Customer Reviews

Delia Smith's Complete Illustrated Cookery Course: A New Edition for the 1990s

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was a 40 year old bachelor who had never cooked in his life. Then I encountered this book. When I picked it up and it fell open on a cross-sectional diagram of an egg, I knew that this was the book for me.

Too many cook books assume that the reader has some basic knowledge of the art. Not this one. If you want to know the best way to joint a chicken, quickly peel a tomato or a garlic clove, or de-seed a bell pepper, it's all in this highly entertaining book.

But don't think for a moment that the recipes are dull and simplistic. This book covers the whole gamut of cookery with recipes originating from the world's finest cuisines. The abundance of mouth watering illustations mean that you too can present meals that are a delight to the eye, as well as the tongue.

Thanks to Delia, cooking has become my hobby and I really look forward to those occasions when I can prepare a four course meal for 10 or more people. Fortunately, so do they!

Thank you Delia, thank you.

Being a Brit, I have been familiar with Delia Smith for a long time and she never fails. I have shelves of cookbooks and Delia is always the first author I reach for. Her recipes ALWAYS work as they should and taste as they ought. You will not be disappointed with any of her books, but the Complete Illustrated Cookery Course is a must as a kitchen staple.

Delia Smith has taught me all I know about cooking. She guided me gently through roast beef and yorkshire pudding, meat pies, casseroles, stews and shepherds pie. For those critics of english food, pick any of Delias recipes, follow the easy, thorough instructions and then sit back and eat.....for desert you can eat your words.

Delia is as much a household name in Britain as Julia Child is in the U.S. These recipes will very much dispense with any myths about British food being tasteless and mainly boiled. Delia always graced my mother's cookbook shelf, and now years on I have my own greasy dog-eared copy that has become my kitchen bible. If you want an amazing desert that is simple to make, striking in presentation, and delicious to eat DO TRY the profiteroles recipe, and Pavlova Meringue.

Her instructions for making a proper roast dinner with crisp roast potatoes and yorkshire pudding are also flawless (although I like to do my puds in muffin tins instead:))
Leek and potato soup, italian baked fish, risotto, potatoes lyonaisse, marinated mushrooms... I could go on and on. Each recipe simple to follow, basic ingredients, european flair with minimum of fuss and delicious results.
Long live Delia!

I received this book as a gift when living in the UK back in the 90's and it has proven to be one of my favorite and most trusted. Delia's narration is what makes this very special, for example when she describes that her family comes from a long line of turkey farmers and then proceeds to share with us how to make the perfect bird utilizing varrying oven tempatures and foil pouch. The book reads like a novel and feels like it is notes from a friend's call on sharing a recipe. Very personal. The easy bernaise sauce is really easy and this combined with freshly grilled steak & asparagus has become our staple for entertaining. This book is not for someone who just wants a technical cook book, this book has personality and will become your friend.

If a Brit has only one cookbook, it's likely to be this one. The recipes are all straightforward, and well within the range of the beginner. They are guaranteed to work, and her chatty style is engaging and reassuring. Having recently moved to the States, I'm looking forward to seeing how American "basic cookbooks" match up!

This book is fool-proof. Everything I have tried from this book has always turned out well. It is such a relief to know that if you follow the instructions things will be fine! I have made the mincemeat and mince pies twice now for christmas and everyone loves them! I also made the rich cake in lieu of my usual christmas cake recipe. It was divine.

My wife has almost a library of cook books but refers most frequently to only a few. She had a copy of this book for years and used it a lot but recently misplaced it, so I bought her another copy. This is a very comprehensive book. One point to watch though, it is English so some of the units of measure are different to US units. There is, however a conversion table.

Delia Smith has taught me all I know about cooking. She guided me gently through roast beef and yorkshire pudding, meat pies, casseroles, stews and shepherds pie. For those critics of english food, pick any of Delias recipes, follow the easy, thorough instructions and then sit back and eat.....for dessert you can eat your words.

It's a shame that the main review from the 'Publishers Weekly' failed to see the point illustrated by the Amazon reviewers. The lack of Balsamic vinegar might glare out of the page from those with cooking experience, but the main reader of this publication is supposed to be someone with little or no experience. Afterall, a huge amount of people have absolutely no idea how to cook anything at all. This book does not expect you to know anything, so it explains everything in depth.

Personally, I look back fondly at this book as it was given to me by my mother and taught me so many of the basics in cooking. It might hail from Great Britain, but cooking is universal and her simple techniques enable even the complete novice to create delicious meals without fuss. Her clear writing and tried and tested recipes help you to turn out success time after time. Of course, the more experienced cook can use her recipes, too, perhaps using other beloved ingredients to make things a bit more up to date...

Don't forget the original edition of this book was published in the 1970's and food-fashion has moved a along since then. This edition is the 1992 version and it lacks the vibrantly entertaining writing style of more modern cookery writers, but if you follow Delia's recipes to the letter, you will have success every single time and wow your friends the next time you cook!