   
About my books
This section lists
my favourite books about food. You'll notice that my list of
bibles/reference books is longer than my list of cookbooks. Of
course, the former contain numerous recipes and basic techniques,
so a wealth of cookbooks is not essential. I do have a lot of
them though, but there are few that I would explicitly recommend.
Each cook has their
own style... many people are seduced by the books of celebrity
cooks, especially now that fashionable cooking is de rigeur!
My sister prefers an eclectic collection of cookbooks on specific
cuisines or courses, whereas I am far more ... analytical(?).
I like to start with knowledge about ingredients and their relationships,
I suppose. And I can't abide cookbooks that offer "delicious
food in 30 minutes" (etc, etc), because they so rarely reflect
what you have in your cupboards! If I want a quick meal, I don't
want to have to head off to the supermarket first!
Where to buy books?
I welcome tips from visitors to these pages! In London, Borders
and Waterstones frequently have the most comprehensive selection.
In Melbourne, Borders, Readers' Feast, and sometimes Readings
are very good. Try also Melbourne University Bookroom (where
you'll get a discount) and Carlton Secondhand Bookshop.
Food bibles &
reference books
The Oxford Companion
to Food
Alan Davidson/Oxford
University Press, Oxford 2000
A magnificent encyclopedia
of food, foodstuffs, techniques, etc. The only major flaw is
the lack of pictures (there are a limited number of line drawings).
On Food and Cooking:
The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
Harold McGee/Fireside,
New York 1997
All about the biochemistry
of food and cooking. Why do eggs curdle? Why do sauces thicken?
Why is searing meat a waste of time? Not for the faint-hearted.
This edition is a paperback reprint of the 1984 original. It
is occasionally dated in its discussion, but this is of little
concern.
Larousse Gastronomique
/Hamlyn (hardcover),
Mandarin Paperbacks (paperback)
A wealth of information
about food, cooking, dishes, techniques. Encyclopedic in form,
and with a strong, but not exclusive influence, on European and
primarily French cooking. The hardcover version with photographs
is lovely but very expensive. There's a small paperback version
as well (in very small print).
The Visual Food
Encyclopedia: The Definitive Practical Guide to Food and Cooking
/Macmillan, New
York 1996
Organised by foodstuff,
numerous pictures, varietal information, and information about
buying, storing, and cooking the ingredients in question. Some
nutritional information and recipes.
Encyclopedia of
Asian Food
Charmaine Solomon/William
Heinemann Australia, Melbourne 1996
Like Madhur Jaffrey,
Charmaine Solomon is a goddess of Asian food. The encyclopedia
is short on pictures, but long on information about ingredients
used in the various cuisines of Asia, typical dishes, varieties
of spices, and includes a multilingual glossary.
Complete Guide
to Cookery
Anne Willan/Dorling
Kindersley, London 1989
"Complete"
is such an ambitious adjective, but this beautiful volume certainly
does an excellent job of discussing the characteristics of ingredients,
typical dishes from many parts of the world, cooking, preparation,
and storage. Many useful recipes and suggestions as to how to
vary them. A wealth of useful pictures, not just of ingredients,
but also of cookery techniques and step-by-step photographs for
some recipes.
Cookbooks
Complete Asian
Cookbook
Charmaine Solomon/Lansdowne
Press, Sydney 1992
This large book
covers most countries of Asia, with a number of delectable recipes
from each. Some cuisines are better represented than others.
Some pictures. First published in 1976, it's been reprinted numerous
times, and revised in 1992.
Joy of Cooking
Irma S. Rombauer,
Marion Rombauer Becker, & Ethan Becker
/Simon & Schuster, London 1999 (also Scribner, New York 1998)
A true bible of
cooking, American, but this is an edition adapted for metric
and British readers. First published in 1931, this is an enduring
classic and authority, which has gone through a number of revisions
and updates. Hundreds, maybe thousands of recipes and variations.
Excellent discussion of cooking techniques and principles. Generally
clear and well-structured. It differs from other books in that
it lists each ingredient in the text of the recipe as it is added,
rather than as a list at the start. This might put some people
off, but the mention of each ingredient is clearly visible, and
I enjoy not having to look back at a conventional list all the
time.
Complete Vegetarian
Cookbook
Charmaine Solomon/HarperCollinsPublishers
Australia 1990
A wealth of ideas
for vegetarian dishes, both Western and Eastern, suggested menus,
and more. Not one of those vegetarian cookbooks which is all
lentils and wholemeal flour and tofu, but draws on traditional
non-meat dishes in many cuisines (including lentils and wholemeal
flour and tofu). Mmmmm. Lovely pictures too! A paperback edition
appeared in 1996.
Bread
Eric Treuille &
Ursula Ferrigno/Dorling Kindersley, London 1998
Sumptuously illustrated
with quality photographs, as is typical for Dorling Kindersley
books. Many interesting bread recipes, well explained. Also a
large section on bread-making, techniques, flours, ec.
Chinese Food
Kenneth Lo/Penguin
Books, Harmondsworth, Middlesex 1972
An excellent little
paperback about, well, Chinese food. Describes the differences
between genuine and foreign Chinese dishes. Numerous recipes.
Might be out of print.
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