Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: courton on March 10, 2012, 05:05:40 am
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We have discussed the quality of TMX cookbooks but I am currently having an extremely frustrating time with a Donna hay cookbook recipe. Mini cheesecakes with raspberry coulis sounded too tempting to pass up BUT the quantity suggested was too much for the number of cheesecakes specified and the cooking time is so far wrong it is not funny. I wonder if her recipes are triple tested? This is the first time I am using a Donna hay cookbook recipe and I am sitting here waiting, waiting waiting for the cheesecake to cook. I guess after the high quality of recipes from the forum and bill granger recipes ( which always work), Donna hay's recipe- based on a sample of one - is disappointing. :'(
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Courton, I've got to say I'm not a fan of these cookbooks. They look very pretty - and let's face it, Ms. Hay is an exceptional food stylist . . . but the recipes are mediocre at best IMHO. To be fair, what you're experiencing could be the fault of editing, typographical errors, who knows? but the majority of things I've tried I wouldn't repeat I wouldn't buy any more of these books- and I've given most of the ones I had away.
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Interestingly I did not buy this book but was given it as a free gift by an energy provider! Maybe she didnt care about the quality of recipes for a freebie!!!
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Courton, may I ask which recipe book you are referring to?
I haven't made the mini cheese cakes although have made lots of her recipes and haven't had a problem.
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I do t know which recipe book this is.
I have made a lot of Donna Hay recipes and along with Jamie Oliver everything I make works well.
H :)
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courton, did you convert this to TMX, or just make it as specified ?
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I have also found some of DH's recipes to be unworkable. Either didn't cook in time or too much liquid etc.
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Try Johnro's Mini Cherry Ripe Cheesecakes (http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=6307.0). Can vouch for the fact that they have been tested more than once, and are outstanding.
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:) I have 2 Donna Hay's books gathering dust.
i should give them away.
Robyn
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Some of her recipes are terrific, but I've had a few failures. I remember making some tarts that had a coconut crust that wouldn't come out of the muffin tin, and was just a really sticky mess that need up in the bin. I have been also disappointed with some of her cakes - they were really dry.
I can always rely on my trusty Margaret Fulton's Encyclopedia of Food & Cookery or Lady Flo's Country Collection, or any of Nigella Lawson's books.
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It is a small red hardback book called Fruit. I did use the TMX since the base and the filling had to be mixed in a kitchen whizz. The problem was more than double the quantity provided for the filling than for the base so you either had to throw out half the filling mixed or make another lot of biscuit base to use up the filling. It also said cook for 30 min on 140c. It took nearly an hour and even then only after I increased the temp to 180 in the last 15 mins.
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Sorry dont know that one
I have
Classics1
Fast fresh & simple
Instant entertaining,
(think that is what it is called)
H :)
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or Lady Flo's Country Collection
...got this, love it - and will also not part with:
"The Margaret Fulton Cookbook"
"Bring a Plate", Arcadia Valley Cooks (one of those books that a Qld school brought out and its just MINT : to order a copy email: the.principal@arcavallss.qld.edu.au
Plus I have a 1982 hardcover copy of the first Womans Weekly cooking book "Steps to Better Cooking". Fave recipe from this is the sausage rolls, and Cream puffs which I have converted and put on this forum with adjustments here and there.
Its going to hurt me, but I think I need to peel down and get rid of more cookbooks. I will not part with the above, but I just don't look at many cook books nowadays that is not TM related and I need to chuck some out. There are so many recipes on the internet that am feeling a little cluttered having too many books.
I have the Stephanie Alexander cookbook, but although it is very informative I don't have a recipe that I would call on if required. Not going to get rid of it tho.
I have a Kindle now, and will now not walk into a bookshop to look at cookbooks. The owner of the local bookshop is heat sealing his books so people like us do not feel tempted to flick through them and buy. If you really like the cover you have to line up in a queue and ask to have a look at the book and they will rip open all the plastic wrap and then they watch you like hawks. What a godsend! ha ha reverse effect for the bookseller tho cos I don't believe in wasting all the plastic if they can't put at least one book out for customers to look at :-) meanie - deserves it!
Shall I list my other "precious" books that i have in my kitchen? I just want to have only a select few, we have a vergeside collection in the next week and if no one is interested I may just pick up a bundle and be rid of them forever....ta rah. we have lots of cars going around looking for goodies, and I know they will be gone by morning anyway and someone else will love them :D I'm just wanting to get rid of clutter...
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Yes, just do it CP - your kids will thank you down the track . I did it a few years ago, 40 books went off to Mum's village fete and I daresay I could quite easily do it again but because DH relinquished his space on the bookshelf for my cookbooks, it is not over cluttered yet.
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Yes, just do it CP - your kids will thank you down the track . I did it a few years ago, 40 books went off to Mum's village fete and I daresay I could quite easily do it again but because DH relinquished his space on the bookshelf for my cookbooks, it is not over cluttered yet.
Judy and CP, how could you do it. It would be like cutting off my left arm. (I am left handed). I have hundreds of cooking books , and love all of them,even In the Mix where nothing seems to work for me. But I do love the photos. Bought 4 new ones last week. Will let you know what they are like. I started on the Bread one yesterday. 'Bread Revolution". 2 young British bakers. I like their philosophy but more recipes still need testing. If I see a book that has 3+ recipes that i can convert to TMX, that are a bit different, then I buy the book. Most are bought with Book Vouchers that i am given for Xmas and birthdays.
Judy, the kids will have more to worry about than what to do with my cooking books. :-)) :-)) :-))
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I'm sure they will Chookie :D I must get into the habit of taking 1 book from the bookcase perhaps monthly, have a read of it and convert one recipe each time. So many books, so little time, so many recipes already available though :-)) It is a nice addiction to have though, not causing any harm to anyone.
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I did get rid of about 30 cookbooks when we moved 2 years ago and from time to time
I contemplate lightening up a bit more. I do enjoy reading a cookbook with a glass of wine
and I have a very minimalist decorating style in my home. All the kids will really have to get rid of are the cookbooks
and all my baking pans, trays etc.
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I got rid of 1 box of cookbooks, and 3 boxs of novels. What was interesting though is, before I chucked a cookbook I would flick through it just to make sure no hidden treasures were inside. Found a couple of old photo's of our kids when they were young, a story DS had written when he was 8, and a letter from my DD apologising for something silly she had done and how she would try to make up for it - she would do anything, except tidy up her room....(she must have been looking in her crystal ball cos she hasn't changed!). We all had a good laugh.
These are the things I treasure most, not the cookbooks.
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I love Lady Flo's books. They are so real and down to earth. I did a cull (that's what it felt like losing cookbooks) when we built this house. I still miss them. :'( :'( :'( :'( I still have hundreds though. As well as heaps of Delicious, BBC Good Food, Australian Good Food, Masterchef and piles of cut out recipes. I need to get a life I think, but I am happy with all that. :D :D :D
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Cookie, you have a life, and a very good one at that. Enjoy what you have. ;D
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I do, every single day. There is always something that is pure pleasure everyday. Some days it may be waking up but as long as I keep doing that I'm right. :D :D :D
My darling Dad as he aged used to look at the deaths in the paper and say' oh good, my name isn't there, I will go ahead and have a lovely day.'.. One day it was there. :'( Many years ago though.
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I have many that I have acquired over my short life time (too many if you ask DH lol) but I have been in the slow process of going through them since I got my TMX (so 4 1/2 years later still doing it :-[) and converting what I want to keep and then getting rid of the book to make room for new ones. A lot of the recipes just are not relevant to us any more for the way we eat so is easier to pass them on and get others that are more relevant for now - well that is my excuse for buying more anyway :D :D :D
We are having a big cull of books in the whole house as we have THOUSANDS - yes thousands we are all book worms. I love my kindle and am trying to swap everyone over. Our school is having a fete next year and they are all going up there bit by bit for them to sell next year ;)
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There is a site you might all be interested in called Eat Your Books. http://www.eatyourbooks.com/. It enables you to quickly search your recipe books (aslong as they are indexed) for a recipe. As you'll see, most of the popular recipe books are already indexed, and more are added all the time. See what you think.
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I'm gradually going through and scanning most of my cookbooks into PDF's. I have a ridiculous number of cookbooks and can never find anything that I want so I have made the decision that some (at least) must go. I would quite happily re-purchase a lot of them in electronic format but frustratingly most publishers haven't released many cookbooks as ebooks. I was hoping that the latest Jamie Oliver would have been released as an ebook but NO!. I love having them to hand whenever I need them. I did my thermomix books just after I bought them and I never have the paper copies in the kitchen....just my Ipad. Its great to be able to sit in bed and browse through a heap of different books while menu planning.
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Can't quite give up my cookbooks. I still love to sit down and browse through them and every so often convert something for the TMX. Fortunately DH is quite proud of my collection of books, magazines and clippings I have collected for more than 30 years - keeps telling me that not many people he has met has anywhere near as many as I do. I'm sure many people do have lots more - including my sister, who snaps up any 'name' cookbook the moment she sees it on special. Most of those will never see the inside of her kitchen though. Oh, how I would love to get into her bookshelves for a few days ...
I agree on the Lady Flo cookbooks. What a treasure!
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My darling Dad as he aged used to look at the deaths in the paper and say' oh good, my name isn't there, I will go ahead and have a lovely day.'.. One day it was there. :'( Many years ago though.
What a lovely out look. I must remember this when on days when I'm feeling frazzled.