When I finally moved out of my parents' house and started living and cooking for myself, I was a little flabbergasted. I, like many other people, initially learned how to cook in my mom's kitchen. She taught me the basics of Chinese cooking, so I learned the importance of controlling the cooking temperature/fire (Key in good Chinese cooking!). But I knew nothing of all the other good things I loved to eat, Thai, Japanese, Indian, and good old fashioned American food.
So I would experiment -- usually to disastrous results. It wasn't until I started really paying attention to food tv that I thought to myself, oh, maybe I should try out specific recipes. And then one of my friends suggested to me the Joy of Cooking cookbook that really changed my life, in terms of cooking. It basically has everything a home cook really needs to prepare great semi-gourmet food! Awesome awesome awesome!
What about yourself? Did a cookbook really change the way you cooked like it did for me? Or do you just have a favorite that has awesome recipes? Please share!
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Comments (2)
The Conscious Cook by Ronnen Tal. It made me change from a half-assed vegetarian, to a full on vegan. It teaches you how too eat, and save the planet at the same time. And the recipes are great!
my Hershey's Chocolate Cook Book. i'm a chocoholic, and i love baking, there is a chocolate truffle recipe in there that will make you sugar coma in twenty seconds flat. i used to bribe my high school homeroom teacher with them!