The final and definitive buying guide for cookery books
21.3.2019
Translation: machine translated
I love cookery books and own far too many of them. There are only a handful that I take out over and over again. Either for inspiration or for basic and classic recipes.
Cookbooks have replaced biographies: there is hardly a C-list celebrity who has not yet published a cookbook. This cookbook even collects recipes from top celebrities such as Renzo Blumenthal and Denise Bielmann. "There are many recipes. Celebrities too. But combining the two in one book is a rare but all the more interesting combination," reads the book description. I doubt this statement, as celebrity cookery books are anything but rare, but rarely interesting.
Buy cookery books that will help you. I have divided mine into three categories.
Cookbooks for inspiration
Beautifully illustrated cookery books, often with personal stories. I need these cookery books not so much for the recipes, but as a source of inspiration. If you can cook well, you don't need to follow the recipe exactly. Unless they are cookery books from Michelin-starred restaurants, of course. The recipes there are so sophisticated and ingenious that you will fail miserably if you try to cook them without a recipe.
To be honest, I own the fewest cookery books in this category. I much prefer "dense" cookery books with lots of recipes. Nevertheless, I do have two recommendations.
Tanja's cookbook
The best chef in Switzerland shows you what she cooks at home and how you can implement ideas from the Michelin-starred kitchen in your everyday life.
Jerusalem: The cookbook
Here we are almost in the classic segment. Because of the beautiful pictures and the fact that it's only a few years old, I love using this cookbook by the jack-of-all-trades Ottolenghi as a source of inspiration.
Basics
How do you make a béchamel sauce again? Does the butter for the shortcrust pastry have to be cold or at room temperature? What do I need to bear in mind when making mayonnaise? These cookery books are not "sexy", but they fulfil their purpose. They teach you the craft and serve as reference books.
Tiptopf
Do I need to say anything else? The book from the "Kotzi" (for non-Swiss: Lieblich for "cookery school") is still worth its weight in gold when it comes to simple preparation methods.
Textbooks
Tip pot
German, Ursula Affolter, Monika Jaun Urech, Marianne Keller, Ursula Schmid, Gabriele Emmenegger Mayr of Baldegg
Salt. Fat. Acid. Heat
A new book that takes the approach of categorising everything in general terms, which works well. New ways of thinking let you think outside the box. My favourite cookbook of last year. As we're living in 2019, there's also a Netflix series to accompany the book.
The great Teubner kitchen practice
Want to know how to fillet a sole? Teubner knows. What is a demi-glace and how is it prepared? You can find the information here. The book is part of the standard equipment of the ambitious amateur chef. Everything is explained step by step and in beautiful pictures.
Classics
These are standard works about the regional cuisine of an area or an author. I think of these books as something in between: on the one hand, they are incredibly inspiring, and on the other, they sometimes teach centuries-old cooking techniques.
Classic Italian cuisine
If I could only take one cookery book with me to a desert island, it would be this classic by Marcella Hazan. Hazan has brought Italian cuisine to the USA. Her recipes are as simple as they are ingenious. There are no pictures, only illustrations. What initially put me off is now a blessing for me. It means I'm not distracted from cooking by food porn.
Japanese Cooking: A simple Art
I really like Japanese cuisine and this is its bible. There are only recipes from page 150 onwards, before that the book covers the techniques, ingredients and tools of Japanese cuisine. A reference work that is second to none.
From Swiss kitchens
Marianne Kaltenbach was something like the "grande dame" of Swiss cookery book authors. This cookbook is everything you need to prepare traditional Swiss dishes. I found my copy in a Brocki, but luckily there is a new edition. So you don't need to rummage around.
Although this is the final and definitive list of all cookery books, I'm always happy to receive additional ideas. Which cookery book do you need? Let me know in the comments column. <p
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
Cooking
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
Home + Kitchen
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
Food
Follow topics and stay updated on your areas of interest
4 comments
later