authors who test properly
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- Gillthepainter
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authors who test properly
Good thinking, Sue.
One springs to mind first off for me. Gino dA Campo.
In particular, years ago, I saw him make a summer lasagne. No tomato rich reduction.
Just blitzed tomato. No thick bechamel.
Just cream and a grating of parmesan.
An easy delight.
I've tried to buy his Italian Escapes, but the book didn't arrive. I must have another go at getting a recipe book of his.
One that doesn't: I've tried a couple of Rambo recipes, but just don't think they are that great. I'll not bother with his books.
I have a feeling he's guilty of posting processes from the restaurant.
Without testing in the domestic environment.
Perhaps we should start a list of authors who test properly and those who don’t
One springs to mind first off for me. Gino dA Campo.
In particular, years ago, I saw him make a summer lasagne. No tomato rich reduction.
Just blitzed tomato. No thick bechamel.
Just cream and a grating of parmesan.
An easy delight.
I've tried to buy his Italian Escapes, but the book didn't arrive. I must have another go at getting a recipe book of his.
One that doesn't: I've tried a couple of Rambo recipes, but just don't think they are that great. I'll not bother with his books.
I have a feeling he's guilty of posting processes from the restaurant.
Without testing in the domestic environment.
- Joanbunting
- Posts: 1879
- Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 8:30 pm
- Location: Provence
Re: authors who test properly
I love Saveurs magazine but the recipes are absolutely not accurate. So I usually try them out on M before making them for guests. I used to find the same with Olive and that just annoyed me.
Last edited by Joanbunting on Fri Mar 15, 2019 12:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cooking for those you care about is the most profound expression of love - Anne-Sophie Pic
Re: authors who test properly
When all my Ramsay books say "with Roz Denny", I think you can guess who the blame lies with in my view. For "with" read "by"?
The worst offender for me is Marc PW. And of course the best is Delia when it comes to the recipes working.
The worst offender for me is Marc PW. And of course the best is Delia when it comes to the recipes working.
Re: authors who test properly
I would second Sakkarin - Delia's receipes are foolproof. I also like Nigella Lawson's receipes, although have had one or two problems, especially with the vegan chocolate icing for her vegan chocolate cake. The icing involved coconut butter, and I coudn't get it to work at all! I find Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and Nigel Slater to be very reliable.
I agree with Joan when it comes to magazines - I've done some from Olive where I KNEW it had to be wrong, but went ahead anyway, and sure enough, I should have trusted my instincts! Delicious Magazine is better, IMO, and I like their technical step-by-step lesson at the back of the mag. I used to buy the Sainsbury's mag, but it got so repetitive, same old recipes depending on the season. They did tend to work though!
I agree with Joan when it comes to magazines - I've done some from Olive where I KNEW it had to be wrong, but went ahead anyway, and sure enough, I should have trusted my instincts! Delicious Magazine is better, IMO, and I like their technical step-by-step lesson at the back of the mag. I used to buy the Sainsbury's mag, but it got so repetitive, same old recipes depending on the season. They did tend to work though!
- Alexandria
- Posts: 2416
- Joined: Sat Aug 19, 2017 6:19 pm
- Location: Barcelona
Re: authors who test properly
A highly interesting post !!
In Spanish: Basque Chef Karlos Arguiñano is exemplary and his recipes function like clock work.
In English or Spanish or Italiano: I like the Culinaria Series ..
In Italian: The Original Delicias d´Italie, Authored By: Fabien Bellahsen & Daniel Rouche ..
In Italian & English & Spanish: The Series of books from the Late Carlucci & Gennaro.
In English: The authored Works of Gordon Ramsay for classics such as Beef Wellington.
In English: Nigella Lawson and Delia ..
In French: Thuriès Gastronomie Magazine.
Have a lovely weekend.
In Spanish: Basque Chef Karlos Arguiñano is exemplary and his recipes function like clock work.
In English or Spanish or Italiano: I like the Culinaria Series ..
In Italian: The Original Delicias d´Italie, Authored By: Fabien Bellahsen & Daniel Rouche ..
In Italian & English & Spanish: The Series of books from the Late Carlucci & Gennaro.
In English: The authored Works of Gordon Ramsay for classics such as Beef Wellington.
In English: Nigella Lawson and Delia ..
In French: Thuriès Gastronomie Magazine.
Have a lovely weekend.
Last edited by Alexandria on Fri Mar 15, 2019 2:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Barcelona, soulful & spirited, filled with fine art, amazing architecture, profoundly steeped in culture & history, and it engages all your senses, and food fancies.
- Stokey Sue
- Posts: 8629
- Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:02 pm
- Location: Stoke Newington, London
Re: authors who test properly
Gillthepainter wrote:One that doesn't: I've tried a couple of Rambo recipes, but just don't think they are that great. I'll not bother with his books.
I have a feeling he's guilty of posting processes from the restaurant.
Without testing in the domestic environment.
I think the use of restaurant recipes only modified by dividing the amounts is woefully common, and sometimes not even scaled down.
I have a tapas book that tells me that 24 oz of dry salt cod will make 4 portions; it’s a 2 stage recipe and my best guess is that the chef who showed the author the recipe used 24 oz to make stage one and would finish a part of it each time it was ordered, but the instruction to take part of the mixture got lost
Similarly Selin Kiazim’s Oklava book waxes lyrical about cooking with her granny, then gives a recipe for a kg of cemen (fenugreek paste) clearly a restaurant amount, it’s sold in 150g pots for domestic use, and there are other things I don’t quite trust
Sometimes it’s the editor that gets it wrong. There’s a River Cafe winter minestrone recipe that calls for 1kg each of cavolo nero and chard, way too much. My suspicion is that the author wrote “one” not “1 kg” meaning 1 market bunch, a ~300 g bunch of each is just right.
On the plus side, Ainsley Harriott always tests, an acquaintance who edits cook books (not his) was not surprised when I said this, it’s in his character. Madhur Jaffrey, Mary Berry, Delia, Ken Hom, Hugh F-W, Tamasin Day Lewis and Gary Rhodes I expect to work as written
The great Elizabeth David, Sabrina Ghayour and Tom Kerridge are all hit and miss.
- Joanbunting
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Re: authors who test properly
Elizabeth David didn't actually write recipes as such ie Ingredients in order of use then method in stages including oven temp and serving numbers, so unless you really read them through several times it can be easy to go astray. It's almost stream of conciousness sometimes.
Cooking for those you care about is the most profound expression of love - Anne-Sophie Pic
- WWordsworth
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Re: authors who test properly
Hairy Bikers' recipes have always worked for me.
In fact I made their Easy Bikers lasagne last night and had to physically restrain J from devouring tonight's portion as well.
In fact I made their Easy Bikers lasagne last night and had to physically restrain J from devouring tonight's portion as well.
- Stokey Sue
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Re: authors who test properly
Joanbunting wrote:Elizabeth David didn't actually write recipes as such ie Ingredients in order of use then method in stages including oven temp and serving numbers, so unless you really read them through several times it can be easy to go astray. It's almost stream of conciousness sometimes.
It’s more the lack of clarity, and sometimes frankly utter impracticality
For example, as an 18 year old student I made my first mousaka, and following her (for once clear) instructions did so in a loose bottomed cake tin: don’t try this at home kids
She also has an irritating habit of telling you to cut meat (and other things)into “squares”, not I think meaning cubes but carbonnades and sometimes of impractical size, if specified. A carbonnade is essentially a 5-6 cm cube cut in half to give two thick squared off slices.
No, you don’t look to her for those details and numbers, but her earlier books, pre Jill Norman perhaps, certainly include recipes that don’t work as written however carefully and intuitively you read them. I think Jill probably got her to make it clear where she is describing a dish only from her notes and not something she has worked on.
- Pepper Pig
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- Location: North West London
Re: authors who test properly
Simon Hopkinson is fab and very precise.
My daughters are both mad on Gino da Campo’s books but he doesn’t do it for me. I find Jamie Oliver’s recipes always work and am a big fan of Nigella too. I go back to Delia when in doubt. And I adore Ainsley.
My daughters are both mad on Gino da Campo’s books but he doesn’t do it for me. I find Jamie Oliver’s recipes always work and am a big fan of Nigella too. I go back to Delia when in doubt. And I adore Ainsley.
Re: authors who test properly
While many people find Juila Child's "mastering the art of french cooking" abook difficult I find the recipes always work and my very dyslexia daught finds it easy to use, unlike Delia where the recipes are written in free form.
- Joanbunting
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Re: authors who test properly
Sue ED is great if you know how to cook!! I have to say she taught me most of the things I know about Provencal food, when combined with eating it and meeting the locals.
Cooking for those you care about is the most profound expression of love - Anne-Sophie Pic
- Stokey Sue
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Re: authors who test properly
Joan I have been cooking from ED since I was 18
I am a fan, and I have learned a lot from her
But that doesn’t alter the fact that some of her recipes, like the moussaka, are unworkable as written. The moussaka I make now owes a lot to that recipe, but it is always made in a water tight container
I am a fan, and I have learned a lot from her
But that doesn’t alter the fact that some of her recipes, like the moussaka, are unworkable as written. The moussaka I make now owes a lot to that recipe, but it is always made in a water tight container
- karadekoolaid
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Re: authors who test properly
I've tried to buy his Italian Escapes, but the book didn't arrive
But of course it didn´t - it escaped.
- Gillthepainter
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Re: authors who test properly
he he he.
Nice to see Ainsley's name crop up.
I've got his express book, and was terrifically impressed at the simplicity of his recipes.
In particular, his cheeky chappy chicken tikka. The sauce you make in moments.
I remember cooking it for a slip of thing relative's OH, a self confessed "I just nibble bread".
She munched away happily at the chicken tikka and sauce.
Nice to see Ainsley's name crop up.
I've got his express book, and was terrifically impressed at the simplicity of his recipes.
In particular, his cheeky chappy chicken tikka. The sauce you make in moments.
I remember cooking it for a slip of thing relative's OH, a self confessed "I just nibble bread".
She munched away happily at the chicken tikka and sauce.
- mark111757
- Posts: 788
- Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 9:49 pm
- Location: USA
Re: authors who test properly
A go to of mine is thomi miers recipe for chili chocolate truffles . I made them for mum for Xmas a few times before she died. The chili flakes were too much for her so I left them out, by followed the rest of the recipe and they down a storm. It was from her Mexican food series on channel 4 I believe, when ch4 had a food section
Never failed for me
Never failed for me
- Gillthepainter
- Posts: 3719
- Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 11:53 am
- Location: near some lakes
Re: authors who test properly
She's found quite a niche for herself in Mexican food. Refreshingly so, Mark.
There are so many "Italian" chef's around, who shape themselves heavily on it. I can't think of another quite like Thomasina tho.
There are so many "Italian" chef's around, who shape themselves heavily on it. I can't think of another quite like Thomasina tho.
- Stokey Sue
- Posts: 8629
- Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2012 2:02 pm
- Location: Stoke Newington, London
Re: authors who test properly
Some authors do recipes that work apart from one glaring omission
Tonight I will be making Rachel Khoo’s reworking of tartiflette; I think her method works really well, I’ve never been keen on that great lump of half melted cheese rind you get if you follow the original Reblochon marketing board method, and as for the garbage they sell in the UK “French markets”, words fail me
So why does she say it will fill a six hole muffin tin? My pan is identical to hers, and when she made it on TV you could see she’d left a good third of the mix in the bowl to discard. Makes at least 9 I reckon.
She’s. no means alone in this, but it’s a particularly glaring example
Here’s the recipe
https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/cheese_and_potato_nests_20525
Tonight I will be making Rachel Khoo’s reworking of tartiflette; I think her method works really well, I’ve never been keen on that great lump of half melted cheese rind you get if you follow the original Reblochon marketing board method, and as for the garbage they sell in the UK “French markets”, words fail me
So why does she say it will fill a six hole muffin tin? My pan is identical to hers, and when she made it on TV you could see she’d left a good third of the mix in the bowl to discard. Makes at least 9 I reckon.
She’s. no means alone in this, but it’s a particularly glaring example
Here’s the recipe
https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/cheese_and_potato_nests_20525
Re: authors who test properly
I think because of Ainsley Harriots demeanour , he’s quite underestimated as a chef . I’ve always been pleasantly surprised whenever I’ve cooked one of his recipes
- Pepper Pig
- Posts: 4920
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Re: authors who test properly
I absolutely can’t abide Rachel Khoo.
Re another topic Jay (Jason) Rayner grew up in Harrow. He used to go to my next door neighbour for maths coaching when he was about 10.
Re another topic Jay (Jason) Rayner grew up in Harrow. He used to go to my next door neighbour for maths coaching when he was about 10.
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