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    1. A list of commonly recommended cookery books

      Here's a list of cookery books that are frequently recommended in various forums when people ask for good cookery books. These are not in any kind of order. Please add any books that I've missed!...

      Here's a list of cookery books that are frequently recommended in various forums when people ask for good cookery books.

      These are not in any kind of order. Please add any books that I've missed! I'm sure there are lots of great books that I haven't heard of. I wanted to link to a bookshop, but I got stuck with that so I used Wordery, unless they didn't have it in which case I link to Amazon. Some of these books have hardback and soft-cover versions, or newer editions, so go careful with the links because I just link to any version of the book. I have done no research at all into the authors or illustrators here, so if I've included people who are toxic arseholes please do let me know and I'll fix it. (This post is episode 2 of "DanBC goes down a rabbit hole and dumps the results onto Tildes").


      Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking - Samin Nosrat and Wendy MacNaughton.

      A review from Kitchn: 8 cooks on why "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" is such a special, unlikely, hit

      A lot of people love this book. Beginners say it gave them a bit more confidence, and good home cooks say it helped elevate their cooking by giving them usable information.


      How to Cook Everything - Mark Bittman.

      A review from Kitchn

      How to Cook Everything - the basics - Mark Bittman. A review from ShelfAwareness.

      A lot of people don't know how to cook, and have never cooked anything. Mark Bittman's books are often recommended to this group of people. And the books are excellent sources of information, and so they're useful to lots of people. They're very clear and easy to use.


      Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan.

      A VERY SHORT, almost bullet point, review from FiveBooks And a longer review from LitHub

      She wrote two books in the 1970s, and these were combined and updated in the 1990s for this book. These books are widely credited as introducing people outside Italy to "authentic" Italian cooking. LitHub review has already said everything that I'd want to say about this, but better than I could.


      On Food and Cooking: The science and lore of the kitchen - Harold McGee.

      A Kitchn review

      This is a heavy duty book about the science of food. It's often described as the best single reference book for the science of food and cooking.


      Food Lab: Better home cooking through science - J. Kenji López-Alt.

      A review from Chemistry World

      Surely everyone knows J. Kenji. He's really approachable. He give you science, but it's actionable and achievable.


      In Bibi's Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean - Hawa Hassan, Julia Turshen.

      A mini-review from Kitchn. So, I'm cheating here because I haven't seen this recommended by anyone but I wanted more books that are not Euro-US focussed. This book focuses on food from Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar, and Comoros

      Each chapter starts with a short geo-political intro. You'll be familiar if you've ever read the CIA World Factbook. It then has a short interview with a grandmother, and then it gives some recipes.


      Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making - Wordery link - James Peterson.

      A review from MostlyFood

      "Don’t be put off by the size of this book. It’s true that it’s as big as a small piece of furniture but it’s as big as that for a good reason. There isn’t any padding in Sauces. It’s cover-to-cover solid information that will be welcomed by anyone wanting to perfect sauce-making. Nothing seems to be omitted or overlooked. Every imaginable sauce is described, including Asian Sauces which have been added since the publication of the first edition."

      Lots of people like that "no padding" feature.


      How to Eat: The pleasures and principles of good food - Nigella Lawson.

      A review by Food 52

      "Thinking back on the lifespan of this formative book, I can’t help but feel that it’s to the recipes in it, and of course to Lawson herself, that I owe much of my confidence in the kitchen today."

      Lots of people just want to cook tasty food and they're not bothered by The Science. Lawson's books are excellent if you want great home cooking.


      The Professional Chef - The Culinary Institute of America

      There are lots of versions of this book. The current version will be expensive. The older version are usually very similar and will be much cheaper.

      Home cooks often get into weird habits and that's fine - it's your kitchen, do what works for you. But if you want to get better in the kitchen by improving your techniques and skills this is the book for you.

      25 votes
    2. Review of some Vahdam’s Masala Chai teas

      Masala chai (commonly and somewhat falsley abbreviated to just “chai”) literally means “spice mix tea” – and this is what this review is about. I got myself a selection of Vahdam’s masala chais...

      Masala chai (commonly and somewhat falsley abbreviated to just “chai”) literally means “spice mix tea” – and this is what this review is about. I got myself a selection of Vahdam’s masala chais and kept notes of each one I tried. Some came in the Chai Tea Sampler and others I either already bought before or were a free sample that came with some other order.

      Classical CTC BOP

      CTC BOP is usually cheaper than more delicately processed whole leaves. Although the common perception is that it is of lower quality than e.g. FTGFOP or even just FOP or OP for that matter, the fact is that they simply a different method with a different outcome. You can get away with breaking cheaper leaves, though, than whole.

      Also bare in mind that while BOP is the most common broken leaf grade, there are several more.

      It makes for a stronger brew and a more robust flavour– ideal for breakfast teas. The down-side is that it can coat your tongue. But if you want to recycle it, the second steep will be much lighter.

      Original Chai Spiced Black Tea Masala Chai

      The quintessential masala chai – the strength of the CTC BOP, paired with the classic mix of spices. A great daily driver and a true classic, but for my personal taste a tiny bit too light on the spice.

      Ingredients: CTC BOP black tea, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, black pepper

      Double Spice Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea

      Same as India’s Original Masala Chai above, but with a bigger amount of spice. Of the two I definitely prefer this one.

      Ingredients: CTC BOP black tea, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, black pepper

      Fennel Spice Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea

      Due to the fennel, the overall taste reminds me a lot of Slovenian cinnamon-honey cookies[^medenjaki], which we traditionally bake for Christmas. The odd bit is the cookies do not include the fennel at all, but most of the other spices in a classic masala chai (minus pepper). I suppose the fennel sways it a bit to the sweet honey-like side.

      In short, I really liked the fennel variation – could become firm winter favourite of mine.

      Ingredients: CTC BOP black tea, fennel, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, black pepper

      [^medenjaki]: The Slovenian name is “medenjaki” and the closest thing the English cuisine has to offer is probably gingerbread.

      Saffron Premium Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea

      When I saw the package I thought that saffron was more of a marketing gimmick and I would only find a strand or two in the whole 10g package. But no! The saffron’s pungence punches you in the face – in a good way. It felt somewhat weird to put sugar and milk into it, so strong is the aroma.

      Personally, I really like it and it does present an interesting savoury twist. It is a taste that some might love and others might hate though.

      Ingredients: CTC BOP black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, saffron, almonds

      Earl Grey Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea

      I am (almost) always game for a nice spin on an Earl Grey. In this case, the standard masala complements the bergamot surprisingly well and in a way where none of the two particularly stand out too much.

      The combination works so well that it would feel wrong to call it a spiced-up Earl Grey or a earl-grey’d masala chai. It is a pleasantly lightly spiced, somewhat citrusy and fresh blend that goes well with or without milk.

      Ingredients: CTC BOP black tea, bergamot, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper

      Cardamom Chai Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea

      Now, this one is interesting because it only has two ingredients – black tea and cardamom. While not as complex in aroma as most others, it is interesting how much freshness and sweetness a quality cardamom pod can carry.

      I found it equally enjoyable with milk and sugar or without any of the two.

      Ingredients: CTC BOP Assam black tea, cardamom

      Sweet Cinnamon Massala Chai Black Tea

      Similar to their Cardamom Chai, it is a masala chai with very few ingredients. The cinnamon and cardamom get allong very well and while it lacks the complexity of a full masala/spice mix, it is a very enjoyable blend.

      Recommended especially if you like your masala chai not too spicy, but sweet.

      Ingredients: CTC BOP Assam black tea, cardamom, cinnamon

      Ortodox black

      What is described with “orthodox” usually means a whole leaf grade, starting with OP. These are much weaker than CTC, but therefore bring out the more delicate flavours. It is a bigger challenge therefore to make sure spices do not push the flavour of the tea too much into the back-seat.

      Because the leaves are whole, as a rule you can get more steeps out of them than of broken leaves.

      Assam Spice Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea

      The more refined spin on the classic masala chai – with whole leaves of a quality Assam, it brings a smoothness and mellowness that the CTC cannot achieve. Because of that the spices are a bit more pronounced, which in my opinion is not bad at all. The quality of the leaf also results in a much better second steep compared to the CTC.

      Most definitely a favourite for me.

      Ingredients: FTGFOP1 Assam black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper

      Tulsi Basil Organic Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea

      I have not had the pleasure of trying tulsi[^basil] and regarding masala chais, this is a very peculiar blend. The taste of the Assam is quite well hidden behind the huge bunch of herbs. In fact, for some reason it reminds me more of the Slovenian Mountain Tea than of of a masala chai.

      In the end, the combination is quite pleasant and uplifting.

      What I found fascinating is that it tastes very similar both with milk and sugar, and without any of the two.

      Ingredients: organic Assam black tea, tulsi basil, cinnamon, ginger, clove, cardamom, black pepper, long pepper, bay leaves, nutmeg

      [^basil]: For more about tulsi – or holy basil, as they call it in some places – see its Wikipedia entry.

      Darjeeling Spice Masala Chai Spiced Black Tea

      As expected, the Darjeeling version is much lighter and works well also without milk, or even sugar. Still, a tiny cloud of milk does give it that extra smoothness and mellowness. It is not over-spiced, and the balance is quite well. The taste of cloves (and perhaps pepper) are just slightly more pronounced, but as a change that is quite fun. It goes very well with the muscatel of the Darjeeling.

      Ingredients: SFTGFOP1 Darjeeling black tea, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper

      Oolong

      Maharani Chai Spiced Oolong Tea

      Despite the fancy abbreviation, IMHO the oolong tea itself in this blend is not one you would pay high prices as a stand-alone tea. Still, I found the combination interesting. If nothing else, it is interesting to have a masala chai that can be drank just as well without milk and sugar as with them.

      Personally, I found the spice a bit to strong in this blend for the subtle tea it was combined with. I actually found the second steep much more enjoyable.

      Ingredients: SFTGFOP1 Oolong tea, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper

      Green

      Kashmiri Kahwa Masala Chai Spiced Green Tea

      A very enjoyable and refreshing blend, which I enjoyed without milk or sugar. The saffron is not as heavy as in the Saffron Premium Masala Chai, but goes really well with the almonds and the rest of the spices.

      When I first heard of Kashmiri Kahwa, I saw a recipe that included rose buds, so in the future I might try adding a few.

      Ingredients: FTGFOP1 green tea, cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, almonds

      Green Tea Chai

      As is to be expected, the green variety of the Darjeeling masala chai is even lighter than its black Darjeeling counterpart. The spice is well-balanced, with cinnamon and cloves perhaps being just a bit more accentuated. This effect is increased when adding milk.

      It goes pretty well without milk or sugar and can be steeped multiple times. Adding either or both works fine as well though.

      Quite an enjoyable tea, but personally, in this direction, I prefer either the Kashmiri Kahwa or the “normal” Darjeeling Spice masala chais.

      Ingredients: FTGFOP1 darjeeling green tea, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, black pepper


      Glossary:

      • BOP]: Broken Orange Pekoe
      • FOP: Flowery Orange Pekoe
      • OP: Orange Pekoe
      • CTC: Crush, Tear, Curl
      • FTGFOP: Finest Tippy Golder Flowery Orange Pekoe
      • FTGFOP1: Finest Tippy Golder Flowery Orange Pekoe (1st grade)
      • SFTGFOP1: Superior Finest Tippy Golder Flowery Orange Pekoe (1st grade)
      10 votes