COOKBOOK OFF Stephanie Vs Maggie PART TWO: The Cook's Companion
July 27th 2008 08:37
Welcome back boys and girls to the second round of the Foodmage Cookbook Off! (insert wooting here). Today we will be looking at the "complete book of ingrediants and recipes for the Australian kitchen" which is none other than The Cook's Companion by one Stephanie Alexander.
This really is a great cookbook. If you could only ever have one cookbook for your entire life, this would be the one you want. In fact,I just had a look at the backcover and it has 'The book for a lifetime of cooking' written on it. At over a THOUSAND pages it might come across a bit scary, but the beauty of this book is it's designed for kitchen novices and masters alike.
The book is structured around foods, running A-Z. and very comprehensive. At first I found this a bit frustrating, because if you want to cook something like lasange you have to search through the index. However, the format soon began to work for me, as I started cooking more and more with whatever I had lying about (rather than planning in a meal in advance and making sure I had everything I needed from the shops).
So when you are tired and get home from work, and all you can find is a pumpkin and some carraway seeds Stephanie is just a trooper because you just have to flick to the pumpkin chapter and you'll get the low down on how many ways you can prepare it and a few different recipes. But the best thing is the list of 'This food goes with...' so you can get a feel of what flavours are going to work this food- a bit of guidance when improvising around the stove top when you need to make substitutions. In the margin columns are other suggestions for quicker meals and snacks using the key ingrediant. Although each food chapter is only a couple of pages, a good number of recipes and ideas are captured that utilise every part of the product, in sweet and savoury ways. Another strong point is the cross referencing system on the bottom of every page - which makes cooking even easier.
Unlike Maggie Beer's The Cook's Harvest, the typography of The Cook's Companion is uber user friendly. The recipes are short and uncomplicated creating a high rating glanc-ability factor so you don't need to constantly search where you are up to when preparing. Beneath each heading is an italicised blurb from the author that gives context to the dish or is just a simple reflection about the meal.
The Cook's Companion is not really a book to look at- there are a few pictures of farmers sitting with their tomatoes and what not, but not pictures of any of recipes. So it's no good if you like to pour over glossy food pictures fantasising about what to cook. But, if you need a solid cooking resource then I couldn't recommend this book enough, even if your kitchen prowess only extends to 2 minute noodles or you can make swan shaped souffles with your eyes closed, there is something in there for everyone. It covers everything!
It's the universality of The Cook's Companion that makes it the winner of the 2008 Foodmage Cookbook Off!
Woooottttttttttt woooooooooo!!!!!
This really is a great cookbook. If you could only ever have one cookbook for your entire life, this would be the one you want. In fact,I just had a look at the backcover and it has 'The book for a lifetime of cooking' written on it. At over a THOUSAND pages it might come across a bit scary, but the beauty of this book is it's designed for kitchen novices and masters alike.
The book is structured around foods, running A-Z. and very comprehensive. At first I found this a bit frustrating, because if you want to cook something like lasange you have to search through the index. However, the format soon began to work for me, as I started cooking more and more with whatever I had lying about (rather than planning in a meal in advance and making sure I had everything I needed from the shops).
So when you are tired and get home from work, and all you can find is a pumpkin and some carraway seeds Stephanie is just a trooper because you just have to flick to the pumpkin chapter and you'll get the low down on how many ways you can prepare it and a few different recipes. But the best thing is the list of 'This food goes with...' so you can get a feel of what flavours are going to work this food- a bit of guidance when improvising around the stove top when you need to make substitutions. In the margin columns are other suggestions for quicker meals and snacks using the key ingrediant. Although each food chapter is only a couple of pages, a good number of recipes and ideas are captured that utilise every part of the product, in sweet and savoury ways. Another strong point is the cross referencing system on the bottom of every page - which makes cooking even easier.
Unlike Maggie Beer's The Cook's Harvest, the typography of The Cook's Companion is uber user friendly. The recipes are short and uncomplicated creating a high rating glanc-ability factor so you don't need to constantly search where you are up to when preparing. Beneath each heading is an italicised blurb from the author that gives context to the dish or is just a simple reflection about the meal.
The Cook's Companion is not really a book to look at- there are a few pictures of farmers sitting with their tomatoes and what not, but not pictures of any of recipes. So it's no good if you like to pour over glossy food pictures fantasising about what to cook. But, if you need a solid cooking resource then I couldn't recommend this book enough, even if your kitchen prowess only extends to 2 minute noodles or you can make swan shaped souffles with your eyes closed, there is something in there for everyone. It covers everything!
It's the universality of The Cook's Companion that makes it the winner of the 2008 Foodmage Cookbook Off!
Woooottttttttttt woooooooooo!!!!!
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