The Cook’s Companion
by Stephanie Alexander
This has a very clever balance between information and inspiration. Stephanie is obviously a very experienced cook, but she wears that knowledge and experience quite lightly and doesn’t hit you over the head with it.
Recommendations from our site
“It’s quite robust cooking. I tend to turn to her when I come across something that I want to know a bit more about.” Read more...
Nigel Slater, Cooks & Food Writer
“This book is a bit like a bible or a dictionary – it’s a huge book with so much information and you can go there for so much reference. She talks about the production of the food and the tradition and the culture. For example, you go to kumquat and then you will see where they come from, where they grow – originally it’s Japanese or whatever – and then the seasons, and she has a friend who likes to do this recipe and then that – but you have to be careful because they are very bitter, and a way to cut this bitterness is to do this. You see, it’s more than just a recipe, it’s very informative.” Read more...
The best books on Simple Cooking
Bruno Loubet, Cooks & Food Writer