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Thursday, April 24, 2008
Suggestions, please
Just 3 weeks after seeing my beautiful niece get married , I am very happily searching for an engagement present for my other equally beautiful, brilliant, and charming niece [hey, what can I say, my nieces and nephews can beat your nieces and nephews any day (-: ]. She mentioned that she would like to improve her cooking skills, so I decided to get her a set of cookbooks. I'm looking for 4-5 kosher cookbooks that are beautiful, easy to follow and offer simple, practical recipes that a new bride will actually use. I've heard good things about Susie Fishbein's books. Can anyone suggest any others that might fit the bill?
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Why limit yourself to the kosher cookbooks? Many of the recipes in them--the ones that aren't "Jewish"-- are knockoffs of recipes found in zillions of other cookbooks. Most of the recipes in the non-kosher cookbooks aren't treif; some need a substitution if they call for milk and meat or something like that, but that is really fairly simple to do. And there is much more variety in the non-kosher cookbooks. If you get her just one general kosher cookbook you could also get her some of the specialized cookbooks like for pastries or bread or chicken or side dishes or vegan or a zillion other choices. And there are some really great cookbook type books on food decorating out there. Just a thought.
There's actually a new cookbook called "Quick and Kosher, from the bride who knew nothing" It has recipes that are quick, take 10-15 minutes. I bought the cookbook, it seems really nice, I just don't like a lot of the food...but there were some good basic recipes.
http://kosherfood.about.com/od/koshercookbooks/gr/bk_geller.htm
Adventures in Jewish Cooking by Jeff Nathan
If you think she might like a vegetarian cookbook, anything by Mollie Katzen (Moosewood is the classic)
A Fistful of Lentils by Jennifer Felicia Abadi (Delicious Syrian cooking)
Fishbein uses way too much artificial stuff in her books. One recipe calls for 3 cups of soy milk. THey're nice to look at, but not to cook from.
I like Marcy Goldman's Jewish Holiday Baking. Detailed, with simple, oil-based recipes. Explains how to make challah, bagels, strudel, babkas, and more.
Norene Gilletz, if you can find her books, has great techniques, esp. for the food processor, even though I find her recipes rich (baking) and not particularly healthy. She's kosher.
You could try a good vegetarian cookbook as well. I got and like the New Vegetarian Epicure by
Anna Wintour (?). And don't forget Joy of Cooking--not kosher but filled with basic information.
Mazal tov!
Try Nechama Cohen's "Enlitened Kosher Cooking". It is as beautifully photographed as the Fishbein books, has great recipes and lots of explanations with regard to nutrition. And the food is delish!
Check this person's blog - it's really fantastic
http://kosherblog.net/
Has great advice on cooking, recipes, etc.
I like "Healthy Helpings" by Norene Gilletz as well as "The Book of Jewish Food" by Claudia Roden. The second one is packed with anecdotes concerning the different communities and the recipes are both easy and great.
If you want a couple of very straightforward cookbooks for someone new to cooking, I'd go with Spirit and Spice (the Lubavitch cookbook) and The Joy of Cooking (it's been around forever). Your niece has probably never tasted a dish whose recipe is not in one of those 2 books. I love to cook, and am very comfortable in the kitchen and I still find myself using those 2 classics.
Oh, definately definately get her the Spice and Spirit cookbook of Lubavtich, it's the best cookbook I have ever seen and used. I don't know how much you want to spend, but they recently published a special volume especially for Pesach. They will make a great engagement set.
I bet you no one got them a bug checker lamp- I know it sounds kind of serious- but they are a bit pricey and very useful- and you never know what the Rabbis will decide has bugs next. We may have to check toilet paper next or something.
Hesh-
God bless you, but you're a bit crazy. Are you serious with this bug checker lamp thing? Does such a thing even exist?
It does, Superwoman, it does...and you can have it for only $24.99!
Seriously, Da Wife uses Spice and Spirit "What's Cooking?".
I got The Beginner's Kosher Cookbook, Spice and Spirit, and the yellow spiral Bobov cookbooks as a gift from a coworker when I got married.
I lived out of the Beginner's book for about 3 years before I had the nerve to try a Spice and Spirit or Bobov recipe, but now I love those books, too.
And Jacob, I don't know why you think the lamp is so cheap. It's $45!
http://www.artscroll.com/Books/kbug.html
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