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Hello all,

Assuming you can see what books in my library, I am looking for some suggestions for which ONE cookbook from my collection I can take while traveling.

I may be gone for months, but will be in the same place and will have a full kitchen. I love all cooking and baking, but will only have access to limited equipment (no mixer maybe a food processor), but can get together most basic items. But, and this is a big one for me, which cookbook should I bring with me??? I don't have a real favorite author, love to cook seasonally, and also use the ingredients I can find nearby.

Anyone have any suggestion based on my library, or indeed adding a new book that I can try while away?

Thanks for your input!

I would choose either Nigel Slater's Notes from the Larder, Kitchen Diaries or Nigella Lawson's Nigellissima. These seem to be seasonal and well rounded.

Do you need the added weight of a cookbook? If you'll have internet access, EYB has over 327,000 online recipes ... ;-) Whichever book you choose (or none), enjoy your staycation. 

I second Debkelliemember's suggestion - there are thousands of onllne recipes to choose from on EYB, or choose a few favourite books of your own and get the kindle edition so you don't have the weight to carry about.  I spent 17 months without access to my cookbooks when the US government was undecided about renewing my visa and I was stuck outside the country; I survived using a few kindle cookbooks and the online selection.

Another suggestion: adopt the Julie & Julia approach - pick one book, and cook your way through it .. maybe Nigel Slater's DIaries? Where will you be located (vis a vis produce availability etc)

I was just thinking about your dilemma and the suggestions from a couple of folks to not take any books and just rely on online recipes while you're away. What I would probably do is mostly rely on online recipes, but if you have room in your luggage for one book, then you might want to take one that also makes for enjoyable reading. If that interests you, it seems like one of these might be a good choice: Notes from the Larder: A Kitchen Diary with Recipes or Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: Our Year of Seasonal Eating. Even Delia's Complete Cookery Course: The Classic Edition looks like it might be good reading as well as pretty comprehensive overall.

I'd probably take a Nigel Slater...... 'Eat: The little book of fast food' maybe.

It does depend a bit on where you are going and how much cooking you want to do.

Are you going somewhere where the cuisine is very different from where you live now, and do you want to experiment with that? Then I would suggest getting The Flavor Thesaurus because that is really helpful for suggestions when you have one or two ingredients and don't know what to do with them. Maybe you could ask someone local to suggest a cookbook as well, to really get an idea of the local food.

One the other hand, if you just want to eat well and not have to eat the same thing too often, I second Nigel Slater's Eat.

And one more alternative, you could simply choose a favorite blog (Smitten Kitchen comes to mind) and cook from that.

If we're talking blogs or websites, you can have as many as you want, or do web searches for the ingredients you have. As someone said (I forgot who or where), the Internet is one big cookbook!

But if you're considering one print book, then I second the suggestion to consider what ingredients are available where you're going.

Is there a website that can help with that, besides EYB?

Hello everyone!

Thank you for all the helpful feedback so far!

Yes, I can access all the recipes on the internet and via EYB, but I REALLY like a print cookbook. I have previously bought just one cookbook on kindle, and its not a medium I enjoy using in the kitchen. I do cook from blogs & websites sometimes, but usually end up printing out recipes (desktop PC not laptop). I don't have to carry something with me, but when I travel I usually have at least one physical book with me just-in-case!

I'm going to the UK. Specifically to Cornwall, and I'm not sure how long I will be there, but it could be into the winter. I am considering buying a cookbook while there as another option, so if there is something I'm missing in my collection and you have suggestions for a new addition they will also be very helpful!

Thanks again to all the people who have already responded...I'm thinking one of Nigel Slaters books or the copy of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle I have, as they are both good reads as well as recipes.

~Dani

If you are coming to Cornwall The Fish Store by Lindsey Bareham is a brilliant book to start with. Her recipes are really accessible. It's a lovely book and will be a perfect souvenir of your time here. 

You should have a look in the charity shops when you get to Cornwall (eg Oxfam, British Heart Foundation etc) - there are loads on every British high street now. You'll definitely find second-hand cookbooks there for just a couple of quid each. It's for a good cause too since the money goes to charity, and when you're done and moving on you can donate them back to the shop.

Another option is to join the local library and borrow cookbooks from there.

Enjoy Cornwall! Rick Stein springs to mind as another chef who is based in Cornwall and has lots of cookbooks on the market. He specialises in seafood, if that's of interest to you.

Originally Posted by: Pamsy

I've picked up some great books in my local Barnardo's (a UK children's charity) including The Flavour Thesaurus in mint condition for £2.99 instead of £18.99!

Completely agree there are some real gems to be had.

There's an Oxfam on Bloomsbury Street near the British Museum in London. In January it had 4 copies of Niki Segnet's "Lateral Cooking". To my eye they were as good as brand new and selling for only £5 each! I already had a copy so passed but WOW! its normally a £35 book or at least £25 on Amazon.

Completely understand wanting to have a book with you.  Contrary to every good packer's advice, if you can manage the extra extra weight, my vote is for Cooks Illustrated Cookbook.  I've found this to be a consistently great go to cookbook. 

I would get a subscription to Scribd ($10/mo) and you have access to tons of cookbooks. I don't know which ones are your favorite but grab a couple and see if they're on Scribd.

Diana Henry's Simple is an amazing cookbook. Tons of delicious recipes with pretty universal ingredients, lots of different taste profiles, all simply done without a huge array of kitchen utensils.