Delia's How to Cook: Bk.3

Publisher and industry reviews

Jacket review

What is there to say? Guaranteed idiot-proof recipes from the Queen of TV cooking. Invite people round for a "Delia" and you're ensured a successful dinner party and friends who will want to come again and again. But just because the title lends itself to beginners, the more confident cook ignores the book at their peril. Fresh slants on recipes such as brulees, sorbets, beef stews and cheesecakes remove their dated image and bring them to the forefront of food fashion. Traditional recipes are re-examined and explained with clear instructions thus ensuring perfect lemon meringue pies, potted crabs and smoked collars of bacon. For those with a more exotic taste, pulses are examined and recipes such as hummus, Mexican chicken chilli with yellow tomato salsa, spiced lamb curry with chickpeas and sesame blancmange are included. Covering the latest cooking gadgets, Delia explains the pros and cons of expensive investments such as bread-making machines, ice-cream makers and food processors, offering recipes which would once have taken hours but now take minutes to produce. Also covered, after consultation with her fans via her website, is a section on "Waist Watchers" - ideal for those with a guilty conscience... Gloriously illustrated and engagingly written, this is ideal as either the final addition to her "How to Cook" trilogy or as an introduction to her inimitable style. Budding chef or veteran gourmet, this book should appeal to all and brings an updated twist to today's cuisine.

UK Kirkus review

In this third How To book, again linked with a TV series, Britains bestselling cookery author completes her explanation of the fundamentals of cookery, providing 130 new recipes designed to appeal to cooks of all ages and levels of experience. While continuing to offer a combination of modern global cookery and traditional British dishes, this collection is somewhat different because, for the first time, Delia has used her website to find out what her readers want. Two of the chapters on cookery for waist watchers and home entertaining are the result. She begins with advice about choosing kitchen equipment and supplies a list of essentials, insisting on quality rather than design. In no-nonsense style, she then goes on to specify which modern gadgets the home cook really needs and which are a waste of space and money. Chapter Three is about pulses, recommended for their nutritional value and versatility. Next comes preserving. In the section on waist watching Delia argues that all food is healthy as long as it is pure and natural and we exercise moderation. After a chapter on appetisers, with the accent on simplicity, she goes on to defend the English tradition of the hot pudding. The last chapter has recipes and preparation guidelines for home entertaining, including a hot Middle Eastern buffet. There are full step-by step instructions for each dish and colour photographs show how the finished articles should look. This time the recipes range from updated versions of old favourites, such as Lucys Tarte Tatin and Lasagne al Forno to imaginative new combinations such as Sesame Blancmange and Sea Bass with Puy Lentil Salsa. Throughout, Delia emphasises the unstuffy enjoyment of food, which provides us with pleasure, comfort and community. All cooks, old and new, will find something to learn and enjoy in this book, which maintains the high standards we have come to expect from the Mrs Beeton of the 21st century. (Kirkus UK)

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