Leiths cookery books

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MrMajeika

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Does anyone have any of the leiths cookery books? They are a very well known cooking school here in the UK. Was going to buy this book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leiths-Cookery-Bible-3rd-ed/dp/074756602X

Want to take my home cooking to the next level and this is supposed to be a great book with over 1300 recipes showing you every aspect of cooking. Then I came across this book Leiths how to cook

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leiths-Coo...child=1&keywords=Leiths&qid=1594031404&sr=8-1

This is more of a cookery course and leads you through subject by subject. Seems a bit more technical and the first book has more recipes, but it's good to learn the techniques which you can then apply to your own dishes. Seems like it's more of a reference book than an actual recipe book.

Just wondered if anyone had either of these books and could shed some light on the differences as I'm not quite sure which one to get
 
MrMajeika said:
Does anyone have any of the leiths cookery books? They are a very well known cooking school here in the UK. Was going to buy this book https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leiths-Cookery-Bible-3rd-ed/dp/074756602X
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Yes I have this - its pretty comprehensive but somewhat biased towards European cooking as one might expect. Its a big book with only a few photos - and some line drawings of methods.

The second book I don't know but it has good reviews (and step by step photos). It sounds as if this might be a better bet if you want to learn new skills. Its a very heavy book though...
 
I'm not familiar with those, but I do have Jacques Pepin's "Techniques," it's about three inches thick and chock full of up-close, detailed photos demonstrating all manner of kitchen technique. It's also got some recipes as well, but more for fundamental things, like making sauces.

I think it's invaluable. I use it as a reference all the time.

This is from Amazon US, not sure about availability there:

https://www.amazon.com/Jacques-Pépin-New-Complete-Techniques/dp/1579129110
 
Morning Glory said:
Yes I have this - its pretty comprehensive but somewhat biased towards European cooking as one might expect. Its a big book with only a few photos - and some line drawings of methods.

The second book I don't know but it has good reviews (and step by step photos). It sounds as if this might be a better bet if you want to learn new skills. Its a very heavy book though...
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Which edition of the cookery Bible do you have? I thought I read that all the recipes have photos. This is the 3rd edition
 
I'd be surprised if every recipe has photos unless the number of recipes has been reduced. The book has 690 pages and there are between 3 & 5 recipes on every page. Its a large book as it is, without all the photos.

This book also has recipes you are never likely to make - roast woodcock , jugged hare or pressed tongue for example. I honestly think you would be much better off with the 'How to Cook' book.
 
Morning Glory said:
I'd be surprised if every recipe has photos unless the number of recipes has been reduced. The book has 690 pages and there are between 3 & 5 recipes on every page. Its a large book as it is, without all the photos.

This book also has recipes you are never likely to make - roast woodcock , jugged hare or pressed tongue for example. I honestly think you would be much better off with the 'How to Cook' book.
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Thanks yeah just looked it up most recipes have no photos which is annoying as I like to see the end result so that is quite off putting. I think there are also parts of the how to cook that I will never use such as how to prepare a sea urchin and how to pluck a pheasant. But then it is used alongside the professional cookery course that they offer so there are always going to be things that I'm not going to do. I just had the idea that a book like that might help me to become a better cook and understand techniques better but then maybe I am better off with normal recipe books
 
MrMajeika said:
Thanks yeah just looked it up most recipes have no photos which is annoying as I like to see the end result so that is quite off putting. I think there are also parts of the how to cook that I will never use such as how to prepare a sea urchin and how to pluck a pheasant. But then it is used alongside the professional cookery course that they offer so there are always going to be things that I'm not going to do. I just had the idea that a book like that might help me to become a better cook and understand techniques better but then maybe I am better off with normal recipe books
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The 'How to Cook' book looks much more appropriate for what you need. Another option is the famous Delia Smith 'How to Cook' books. You could pick up Parts One & Two for as little as £4.16 on Amazon (or 80p used copy). At least if you don't use it much you won't have spent a lot!

How To Cook Parts One and Two (How to Cook Parts One and Two): Amazon.co.uk: Smith, Delia: 9780563521631: Books
 
I have a couple of Leiths books, Simple Cookery and this one. It's quite technical, with a mixture of recipes and chapters on the detail of techniques. No photos, just diagrams. Of all the cookbooks I have, this is probably the one I've referred to the most over the years. The section I've visited most is "What has gone wrong when..."

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