# Help me pick a cook book. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986 "2007-04-20T19:51:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/1 "2007-04-20T19:51:23Z")
I love Julia Child\*. She kinda grew on me over the years. Anyway, I’ve prepared a few of the dishes I watched her do on her shows. I’ve decided to buy one of her cookbooks because I like what french foods I’ve tried and I like her methods. So, should I start with her first book, or would you reccommend a later work. I’m primarily interested in “everyday” homestyle dishes. \*I recently watched an excellent biography on Julia Child on PBS. I think it was [this](http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/child_j.html) one. I forgpt to say; Thanks mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/2 "2007-04-20T20:06:53Z")
I really like _The Way to Cook_, which is one of her later ones. It’s arranged by basic techniques (e.g., roasting, pastry-making) and recipes (e.g., basic beans) and then variations on them are suggested. Everything I’ve tried has been excellent and I really learned a lot from the book even though I had been cooking for years. The photographs of various techniques are very helpful, too. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/3 "2007-04-20T21:33:43Z")
Well, the classic _Mastering the Art of French Cooking_ has a lot to recommend it. It’s an excellent reference work, for one. And if you read _Julie and Julia_, a book by the girl who blogged making every recipe from it in a year, you’ll just have to get it. And you should read that, because it’s a real hoot. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/4 "2007-04-21T14:32:24Z")
This may draw a better response over in Cafe Society. Moved from IMHO to CS. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/5 "2007-04-21T16:13:57Z")
Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant (ethnic and regional recipes from the cooks at the Legendary Restaurant.) Excellent vegetarian recipes! My fave is the Shepherd’s Pie. Sometimes I just make the mushroom gravy part for potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/6 "2007-04-21T19:41:00Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] This may draw a better response over in Cafe Society. Moved from IMHO to CS. [/QUOTE] Thanks, Frank. I was torn between CS and IMHO when I first posted, but wasn’t sure which was appropiate. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/7 "2007-04-21T19:51:05Z")
Okay, I’m off to my local book store or B&N to get **Zsofia’s** _Julie and Julia_ to read while I wait for “Mastering” and maybe the others to arrive from [amazon.com](http://amazon.com). I really prefer a local mom and pop, but amazon is _way_ cheaper. Backyard snails, say your prayers! 😛 Thanks all. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/8 "2007-04-21T20:07:40Z")
Can’t let a cookbook thread go by without mentioning Irma Rombauer’s cookbook bible “The Joy of Cooking”. Get it and buy other cookbooks from there. ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/9 "2007-04-21T21:07:13Z")
[QUOTE=Jake] Can’t let a cookbook thread go by without mentioning Irma Rombauer’s cookbook bible “The Joy of Cooking”. Get it and buy other cookbooks from there. [/QUOTE] Second. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/10 "2007-04-21T21:31:14Z")
Yeah, _Joy_ and _Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone_ by Deborah Madison are my kitchen staples. Even if you’re not a vegetarian (I’m not), Madison’s recipes are fan-freakin-tastic. I’ll also confess to a fondness for “Insanity” Rose Levy Berenbaum’s _Cake Bible_ and _Pie and Pastry Bible_. Her incredibly detailed, anal-retentive recipes produce great results if followed to the letter, although more often than not, I find myself saying, “12 hours to make a blueberry pie?! I think not, Rose,” and turning to _The Joy of Cooking_ recipe. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2007, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/11 "2007-04-21T22:38:12Z")
I have (had) “Joy”. I gave it to my old girlfriend many years ago in the hopes of “One More Time”. 😃 Alas, no such luck. She did remain a good friend, though. I’ll maybe get another. But what I’m interested in here is Julia Child’s brand of french cooking. I’m on a mission, you see. ---
**Author:** ![Pixisis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Pixisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixisis)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/12 "2007-04-22T02:32:54Z")
I recently acquired Alton Brown’s _I’m Just Here for the Food_ and highly recommend it. What I like best about it is that he explains \*\*why \*\* food does what it does when you cook it, and why one method of preparation is better than another for different foods, so you can really generalize what you’re learning. If you want a taste of Alton’s style he has a show on the Food Network called \*Good Eats \* (airing these days at 11:00 pm, I think. check your local listing). I also like his sense of humor. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/13 "2007-04-22T03:01:49Z")
[QUOTE=mangeorge] Okay, I’m off to my local book store or B&N to get **Zsofia’s** _Julie and Julia_ to read while I wait for “Mastering” and maybe the others to arrive from [amazon.com](http://amazon.com). I really prefer a local mom and pop, but amazon is _way_ cheaper. Backyard snails, say your prayers! 😛 Thanks all. [/QUOTE] _Julie and Julia_ is the one good example I’ve read of how a blog can become a great book. (The book is almost sort of a memoir of writing the blog/doing the project, really.) It’s really hilarious in parts and it’s made me cook a lot of things in _Mastering the Art of French Cooking_, because they have a “story” behind them now. I just can’t believe her whining about finding ingredients when she lives in _New York City_. I mean, surely she just isn’t looking hard enough! Come _on_! ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/14 "2007-04-22T03:04:18Z")
For the umpteenth time, [Nigel Slater](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=8139453#post8139453) and any of his [books](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/102-4309424-6940955?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=nigel+slater&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go). If you don’t want to click the links, the executive summary is: he tells you about the ingredient, then he tells you what makes it great, then all the ways to cook it, and only after that does he give you a recipe - but permission to fuck with it. Without doubt he’s the best food writer I’ve ever encountered - with rich, enthusiastic prose - and I shill him a lot on the SDMB because he’s so brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/15 "2007-04-22T06:11:00Z")
Since the OP is looking for votes on which Julia Child cookbook to buy first (not that I couldn’t recommend a million other cookbooks), I’ll add a vote for starting with “The Way to Cook.” It is clear, basic, and teaches you to understand what you are doing in the kitchen. It feels less dated to me than Mastering the Art of French Cooking, maybe because it was written much later. ---
**Author:** ![annieclaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@annieclaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annieclaus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/16 "2007-04-22T16:08:51Z")
And I’ll third THE WAY TO COOK recommendation. I use it ALL the time! You can’t go wrong. And the MASTERING books are way too putzy! ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/17 "2007-04-22T17:05:21Z")
I’m reading “Julie and Julia”, as reccommended by **Zsofia** , so I pretty much have to get “Mastering”. But I’m convinced so I’ll also get “The Way”. “Julie and Julia”, so far, is a real blast. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/18 "2007-04-22T17:31:59Z")
“America’s Best Recipe” from the “America’s Test Kitchen”/Cooks Illustrated folks. Each recipe is prefaced by a long essay detailing the process used to tune the recipe just right, explaining the processes and false starts. Really great. ---
**Author:** ![annieclaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@annieclaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annieclaus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/19 "2007-04-22T21:17:02Z")
[QUOTE=Lemur866] “America’s Best Recipe” from the “America’s Test Kitchen”/Cooks Illustrated folks. Each recipe is prefaced by a long essay detailing the process used to tune the recipe just right, explaining the processes and false starts. Really great. [/QUOTE] Ah, but alas, the book is not by Julia Child. (And it IS a mighty fine book!) ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986/20 "2007-04-22T21:28:16Z")
“America’s test Kitchen” is not fair! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-a-cook-book/400986.md?page=2)