What Are FAVORITE Cookbooks or Chefs?

you know, i have never actually looked at the Joy of Cooking...i'm gonna have to pick that up some day. i love just about any kind of cookbook. love crock pot stuff, 30 minute meals, anything fast & healthy. i love the food network and could literally watch it all day. when i want something fast i go to rachel ray or sandra lee...for longer sunday dinners i like Emeril, Giada, Guy, Bobby Flay, Ina Garten or Paula Dean. I love them all :)

I've found that I can never go wrong with The Joy of Cooking cookbook. My mom had it when we were kids and she gave me one for Christmas a few years ago (it's an updated version). These days I google my recipes but sometimes I just don't find what I'm looking for so I open up my nifty cookbook and I find it, it has everything. This happened the other day when I tried to find a quick biscuit recipe, I ended up finding one and had yummy, easy biscuits 15 minutes later. Definitely the best "go to" cookbook!

The Better Homes and Gardens (red and white checkered), because it has thousands of recipes. It has all the basics like pancakes, chicken noodle soup, pot roast. The recipes are easy and the nutrition info is listed for each one.

Bon Appetit (the orange one). Some of the recipes call for more exotic ingredients, But again there are thousands of recipes and EVERY one we have tried has been TO DIE FOR!

Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day- easiest bread recipes ever. That book was worth every penny.

(I'll probably forget someone)

- Mario Batali
- Tyler Florence
- Jamie Oliver
- 3 Guys from Miami Cook Cuban
- Frugal Gourmet
- The Silver Spoon (the italian bible)

* Restaurants (many restaurants post some of their recipes on their websites these days... LOVE that). I also talk to waitstaff and chefs all the time when I absolutely love what I've been plated. I start with "How much are you allowed to tell me what goes into this?" If they say "Not a lot" I don't worry... but often I'll not only get ingredients lists but kitchen tricks ("For THIS sauce start very low to begin with until it gets a sheen, takes forever, make sure you have wine and a book... then once it gets all glossy crank it up to high until it starts bubbling and drop it back on low... that way you get JUST a little bit of caramelizing...."). Food is just like art. Some artists are very secretive, others are thrilled to tell you all about it.

* Friends ... I learn so much from friends

* Specialty Websites. You can find pages and pages and pages with dozens of recipes and articles written by people whose passion is a very narrow area in cuisine. For example... Gumbo/Jambalaya, paella, bbq sauce, etc.

* Old Standby: www.foodnetwork.com I've yet to have a recipe fail. They are checked a LOT before being published. While I have my fav chefs on there, I find all kinds of great recipes.

I tend "Italian" ethos or "Japanese" ethos food. Meaning stellar ingredients that the preparation really lets them shine eaten with loved ones and gusto (and leftovers to meld into tomorrow's menu). It can be a very complex prep, or a very simple one...but the ingredients are the soul of what you're eating.

Personally, I like the recipes in the South Beach Diet book and in Protein Power (another diet book). They're healthy and tasty. But of course they minimize carbs, and I love pasta. So I get a lot of recipes off the web, too. I just google "pasta recipe" (or whatever I'm interested in) and see what comes up. Oh! and I like Taste of Home magazine. It's gotten a little more ad-heavy over the years, but the recipes are still good and they provide a lot of recipe pictures, too.

I honestly don't have a favorite chef.

I adore John Folse. I've yet to cook any of his recipes where they failed or tasted "blech". His cooking is from "back home" (he lives 7 miles from my mom) and I love his cookbooks so I can share those foods with new friends and my family!
I love his cookbooks because they are works of art. The Encyclopedia for Cajun Cooking (I think that's what it is called?) is so respectful and lovely, and honors the culture. There's history and phenomenal photography, the origins of traditions, foods, and how it all blended and came together to make south Louisiana food special. I love that book---I've actually sat down and read it like a book, lol! There are other books he has written that are equally as pretty and give you insight into the plantations, bed and breakfasts, places that rock your world while traveling through.
For shows, I like watching reruns of 2 Fat Ladies with my British husband (he has to "translate" because I can't understand half of what they say--I think they are drunk by the end of the show). I like that show though because they give me ideas for things to try on my own, but I enjoy watching two little old ladies just really enjoying life.

My favorite cookbooks are church and school cookbooks that are fundraisers for said organizations. Those have everyone's easiest and most favorite recipes.
They usually cost $5 or $10. I've got Band Cookbooks from our high school band -- if you (or anyone else) want one, PM me. They are $5 (plus the cost of shipping which should be no more than $2) and have the easiest and best recipes in them including the soups we travel with. (We feed our kids warm and healthy meals whenever we travel -- and we travel a lot!)
LBC

I like The Joy of Cooking, whenever I'm entertaining or want to make sure that what I prepare comes out tasting good, I always refer to this cookbook.

I love Cook's Illustrated 30 minute meals. It takes me a littler longer than 30 minutes to do some of the recipes with my kids there as I have interruptions (or have them help), but they're pretty quick and easy and very tasty. Many of the recipes are child friendly, although there are a few that my husband I love so much that I'll cook those for us and give the kids hot dogs.

Lately, we're in love with the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten), especiallly her "How Easy Is That?" cookbook. Every recipe we've tried has been fantastic, and most recipes just have a few ingredients (not exotic ones, either - many of them you may already have in your pantry).

Ina Garten long time favourite.

my favorite cook is paula dean( cause she cooks for people who have meat on their bones)lol and honestly m favorite 'cookbook" is allreciepes.com. but i;m always willing to try new things from everywhere/

My old favorite is the Silver Palate cookbook. I've had it over 20 years and still go back to it from time to time. My new favorite is America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family cookbook. All-time favorite chefs - Julia Child and Jacques Pepin - I learned so much from watching them. Current favorites - Bobby Flay, Cat Cora, and Giada DiLaurentis.

My favorite chef is chef Gordon Ramsey!

I JUST got a cookbook called "don't panic, dinner's in the freezer" its all about making meals ahead of time that you can freeze. Haven't used it yet (just just got it). but so excited!!!

I actually pull most of my fav recipes from allrecipes.com

I have an old Betty Crocker cookbook from the 70's that has easy recipes that turn out well the first time, with minimal prep and common ingredients. I also like Julia Child's "the Way to Cook" from the 80's, it's more practical than her original cookbook and she explains every detail so her recipes are reliable.

My new favorite is Stephanie O'Dea. She makes yummy things with a slow cooker that take just a few minutes to prep. They are wonderful when I don't have time to cook, or even don't want to spend the time.

Here's her website where you can get the recipes: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

You can get her cookbooks too if you prefer that.