Back to Basics Book

mosfet

Wammer
Wammer
Jul 20, 2005
6,153
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0
Surrey
AKA
Richard
I’m looking for a book to improve my food preparation and cooking skills.

A back to basics book covering the preparation and cooking of vegetables, meat, fish and so on. I can do all of these things already but I’d like to be able to do them better and properly. Fish for example is one food I usually struggle with, it’s either wet or it’s rubbery.

No aspirations to be a masterchef so I don’t want to study the classics but I do want to improve what I can do so I have a wider and better set of skills to follow a recipe.

 

unclepuncle

Wammer
Wammer
Apr 11, 2007
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9780764572067-l.jpg


:D

 

mosfet

Wammer
Wammer
Jul 20, 2005
6,153
19
0
Surrey
AKA
Richard
Something by Nigel Slater perhaps?
Looking on Amazon his books are recipe books which isn’t quite what I’m after.

A Haynes manual on how to prepare and cook food would be more along the right lines.

The Dummies book might be ok but they’re often aimed towards an American reader.

Delia might be the trick. On the shortlist.

 

ray70

Wammer
Wammer
Aug 2, 2005
2,550
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The Delia one is good. I often refer to it to learn some new skills before attempting an unfamiliar recipe or method.

 

Ward

Wammer
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Feb 14, 2010
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Ward
HiFi Trade?
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Pierre The Bear

Wammer
Wammer
Sep 19, 2009
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LEEDS
AKA
John
I’m looking for a book to improve my food preparation and cooking skills. A back to basics book covering the preparation and cooking of vegetables, meat, fish and so on. I can do all of these things already but I’d like to be able to do them better and properly. Fish for example is one food I usually struggle with, it’s either wet or it’s rubbery.

No aspirations to be a masterchef so I don’t want to study the classics but I do want to improve what I can do so I have a wider and better set of skills to follow a recipe.
Hi mosfet,

I've been interested in this thread since you posted so, sorry I didn't reply sooner but I've been very busy.

Please don't be offended but I think your going about improving your cooking skills the wrong way. Don't buy a book mate you do not need one. There are loads of great ones out there and some have been suggested already that I wholeheartedly agree with but there is nothing in books that you cant find for free on the internet.

If you want to read how to improve your cooking skills just google it. You'll get video's too on butchery, how to fillet fish, how and why we cook in certain ways etc etc etc.

Now, if you want to improve your cooking skills elaborate for me please. Is it knife skills? how to season correctly? how long\short how and why to cook something in a certain way? or just plain basics? Tell me what you want to learn or improve and I will help you.

In the mean time spend the book money on good knives and pans. If you already have knives and pans spend it on stocking the dry store or larder that'll improve your cooking no end.

 

mosfet

Wammer
Wammer
Jul 20, 2005
6,153
19
0
Surrey
AKA
Richard
Hi John

No offence taken, your point of view is constructive and informing.

Yes the internet is a great learning resource I use it all the time for this especially if I need to find out something specific. At the moment I’m not aiming too high with my cooking (neither is it that high up the agenda of importance) - as I said I’d like to improve my basic skills as and when time allows. The book above is used by first year catering students to learn from and I think this will suit me best. Give it six months to a year and then I hope to be asking for help with more advanced skills and recipes from wammers who know how to cook well. Cheers fella. :^

 
A

avole

Guest
Tend to agree with the above. I use the Cuisine de Reference book all the time. It is so much quicker to check things there since it is in the kitchen, I know the layout of the book backwards, and my computer is often inconveniently far away. Also handy if I've forgotten some ratios for pastry, creme anglaise etc.

 

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