What's on your shelf?

[Tom Linderholm]

Just a question of what cook book you go to most. If you could only have one, what would it be?

For me, when I am looking for a classic recipe, it's the Joy of Cooking, seem's it always has a simple beginning to any great dish making it easy to vary it to my style.

What's yours?

[Leaky]

I do almost all of my recipe searches online now. The best one I've found is All Recipes (Contact Us Please) com. Next would be Food Network (Contact Us Please) com.

Go to book when I forget how long to cook a hard boiled egg? Or an ear of corn? Has to be our 30 year old Betty Crocker. It's falling apart but has been the basis of how I learned to cook.

[fishinchicks]

I just purchased the Joy of Cooking a few months ago. It is one of the cookbooks I didn't pack up before we tore off our kitchen. The others I kept out were the recipe book I compiled for my family a few years ago, and our church cookbook.

[irishjigs]

I too do most of my recipe searching online. I do have a couple books, and The Joy of Cooking is one of them. Great tool!

[Leaky]

I just wanted to add that the All Recipes site is just like the worlds largest church cookbook, only better. (I've got 4 different church books in my cabinet and they are great)

All the recipes are submitted by the people who visit the site. Pretty much everyday normal people who just like to cook. Then all those recipes are reviewed by everyone who has tried them. They then assign a 5 star system based on those reviews.

I'll find something I like, then read all the reviews from people who did something a little different to make it better, then create it on my own. It's great fun when I have the time.

[Jim Almquist]

I really like Cooks and Cooks Country and subscribe to both to learn how to cook certain recipes better but if I wanted a old recipe I would look in my set of 4 Pines to Prairie cook books. They are kinda like a Mega church cookbook.Until they came out with the third or fourth edition there was nothing fat free about them at all but the recipes were like the food that Grandma and your Aunts would cook at family gatherings.

[Haug Hunter]

I like Allrecipies as well, but as far as books go I really like Famous Dave's Backroads and sidestreets.

[bwtrout]

Ditto on the 'Joy of Cooking', I will read through a lot of others and pull out interesting twists, but you can't beat it for the basics.

[Hotspotter]

Joy of Cooking is a standard for us, but I also like "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman I believe? He's got alot of the standards with some flair, as well as an excellent section in the back with tons of "themed" sample menus, all from recepies in the book!

Joel

[Tripleplay]

Still fall back on the Betty Crocker cookbook for the basics. I think I'll need to look a little closer at the Joy of Cooking since it is getting such high marks on this thread. (pretty sure it is in the cupboard but my wife collects cookbooks or the magazines, etc. like I collect fishing tackle and hunting stuff so I may have to dig a bit)

I will second the Pine to Prairie cookbooks as good-old home cooking type recipes. Many of those are the standard at our house and a number have become the entire families standards. (there is a Gingersnap cookie that my father-in-law swears is the best cookie he has ever eaten but he comes from the school where he adds a little butter or margerine to the top like frosting---makes me gag every time I see it but he swears by it!) I'll be the first to admit that butter makes most anything better but cookies in the finished state is a stretch to me.

I have to honestly admit that I score a number of recipes off of this HSOforum and haven't been disappointed. Maybe a couple that were better received by me than the remainder of the family but still good stuff. A couple of days ago for example I pulled the entire thread of beer batter recipes off and I'll be giving one or two a trial run as I've been looking for a good one for awhile now.

[BLACKJACK]

I'll also jump on the Betty Crocker bandwagon, I have one that one of my sisters gave me 30 years ago when I was in college, if I need to boil an egg thats where I go, plus there are a couple of beef and chicken soup recipes that are my standard winter fare. Most of my other recipes are ones that I've clipped out of the Outdoor News or printed off the web.

[Harmonica Bear]

Good question, Cheffrey. Interesting answers. For me, most come from on-line now, but the "go to"? When push comes to shove there's always "The Walking Cookbook" Mom. At 83 Frau Baermann can still spout out the recipes. The go to on the shelf is the red plaid Better Homes cookbook that, like BlackJack, I recieved or perhaps "borrowed" in college many moons ago.

[Stiff]

Mark me down for "Joy of Cooking" as well, followed by the "New Cookbook" put out by Better Homes.

If I'm trying something new, I'll usually do a quick search on the internet as well starting with the Food Network - paying close attention to see if Alton Brown has weighed in on the subject of intrest. He's usually right on the money, and I'll compare the cook books to his opinions and recomendations.

Others on the shelf are: The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, and the Watkins Cook book - some things never change, but then again some things do.

[BAIT956]

Good post Cheffrey. Lot's of good responses. Actually, I have gotten a lot of great ideas from this message board.

In addition to the above replys, for grilling I often consult "How to Grill" by Steven Raichlen,

"Know Your Fire" by George Hirsh,

and "Smoke and Spice" by Jamison and Jamison

[thirdeye]

Joy is right up there. My copy is a 1975 edition, I guess I should upgrade. I also like the Julia Child books. Cookwise by Shirley Corriher is another favorite.

[so haaad]

I'll second the red plaid Better Homes cookbook.

[Jackpine Rob]

Betty Crocker for basics.

Various church and hospital cookbooks from Ely for casseroles and ethnic stuff.

Joy of Cooking when I get in over my head.