The 10 Cookbooks Every Man Should Own
Joe’s 30 Minute Meals
This is a must-have for its speedy suppers made from simple ingredients. Chapters are organised by main ingredient, making it easy to find a recipe for every occasion. If you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing lunch like the Bang Bang Chicken Stir-Fry, or something tasty to chuck in the oven at the end of a long day like Joe’s Sausage and Mushroom Pie, Joe’s 30-Minute Meals can deliver a fuss-free, tasty plate of food every single day.
Cook Like A Man
In the spirit of fraternity, home-cook convert Fritz Brand shows what works, how it works, and why it works, equipping readers with a working knowledge of kitchen basics. Learn to cook for occasions ranging across a romantic dinner for two, game night with the boys and feeding a horde of hungry children. The cookbook covers 60 simple recipes such as spaghetti carbonara, pancakes, and fish and chips. It earns its place on your shelf for its Eggs ‘Bacondict’ alone.
Fast Food
This is the one that teaches you not only how to cook your favourite takeaway meal, but how to do it in a healthier, cheaper and tastier way. Gordon Ramsay’s tome covers five-minute snacks, ten-minute main courses and 30-minute menus for all occasions. A cookbook for the way we live and eat today.
Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give F*CK
Thug Kitchen’s wildly popular website has inspired people to eat better and adopt a healthier lifestyle. The accompanying book arms you with all the info and techniques you need to shop food on a budget. It serves up more than 100 recipes for well-loved meals, snacks and sides. In its own words, it can help everyone from beginner cooks to home chefs ‘eat like a champ, not like a chump’. Standout recipes include Roasted Beer and Lime Cauliflower Tacos with Pumpkin Chili and Grilled Peach Salsa.
Ginger Pig Meat Book
Trendy London butcher Ginger Pig quite literally takes apart the animal in this meat manual. Split into pork, beef, lamb, poultry and game, it also divides its recipes for the 12 months of the year. For each type of meat, the book recommends the best breeds, advises which cuts suit which style of cooking and tells you what to ask your butcher to ensure you get the best quality. As well as a huge mix of recipes from meatballs in tomato sauce, to venison burgers, to steak tartare, it shows you how to prepare and carve meat.
5 Ingredients: Quick & Easy Foods
Clever and full of flavour, Jamie Oliver’s recipes are weeknight miracle workers. When an after-work supermarket visit is off the cards, this is the cookbook you need. Its uncomplicated, ready-in-a-snap dishes are made from five key ingredients. Highlights include Easy Sausage Carbonara, Roast Tikka Chicken and Crazy, Simple Fish Pie. Each recipe has been tried and tested to ensure the book is packed with no-fuss, budget-friendly dishes that you can rustle up any day of the week.
The Burger Book
Christian Stevenson (aka DJ BBQ) challenges the idea of a burger as simply a beef patty between a bun. Here you will find creative alternatives from a Bacon and Cheese Omelette Bagel to the Sunday Roast Chicken Burger. And it’s not just for meat eaters: The Burger Book is packed with recipes covering fish, veggie and vegan options as well as alternative bun ideas, sauces and sides. The only burger book you will ever need.
Ottolenghi Simple
‘Simple’ is a subjective word. One person’s ‘simple’ can be another person’s nightmare. Here, Yotam Ottolenghi’s vibrant but often hard-to-make food has been made easy. Dishes are signposted with different letters to signify different qualities: ‘S’ is for when you are short on time; ‘L’ is for lazy days; ‘E’ is easier than you think. Highlights include the beef sirloin and basil salad, and the prawn orzo, both of which are straightforward to prep, made with basic ingredients and perfect for a midweek supper.
The Quick Roasting Tin
This is for anyone too busy to cook complicated meals. It contains only all-in-one tin recipes perfect for quick weeknight dinners, make-ahead lunchboxes and family favourites. All meals take just 10 minutes to prep, and no longer than 30 minutes in the oven. Just chop a few ingredients, pop them into a roasting tin, and kick back while the oven does the work. Think fresh, delicious, hassle-free food – and minimal washing-up.
The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight
Si King and Dave Myers are self-confessed food lovers. But they’ve found the weight has crept on over the years. So they made a big decision to act before it’s too late and lose some pounds. This groundbreaking diet book offers up tasty recipes that are low in calories and big on flavour. Expect clever tips, ideas for healthy but hearty lunches and dinners, even a few knockout bakes and snacking options. In short, real food for real people.
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