpreting this as "good cookbooks from cuisines in Asia" so there are some that are native and others that are from specific restaurants in the US, but I would consider these legit both in terms of the food and the recipes/techniques. Here are a few of my favorites:
Pan-Asian
Burmese
Cambodian
Chinese
Indian
Indonesia
Japanese
Korean
Malaysian
Middle Eastern
Philippine
Russian
Sri Lankan
Taiwanese
Thailand
Turkish
Vietnamese
(edit: screwed up a couple links)
You'd love The Vegan Soul Kitchen
Some cookbooks that I use or are on my wishlist:
Great British Chefs also has some recipes from Michelin starred restaurants.
Mollie Katzen's The New Moosewood Cookbook. Great little pictures of ingredients/recipes.
The Joy of Cooking. It's got a great baseline of knowledge and can provide a good context when you start cooking.
The Mennonite cookbook More with Less. This one will broaden your horizons and you'll find yourself cooking outside of your typical cuisines.
I think she would enjoy the ramblings of Christopher Kimball.
https://www.amazon.com/Americas-Test-Kitchen-Family-Cookbook/dp/1933615486
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0925417556
Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make A Roux? (Book 1): A Cajun / Creole Family Album Cookbook
You should read John Folse's cookbook. It has a detailed history on South Louisiana and how it influenced the food. You are sort of right about the Acadians, but they flocked mostly to the area what is now Acadiana. There were some settlements in the New Orleans area and even around New Roads.
YESS. My father in law gave me The Best Recipe cookbook almost 20 years ago and it is STILL my go-to. It opens automatically to a few recipes, the cover is worn, some of the pages have stains; it's clearly loved.
I've eaten at Alinea, Moto, and quite a few other high end restaurants as a cooking enthusiast. Its hard to say one kind of food is better than another - however, one of the reasons you would eat at a place like Alinea because you could never reasonably make the dishes they make (unless you have some specialized and expensive lab equipment).
EDIT: I should mention that Achatz has an Alinea book where he outlines some of the recipes from the restaurant (http://www.amazon.com/Alinea-Grant-Achatz/dp/1580089283). I find this commentary quite appropriate: http://ruhlman.com/2008/09/alinea-the-cook/
>This is not a home-cook book. This is a document of the exact recipes the Alinea brigade uses. It's very complex stuff and some of the techniques are difficult to pull off, requiring a good deal of skill and delicacy.
This one is I believe. It's an interesting read, if a little bizarre.
Well, I'm half-Chinese. I'll give you two cookbook recommendations which are full of recipes which really resonate with that part of my background:
In addition to the aforementioned Chinese food, I'm just a fat piggy who loves to eat. Here are a few more recs:
Feel free to drop me a line if you need more recommendations. I've got quite the cookbook collection (I love to cook, it's not just cookbook porn) and love to share my thoughts.
I would actually suggest the normal (not healthy) version, but either is great.
http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Test-Kitchen-Family-Cookbook/dp/1933615486
Who's Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux?
Find a good vegan cookbook. Heck, find three or four of them. I like the Veganomicon, which is a great general reference, but you can find one for everything, from pies to soul food to sandwiches.
Cookbooks will do two things for you. First, they'll provide a resource if you start to feel cravings for food you used to rely on: if you get desperate for burgers, or chicken parmesan, or mousakka, you'll find a great alternative that scratches that itch. Second, they'll provide an excellent resource to browse through and find recipes you'd never have thought of on your own. Expanding your palate is a surefire way to improve your diet.
Potato soup and tortillas. I found them from a Mennonite missionary cookbook that focuses on making Western food in foreign countries.
http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/083619263X
Welcome!!
If soul food is what you know & want, look into Bryant Terry's cookbooks. Vegan Soul Kitchen has gotten some amazing reviews. I've actually been thinking of picking up his most recent one, Afro-Vegan which is African, Southern, & Caribbean inspired recipes. Plus it looks like some good food porn for my coffee table book collection!
This subreddit is what inspired me to go vegan myself so I can attest that there are a lot of great resources around here. The people are friendly and helpful so never hesitate to ask questions!
My one piece of advice is this: patience. I know you've experienced this revelation of sorts and it's exciting and you want to share it with the world! I know I did. But sometimes the world is a few paces behind. My friends and family are still slowly coming around to the idea about a year and a half after the fact. So don't be discouraged if they don't hop on the vegan train with you right away. Have no expectations, don't take it personally, and enjoy the small victories.
Good luck! You're doing a great thing :)
I would highly recommend John Folse's The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine. It's very expensive but it's enormous (850 pages and 700 recipes) and worth every penny because it also includes a lot of history and information on the cajun and creole cultures.
Best cookbook -- https://www.amazon.com/Whos-Your-Mama-Catholic-Make/dp/0925417556
Vegan Soul Kitchen - soul food made vegan and healthy (and tasty!)
I've always really liked this book by Edna Lewis: it's written seasonally and it gives a good sense of the history of many Southern ingredients and dishes.
Lodge also has a book out. My parents have a copy and I looked through it last time I visited. Looked promising. They also put out a magazine occasionally.
Get the WWE Cookbook
It was asymmetrical and patchy.
As for the NQ, everything was normal except for the forebrain parenchyma, cortical gray matter, and caudate, which were extremely abnormal. For the cortical gray matter, normal for healthy patients is 15.5% intracranial volume (ICV) (standard deviation of .665), and for mold-illness patients the average is 16.4% ICV (standard deviation of 1.455) -- he said 17-18% is "scary". Mine was around 20%, which is the worst he's ever seen. For the forebrain parenchyma, healthy patients are around 30.9% ICV (standard deviation of .803), and mold-illness patients are around 32.27% ICV (standard deviation of 1.547)-- I was ~37%. I had relatively mild (I think? don't really know how people read this) atrophy of my caudate (.23%).
Standard numbers are taken from this study, which is about mold illness, which presents with a lot of similar symptoms as lyme. After going through treatment for lyme and mold illness, I think there are partial truths to the theories behind them, but that the real illness at the bottom is actually viral. I have been treated with antivirals prior (acyclovir) and recovered considerably (though not long lasting because for various reasons I wasn't able to follow through with the treatment. I may go back to see that doctor though if what I am doing now doesn't work out) and am now doing a natural antiviral protocol described in this book-- warning, it's pretty out there but I am finding the information to be good and useful-- and seem to be following the expected course of improvement. I am 5 months into it, people usually get better after 8-12. I see it as a more complete treatment than the pharmaceutical route.
Reminds me of that bonkers book by Bob Frissell. Frissell strings together every new age belief without the slightest bit of legitimate evidence or critical thought. I only picked it up because of a recommendation in a Tool newsletter from over two decades ago, and I somehow got through the whole thing. I feel like the claims in each - these videos and Bob's book - are very similar.
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook. I'd also suggest subscribing to the magazine.
They're like the Popular Mechanics of cooking. No ads, no sponsors, just lots of great recipes that have been refined through many trials and variations. The Cookbook has thousands of recipes with detailed info on why a particular ingredient or process works or doesn't work. They've taken all of the guesswork out of it, just follow the instructions. Great if you just want a tested recipe to follow or if you want to understand more about why a recipe works. Highly recommended.
There’s a really good bourbon brown sugar carrot recipe in this cookbook. On mobile now but will try to find the recipe later.
Maybe this book for some familiar flavors (that guy does have a couple other books out).
Those ideas aren't super creative, but they are good staples that she will use constantly if she doesn't already have them.
Personally, I am too particular about my cooking stuff... I have to pick it out myself. What about getting her a gift smaller gift that you are comfortable with, and then get a gift card to a local foodie store? This way you can shop together and she can pick exactly what she wants.
Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry Amazon Link
When he said “you wouldn’t believe me” reminded me of a great book that changed my outlook on life “Nothing in This Book Is True, But It's Exactly How Things Are” by Bob Frissell. Here is an amazon link: it will tell you all the secrets
https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-This-Exactly-Things-Anniversary/dp/1556438311/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JHG0BDXT4WLO&amp;keywords=nothing+in+this+book+is+true+but+it%27s+exactly+how+things+are&amp;qid=1556244776&amp;s=gateway&amp;sprefix=Nothing+in+this%2Caps%2C220&amp;sr=8-1
Is she Catholic?
Edit.
I'll take this opportunity to plug my favourite frugal cookbook, which, although published by the Mennonite church, can be found in almost every Canadian prairie kitchen.
From Wikipedia:
>The More-with-Less Cookbook is a cookbook commissioned by the Mennonite Central Committee in 1976 with the goal of "helping Christians respond in a caring-sharing way in a world with limited food resources"[1] and "to challenge North Americans to consume less so others could eat enough".[2] The first edition of the book has received forty-seven printings, with over 847,000 copies sold worldwide, including Bantam Press, British English and German editions.[3]
>The book advocates the consumption of more whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, the moderation of meat and dairy products and the avoidance of processed and convenience foods. The recipes, collected from Mennonite and other Christian families around the world, are intended to be affordable, nutritious and socially and ecologically responsible.
Thanks for the recommendation! Here's a link to buy Talk About Good! from the Junior League and it appears Amazon carries it, as well.
As a vegetarian, not a vegan, my current favorite cookbook is actually a vegan cookbook. Vegan soul food by Bryant Terry is a fantastic read with phenomenal recipes. I've worked my through a significant number of the recipes and I have been amazed by the complexity of the flavors and the deep unami taste of many of the recipes. Worth every cent - http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Soul-Kitchen-Creative-African-American/dp/0738212288/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y
Her most famous cookbook is The Taste of Country Cooking, which is still in print. You may also be interested in this book of essays and remembrances about her.
Photo found here, it was one of several taken by John T. Hill.
If you decide to do a New Orleans cookbook like /u/PlumLion suggested, I highly recommend River Road. It's a classic around here...a lot of people give/get this as a wedding gift :) My parents still use the one they got when they got married! There's a Vol. II that's also fantastic.
https://www.amazon.com/Cookbook-Louisiana-Lafayette-Junior-League/dp/0935032029/
https://www.amazon.com/River-Road-Recipes-Textbook-Louisiana/dp/0961302682
It's this one.
I'd like to recommend a couple things:
America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook has a lot of great family friendly recipes that are lower in calories.
100 Days of Real Food blog has great resources and recipes on how to incorporate more real and wholesome foods - those are the types of foods that will keep your older son fuller for longer.
Once a Month Meals has some great menu plans. It is originally set up for you to do the bulk of your cooking once a month and freeze the rest, but you don't have to do it that way. They do a good job of having seasonal appropriate menus.
here you go. I still have mine back when i bought it at WWF NY in 2001. I still use it occasionally, it's pretty awesome.
River Road Recipes is a classic of old-school homemade Baton Rougue cooking and encyclopedic (granted, it's from the '50s, so there are also some just awful concoctions but they're obvious).
Also John Folse, John Besh, Paul Prudhomme, Donald Link, (early) Emeril Lagasse
I recommend you read "Nothing in this Book is True...But it's Exactly How Things Are" by Bob Frissell. It talks about all kinds of things from Grey Aliens to Sacred Geometry. Just finished it and it's a great book.
http://www.amazon.com/Nothing-Exactly-Things-Anniversary-Edition/dp/1556438311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1331748774&amp;sr=8-1
Yeah, I was thinking maybe chicken teriyaki. This Cooks Illustrated Cookbook is my favorite cookbook I own, and it never lets us down. It has the best chicken teriyaki recipe I've ever made.
Cajun here.
Check this out: River Road Recipes: The Textbook of Louisiana Cuisine Brand: The... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0961302682/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_awdb_t1_SwmEAbG7DCHRD
There’s like five of these. Award winning and list topping for decades. I give them away as gifts for Christmas.
I second Thug Kitchen. I have the first book. It's fun to just read parts and has some really good recipes in it that me and my gf have done multiple times. The Pad Thai is bomb.
If they're a little nerdy, get them something like this. I also found this list on Google.
Also, camping cookbooks are pretty interesting. Try to look a some of those if you think they'd like them.
Edit: Ice cream books seem pretty interesting. I went to school to be a baker/pastry chef and that interests me. Cookies and Beer is one that I love. Also, give them something with the book. Like, if you give them like a lodge cookbook give them a cast iron skillet or something like that.
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook
That'll keep me occupied for about 6 years or so.
Any of the Thomas Keller books, French Laundry, Ad Hoc at Home, Bouchon, and Bouchon Bakery. The only one you'd probably want to avoid is Under Pressure.
Also, Heston at Home and In Search of Perfection are great books.
If you're into southern food, check out Sean Brock's Heritage and Ed Lee's Smoke & Pickles.
Finally, I'd suggest Modernist Cuisine at Home if you're up for splurging.
The true shizzle
When drunk, yes. I'm thinking of doing guides with pictures based on http://www.amazon.com/White-Cooking-Jargon-Ernest-Mickler/dp/0898151899.
Talk About Good by The Lafayette Junior League
Original edition of 1967 now in its 26th +/- printing. Same one my parents use. Has many base items that are foundations of other dishes.
Also my dad has used Pots, Pans, and Pioneers by Telephone Pioneers of America. Large collection of authentic recipes. Biscuits, breads also meats.
I use both of these; the recipes therein are classic.
The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook is pretty awesome. There's a shit ton of recipes and lots of good cooking techniques in there, along with equipment tests and other good stuff. It's also ring bound so it's easy to keep it open to a certain page. This is THE #1 cookbook I always tell beginners to get. They also have a TV show on PBS that's quite good. I'd recommend avoiding signing up for the website as you'll get a lot of spam mail. But their book series are pretty great for the beginner.
Cooking for Geeks is also quite good if you're interested in the physics / chemistry aspect of cooking, although some of the stuff in there is a little too science-y for general beginners.
The Bacon Cookbook, Ratio, and because I'm obsessed with New Orleans food, The Court of Two Sisters Cookbook.
Also someone else mentioned the Cook's Illustrated cookbook which is absolutely amazing.
http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Healthy-Family-Cookbook/dp/1933615567
Do my best. CI is really good about keeping their recipes off the net and this is from memory. I highly recommend the Cooks Illustrated Cookbook, I've never made a bad meal cooking from one of their recipes. (Except that lentil soup, but that was my fault for buying old lentils.)
Take your 4-5lb roast and pull it apart by the natural seams and remove most of the fat. Tie it up into two smaller roasts with kitchen twine. Season with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for a couple hours.
Take a bottle of Pinot Noir and start reducing it (and I don't mean by drinking it). Continue until your 750ml is approx 2c.
In your dutch oven, cook 3-4 strips of bacon, cut into 1/4" pieces, until crispy. Remove and reserve. Pour out most of the grease. Brown your roasts on all sides and set aside.
In your dutch oven, add one onion, chopped fine, and cook until starting to go translucent, about 5-10 minutes. Add a three cloves of garlic, chopped, and a tbsp of all purpose flour. Cook until fragrant, maybe 3-4 minutes.
Add your wine reduction and 4c beef broth. Add a few sprigs of fresh parsley, three sprigs of fresh thyme and a couple bay leaves tied together with twine to the pot. Add in reserved bacon. Place your roasts on top of this concoction and place in a 300°f oven. One of the tricks here is to cover your dutch oven with tin foil before putting the cover on. This gives you a much better seal and keeps more liquid in the roast. This is apparently a pretty important step.
This will cook for 2-3 hours, until a fork slips in and out easily. Turn your roasts once an hour. When cooking has approximately 1 hour left, add four carrots, peeled and cut lengthwise into quarters by about an inch and a half long.
While waiting for it to cook, take 10ish oz of frozen pearl onions (thawed) and cook them in a saute pan in a cup of water and three tablespoons unsalted butter, covered, 12-15 minutes until soft. Uncover and cook until all water has boiled off. Add 8oz button mushrooms, quartered, and cook until everything is evenly browned.
When your roast is cooked, remove it from the oven, remove the roast from the dutch oven and tent with foil to keep warm. Add your pearl onion and mushroom mix to your braising liquid. Place the dutch oven back on the stove and reduce liquid by about a quarter. Skim as much fat off the top as possible. This will be your gravy for the pot roast. When nearly finished, add a tsp unflavored gelatin to the sauce to add richness.
And there you have it. By far the most prep I've ever done for a pot roast, but, bar none, it's the best I've ever had.
An iconic old American cookbook is The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis. It was published in 1976, has 300+ pages - exact page count depending on the edition. Older edition here.
If we are talking about American food history viewed through cookbooks, this book (and Edna's other cookbooks) would probably be in the top 3 list. I dislike using over the top adjectives, but this book is really an iconic book. Here's a seriouseats review.
$35 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1580089283/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_haHUDbFXKFCT7
Cooks Illustrated is my absolute go to. We refer to it as The Bible in my house. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1933615893/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_lJNTDbTA8M9FF
Any America's Test Kitchen books are great.
I also love Mark Bitman's how to cook everything, Ottolenghi's Plenty & Plenty more.
Does she cook? Maybe get her some cookbooks from here. https://www.amazon.com/Plantation-Cookbook-Junior-League-Orleans/dp/0963192507/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1479912019&amp;sr=8-12&amp;keywords=new+orleans+collectible https://www.amazon.com/River-Road-Recipes-Textbook-Louisiana/dp/0961302682/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=KM7MPAB810FP5DHMCQ4K https://www.amazon.com/Cookbook-Louisiana-Lafayette-Junior-League/dp/0935032029/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=EQXGKS2CW7MJ03X3BB39
More With Less
I'll be honest, this is sort of off the wall, but I read Edward Lee's Smoke & Pickles a couple of weeks ago and I thought it was outstanding. It's a combination Southern cookbook and memoir about the child of Korean immigrants who grew up in the Bronx, was briefly an annoying Brooklyn hipster, but ended up being a chef in Kentucky. It's basically a cookbook (and not one for entry-level cooks either), but each section starts with a long, thoughtful, engaging essay about how his life journey ended up with him being a good old boy who works buttermilk and bourbon into every dish and occasionally hangs out at slaughterhouses or goes pheasant hunting. I dunno, it's just cool and really, really well-written.
More for Less cookbook. I have saved so much money and learned to cook simpler and healthier meals http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/083619263X
Maybe start with America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook
The people at America's Test Kitchen test every recipe many, many times and determine what works best. You can't go wrong with them.
The bourbon jalapenos and caraway pickles were both from Edward Lee's Smoke and Pickles book. I found a lot of inspiration in it.
It really depends on the person and the cook book and they can be great tools to learn from, especially for novices. I only have one cookbook, Cook's Illustrated, and I've learned a ton from it. It's made by the folks at America's Test Kitchen, which if you are unaware of who they are, are exactly what it sounds like. They test all sorts of recipes trying different techniques, temperatures, methods, etc, until they find the "best" way to cook a dish. The cookbook gives easy instructions, explanations as to why what they say to do is the best, and provide multiple variations for each recipe so you learn how to cook with a basic technique and then change it up however your imagination desires. My cooking has improved immensely from this one book.
They had a cookbook....
CAN YOU TAKE THE HEAT?: The WWF Is Cooking! https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060393785/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_FZUevb0S27F8D
If you're looking for recipes and snack ideas I've loved this book!
Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less: A Flexible and Delicious Way to Shrink Your Waist Without Going Hungry https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CKUEVT4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8XbeBbK6EYVHB
America's Test Kitchen Family cookbook. They explain technique very well and the recipes are solid. Plus it comes in a ring binder which is nice since it lays open better.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1933615486/ref=pd_aw_sims_3?pi=SY115&amp;simLd=1
I think you'd enjoy this book: https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-This-Exactly-Things-Anniversary/dp/1556438311
Check out the "More With Less Cookbook"
It was produced by the "Mennonite Central Committee"
https://www.amazon.ca/More-Less-World-Community-Cookbook/dp/083619263X
As an addition to the other great answers: I know of two cookbooks that are aimed at making food that is cheap and good (as in healthful and tasty). One is Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown, available for free from her website. The other is More-With-Less, which is published by a Mennonite group. I have never used Good and Cheap (it was in the news after it was published), and I've only used a few things from More-with-Less, so I can't really speak to their overall quality.
My personal favorite simple, cheap, tasty, and versatile dish is beans and rice. I typically combine equal amounts black beans and brown rice (I'm glossing over cooking them), season with cumin, garlic, and salt, add some diced tomatoes and lime juice, and top with fresh cilantro, cheese, and avocado (and hot sauce).
Using brown rice instead of white rice adds minerals and fiber, but isn't necessary. Avocados and cilantro are delicious, but aren't necessary (and can be expensive). Note that dried black beans require several hours of soaking before they can be cooked (and about an hour of cooking time). You can use things like canned beans, minute rice, canned tomatoes or salsa, and guacamole to make this basically effortless (though probably a little more expensive). There are lots of ways to combine beans and rice (there's even an academic book about it).
An even easier version, which I've only ever served as a side dish but is nutritionally acceptable as a main dish is: combine a can of beans with a can of corn (both drained), spice to taste (I use salt, cumin, garlic, etc), and add some fresh cilantro. Optionally add a drained can of diced tomatoes.
Oh! White Trash Cooking! Preserves the language, but actually has some really good recipes inside! I like it with the bacon fat and cracklings, and I add more buttermilk than called for. Let me know when you try it!
http://www.amazon.com/White-Trash-Cooking-Ernest-Mickler/dp/0898151899/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1465063063&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=white+trash+cookbook
He figures prominently in this doosie of a read. Pretty entertaining stuff: Link
It was a game changer for me to realize that some recipes are just not good--a lot of cookbooks and recipes online have just been churned out and not really tested, so it's not even your fault if the food doesn't work out.
Finding cookbooks and blogs that you trust every time take the stress of failure out. America's Test Kitchen is fantastic, and this cookbook has the best recipes of all of the basics: http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Test-Kitchen-Family-Cookbook/dp/1933615486
I also love Heidi Swanson of 101cookbooks.com, and trust that all of her recipes will be delicious.
Just keep trying, and you'll get better.
I enjoy cookbooks that explain the process of why to do this and not that especially with ingredients and processes. This favorite has been go go to book for years..
Not the menu from this place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_%28WWE%29
Maybe a few recipes from this: http://www.amazon.com/CAN-YOU-TAKE-THE-HEAT/dp/0060393785
yes they would, they even wrote a book about it and it's a must have.
Yep, I agree. I was actually wondering how he's take my question on the iPad app. Whatever - I bought two of his $40 book, and he knew it. :P
(You can get them waaaay cheaper online, but I wanted to support the store, etc.)
I've got around 50 cookbooks and The Encyclopedia of Cajun Cuisine by John Folse is my favorite. I've cooked about 20 recipes out of this book, all entree's, and every single one was absolutely spot on. If I know someone doesn't have a copy I usually get them one for Christmas or a birthday.
turtle.....i have a cookbook called the white trash cookbook....funniest damn thing you have ever read.
http://www.amazon.com/White-Cooking-Jargon-Ernest-Mickler/dp/0898151899
You said Southern Style but I really like Ed Lee's collards + kimchi served at MilkWood which is technically Korean-Southern fusion. I love it so much so that I quit using my grandmother's recipe and adopted his. Recipe here: http://www.pbs.org/food/recipes/collards-kimchi/ basically the entire restaurants menu is in this cookbook https://www.amazon.com/Smoke-Pickles-Recipes-Stories-Southern/dp/1579654924
These are two fantastic books for beginning cooks, so much so that I've been buying them as wedding/hosewarming presents as part of my gifts to newlyweds/new homeowners just starting out.
How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart by Pam Anderson
The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen
The ATK book apparently has a new edition coming out in October. They also have a similar version if you are less interested in perhaps the best tasting versus the more healthful options.
I would recommend a dozen or so books to get started. However, if I had to recommend one thing it would be this blog, as it dissects the first book from Alinea from the view point of a novice. It should make you think about cooking and food in a completely different way, and give you a head start into think about advanced concepts.
Okay I'll bite "Awful Truth" loaded to kindle.
I really hope its as bastshit as this one
There's only one thing I have to say to you ...
Cooks Illustrated. Ex bought this for me and it's pretty much been my bible. Good luck!
http://www.amazon.com/CAN-YOU-TAKE-THE-HEAT/dp/0060393785
I used to own a copy back in the day.
Need audio book for the following: (Paying $2 each)
https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Medium-Liver-Rescue-Gallstones/dp/B07JDSJYSP/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1550116743&sr=8-5
https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Medium-Anthony-William-ebook/dp/B012EI538Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1550116743&sr=8-3&keywords=healing+medium
https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Thyroid-Healing-Anthony-William-ebook/dp/B0746P1LGV/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1550116743&sr=8-2&keywords=healing+medium
I have no problem with swearing in general. It is not to my taste, but it is not something I am against. This particular book is not just full of swears, it is specifically imitating the cadence and language that it supposes urban black people use. And that is the sole "joke" of it, the juxtaposition of fancy vegan food and "hood" language. The authors concealed their identities for a long time allowing readers to think they were something other than who they are.
I never said that white people should not be allowed to cook whatever they want to or that it wouldn't be good food. In fact, I recommended Thug Kitchen as a book that I have heard good things about and that my friends really enjoy, with the caveat that I have never personally tried it for those reasons.
Yes, I do know that many restaurants hire chefs and cooks that are of varying ethnicities and I did say appropriation is not about any individual person cooking food, but is about profiting and power dynamics. I would rather support a vegan cookbook by an actual black person like Bryant Terry or Makini Howell than Thug Kitchen. Similarly I would rather financially support PoC owned restaurants rather than white owned restaurants that get more recognition and praise and are able to charge higher prices. I say white because white people are the majority where I live and are in a position of power over people of color. That doesn't mean that the white restaurants don't serve good food, it means I recognize that they aren't operating on an even playing field.
You can call me a SJW, it doesn't bother me. My passion for social justice lead me to veganism because I believe all living beings deserve respect, consideration, opportunities and just treatment. Veganism should be intersectional.
your method is a little different but the end result looks very similar to my own favorite carnitas recipe.
my recipe comes from the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (page 420!), and since i started making it a few years ago it has become a favorite in my house. even my picky 3-year-old loves it!
i've never used ancho chiles or the peppers in adobo sauce, and i add some citrus flavor by juicing an orange and cooking the pork with the orange rinds mixed in, and a little different spices (i use onion powder, garlic powder, and like 5x more cumin lol), but otherwise this looks very very similar to the recipe i use.
i cook mine in a dutch oven for 2 hours then crisp it under the broiler for ~10 minutes. i also reduce my cooking liquid in a skillet before putting it on the pork under the broiler.
some fresh garnishes (onion, cilantro, lime juice) and sour cream complete the ensemble. its seriously amazing.
great post. made me hungry. 10/10 would upvote again.
No one has mentioned it yet, but I learned a lot from cook books.
These are not just lists or recipes, but instruction about techniques and methods and processes.
Some good ones are:
Having an actual dead tree book can be more convenient in the kitchen than a laptop or mobile device with an ebook.
If you can find episodes of Good Eats by Alton Brown he is really good at explaining things. Videos can be good, but a lot of times but really only when you know what it is you're looking for. With a book it is going to give you topics that you might never have thought of.
But for reals now, you are going to get the best value learning how to cook the basics. Your Instant pot is AWESOME for cooking dry beans. Get pound of dry black beans and 3 pounds of water (obviously you need a good kitchen scale). I just put the inner pot of my Instantpot on the scale, dump in the beans, tare it, then pour water in with a big cup till I have 3 lbs. Put in 1/2-1 teaspoon of salt. I also add granulated garlic and powdered onion and some cumin but you don't have to. Set your instanpot to manual for 45 mins and wait. Let it naturally release, if you manually release the pressure the skin on the beans will break, to me it still tastes the same but you have far fewer whole beans. Now you have a weeks worth of delicious, healthy black beans. No need for overnight soak or anything.
Small white beans (a.k.a navy beans) can be cooked the same and they taste different but just as good. Or you can add the extra ingredients and make pork and beans.
You can cook pinto beans with the same basic recipe, and they taste great too. When you want to take the extra time, then with a slotted spoon dish the cooked beans into a large frying pan with some lard or shortening and make your own refried beans. You smash the beans with the back of the spoon or a spatula, and use the bean broth to add liquid till you like the texture.
If you can't tell I like cooking beans in my Instantpot. I have a rice cooker but you can cook rice in the Instantpot too. Beans and rice is healthy and cheap!!! (cook them separately and mix them after cooking).
Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin
or possibly
Smoke and Pickles: Recipes and Stories from a New Southern Kitchen
they both look like a lot of fun.
This is actually why I've never gone out of my way to buy this book. I got Vegan Soul Kitchen. I hate when a recipe requires me to get a ton of dishes dirty or measure too many things. I like minimal prep & cleanup, and my recipes amount to: one starch, one vegetable, one bean, varying spices, and varying oils. Tada!
Good and Cheap: (Note: This is also available for free download in PDF format on the author's website. I know many folks who have downloaded it and printed it out for offline use.)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761184996/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_EVLLDbRBSQMBH
Depression Era Recipes:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0934860556/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9OLLDbTKCP8B4
Clara's Kitchen:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0312608276/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_MPLLDbWM71RM9
More-with-Less World Community Cookbook:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/083619263X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_nQLLDbF12CDHM
Finally, a word on creating your own cookbook binder: Bookmark the recipes you've tried and loved (using Pinterest is okay for this, too), print them out, and either laminate the pages, or use clear sheet protector sleeves to keep them fom getting cruddy with repeated use. Pick out a binder you like or have handy, create labeled categories using tab dividers, then sort your recipes into said categories as you put them into the binder. Voila! Your own collection of recipes you know and trust. 😁
See if they have this book at your local library.
https://www.amazon.com/Cooks-Illustrated-Cookbook-Americas-Magazine/dp/1933615893
Has a great section explaining all of the ingredients and how to cook each. Start easy and get more complex. Canned beans have a ton of salt in them. Carne burritos are easier to cook than chicken because you can eat it rare. To get the taste of take out spot just look up mexican recipes online. It's all in the seasoning.
> Do you guys have any sources of really high quality vegan meals by like high level chefs and shit.
Take your pick! What cuisines does she like to make? What do you like to eat? Choose something that fits both.
Gourmet Stuff (youtube channels, blogs, and/or cookbooks. Some are all three):
For direct recreations of dairy, meat, and condiments/sauces.
For recreations of eggs:
For a general cookbook: Veganomicon
---------
My list of substitutions, taken from another comment:
"
Another thing you can do is learn or find vegan substitutes to things, then you can look up recipes that are as complex or authentic as you want, and simply use the substitutions. For gourmet vegan cooking, some are:
"
I am not sure if 'vegan' qualifies automatically as 'diabetic' but this cookbook is rockstar....and healthy.
"Vegan Soul Kitchen"
http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Soul-Kitchen-Creative-African-American/dp/0738212288/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1450929368&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=vegan+soul+kitchen
When I make burgers, if I'm grilling I just sprinkle on some Montreal steak seasoning (specifically this from McCormick) but if I'm cooking it on the stove I don't add anything, just cook it in a little butter or vegetable oil. The burgers themselves are always pure beef; usually good, fresh ground beef (frozen is acceptable if you have it, but fresh is the best) and never preformed unless you need to make dozens for a cookout or something. When forming the burgers, I generally go for 1/3 to 1/2 pound patties, as loosely packed as possible (just enough to hold together on the grill); when grilling, you'll want to add a dimple on top (just poke down the center to compress it a bit more), since burgers tend to poof a bit on the grill (though they don't seem to on the stove for some reason). I also make "premium" burgers on occasion by starting with steak and chopping it myself, although that's a much more involved process (I got the recipe for that from this Cook's Illustrated cookbook). No seasoning or other additives or sauces go into my burgers, just on top of them.
Unfortunately, I'm not the best at grilling, that's my dad's territory - however, it's pretty straightforward, you should only flip the burger once. I'd suggest listening to other's advice on when to flip the burger. You add the cheese when the burger is very close to being done, and make sure you toast the buns on the grill as well (timing isn't too important, you mostly want to crisp up the inside - still being warm is ideal, but it's okay if the buns cool off by the time you're eating). Stovetop cooking is also a viable option, one which I'm more experienced with, but I couldn't really tell you how to tell when the burgers are done. The cookbook I linked to above is where I'm starting from, I'm just experimenting from the basics I learned from that book (it's well worth getting even if you never make the burgers, just about everything in there is really good). The really basic version is what I said above, cook them in a pan with a bit of oil or butter and flip them only once.
For the cheese, I generally use either cheddar or jack. If all we have is the shitty processed cheese product (Kraft Singles or some generic version of them), I won't have any on my burger (it adds a lot, but isn't really necessary).
The bun is really important, but that is the hardest to tell you what to get - what's available in UK stores may be wildly different from what's available in the US, even finding the same brands in different parts of the US can be hard. To start, just look for a bun from a company that makes good bread (the best regular loafs of bread around here (Connecticut in the US) are from Martin's and Freihofer's, and the best burger buns come out of the same bakeries).
As for the toppings, you can do whatever you like. My preferences are either ketchup (Heinz) and mayo or barbecue sauce (something ketchup-based, not vinegar-based). Bacon is great anytime I can get it, but it's not necessary. The closest thing to a vegetable that I'll put on (aside from the ketchup) is this stuff (not necessarily that brand, I use something from a local spice store, but it's the same thing). Experiment to find what works, but to start with I'd go for just cheese and ketchup and mayo.
edit: Oh, and drink some good root beer or sarsaparilla with the burger. A&W is my preference among the big companies, although Barq's is a close second. Locally-brewed stuff can be really good, though, I generally drink sarsaparilla from Hosmer Mountain with mine.
I'll just leave this here Nothing in This Book Is True, But It's Exactly How Things Are
There are a few comments suggesting that you get your kids involved in cooking, and to that end, I highly recommend the Good Eats (Alton Brown's show) episode called "Soups On", as it's about teaching a kid how to cook. They use soups in that episode, since they're so forgiving, but have tips for teaching kids (and adults) basic knife skills as well.
Good Eats is generally a great show for learning how to cook. Unlike most of the food-porn shows on tv, he actually teaches you how to cook and gives you a lot of answers to the "why" questions around cooking. Similarly, Americas Test Kitchen - still runs on PBS - is another good show. They test out recipes to give you the best versions - for taste, cost, and simplicity - and it's pretty family-friendly American foods. I highly recommend their Family Cookbook as a great collection.
Lots of people will say to look at the Instant Pot which is a combination electric pressure cooker/slow cooker/rice cooker ("multi cooker"). I had a bluetooth enabled "IP-SMART" 6qt model of theirs (actually three: first had a safety recall, second was dented on arrival, third still exhibited regulation issues). Lots of people are happy with Instant Pots, but I had a lot of issues with the pressure control being flaky for certain recipes. Additionally, much of what makes slow cookers safe when you are out of the house is their low wattage heaters... typically 250-400W... and low complexity (basically it's a small electric blanket that is wrapped around a very heavy ceramic pot). The Instant Pot has a 1000W heater, and is more complex (microcontroller + a thermocouple), so this negates some of the safety aspects of unattended slow cooking... though it is UL listed and has a thermal fuse in case anything goes wrong.
My recommendation if you are interested in pressure cookers and slow cookers:
$120 for both.. around the ballpark of the cheaper Instant Pots, you gain an additional pot for stove use, pressure cooker is of bigger size, slow cooker is safe unattended and a more conventional shape, and IMO will last longer. You lose automatic rice cooking capabilities but... by a $20-$30 rice cooker and probably get better rice, or just do it on the stovetop.
By the way, no idea what food you like to eat, but these are two of my favorite cookbooks if you are getting started and wanted to build up some experience:
And major shout out to Kenji's (from Seriouseats.com) new book if you want more detailed science information:
This post ended up being much longer than I expected, but those are my recommendations if you are just starting out. ;) The main thing I've learned since beginning to cook is that 90%+ of the recipes online (and even in print) are untested crap, and to look for recipe sources you can trust. The second thing is that a finished recipe is much more dependant on the technique (the steps you use to modify ingredients at specific times, temperatures, and textures) and way less dependent on the ingredients themselves (you can easily sub ingredients for many recipes once the core techniques are understood).
One of my favorite books out there is Best Recipe.
This book has a great compilation of recipes, but also goes into great detail as to why things are done certain ways historically and how different methods during the cooking process give different results, even down to methods for selecting the best produce for certain dishes.
(I linked the more expensive hardcover edition, because it's that good.)
*Edit: Read the reviews on Amazon. They tell it better than I can.
I'd suggest this:
http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Kitchen-Healthy-Family-Cookbook/dp/1933615567/
Because White Trash Cooking rocks.
I could dig out a cookbook and transcribe my favorite...
If you're curious about what sort of variations have positive results, this is one I think your collection should include... though its more aimed at quality than cost awareness.
Pastry cooks are hardly rare. Good ones are, though.
Get the Alinea cookbook and work your way through it, if you have the patience and the pocketbook. Very neat stuff, but really anal from a guy with zero taste buds. I respect him, but really... His most critical restaurant reviews are of his presentation and flavor combinations, so use your own judgement and taste buds while using this book. I recommend it as reading material, but follow your own head and area.
My favorite cookbooks so far are
If you are brand new and want only the basices, you should get I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking by Alton Brown which is the most basic cooking-for-dummies book!
[http://i.imgur.com/VEGsJ.jpg]
[http://www.amazon.com/White-Cooking-Jargon-Ernest-Mickler/dp/0898151899]
What's the difference between that cookbook by Cook's Illustrated and the one that came out later with even more recipes, The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook? Wouldn't it be better to get the one with more recipes?
Holy crap, I shoulda searched Amazon first! America's First Cuisines
(Edit: this book sounds very readable from the reviews. I'm a bit regretful that it covers only "the Aztecs, the Maya, and the Inca". I'm sure the cuisine(s) of e.g. the Pacific Coast, the Great Lakes, etc, were quite different -- the nice post by Reedstilt gives an idea.)
That's nice that you're in this together! Since I've started eating healthier my boyfriend has jumped on the bandwagon with me :)
People have suggested
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CKUEVT4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_8XbeBbK6EYVHB
and
https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Right-Life-Common-Eating/dp/0615378412/ref=pd_bxgy_121_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0615378412&pd_rd_r=AWMQ1VZTGR88Y9WKSBGB&pd_rd_w=J8MZ2&pd_rd_wg=bSt3K&psc=1&refRID=AWMQ1VZTGR88Y9WKSBGB
and to watch this video for more information on starvation mode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a8zuTfZhK0&list=PLp4G6oBUcv8w7mOuaiouhArVD2J4JMW5Z&index=10
I'll also suggest "The Joy of Cooking"
A couple of other books that are filled with perfect and realistic versions of food everyone will recognize and want to eat are:
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook
The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2014
These two books are very similar so you don't need both of them, but I think having at least one of them is essential.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0848734343
For home-cooked type recipes, check this out:
https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&amp;keywords=talk+about+good+cookbook&amp;tag=hydsma-20&amp;index=aps&amp;hvadid=242657455351&amp;hvpos=1t1&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvrand=15051017321800423911&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvdev=m&amp;hvdvcmdl=&amp;hvlocint=&amp;hvlocphy=9025385&amp;hvtargid=kwd-350708428779&amp;ref=pd_sl_72rvjd38rt_e&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwwbHWBRBWEiwAMIV7E2QTz_6vMSnYohxX0fhYV2ipSk3kjfvnyVGPBGZ1fX5HHJ63rrkMehoCrJIQAvD_BwE
It is a book of recipes compiled by the junior league of Lafayette.
Another great resource is this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0970445717/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1523361538&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&amp;keywords=john+folse+encyclopedia&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=51aeIbcYrnL&amp;ref=plSrch
i recently got hooked on Roasted Rosemary Tofu (recipe) (picture) from the Vegan Soul Kitchen cookbook. it's really easy to make, has wonderful flavor & a perfect texture. the only note that the posted recipe & the photos miss is that the rosemary should be very finely chopped, not left whole.
The problem with this thread is that if you make a couple of these, the GF will continue to want more! I invested in a cookbook a long time ago, and it's literally changed my life. You can buy the one I use for under $6. Now we make a different recipe every night and they all taste amazing.
More-With-Less
The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook also comes in a binder. I used to use the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, but I've been using the one I linked more often in the last few years.
This cookbook: http://amzn.com/1933615486 from America's Test Kitchen.
Includes a huge variety of recipes and also includes techniques on successful completion. Tips for how to identify and choose cuts of meat, easily dice an onion, choose knives, light a grill, preheat an oven...everything a beginning cook could use.
Each recipe gives exact cooking times and are rated "easy" "quick" so you know what you're getting into before you start.