Books: the TASTE team’s cooking bibles

New recipe books are published at a dizzying rate. But which ones do we turn to time and again? The TASTE team shares the books that changed the way they cook

Tender by Nigel Slater I read this book like a novel, over and over again. Slater tackles veggies by category, one by one, so you learn to pay proper attention. There’s also a very useful section at the start of every chapter on what kind of flavours they like, for example peas love bacon and mint and lemon. My favourite recipe? The carrotand-coriander fritters.

Jeanne Calitz, commercial projects editor

Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook by Jamie Oliver

Jamie helped me perfect meringues – the trick is to beat the whites for 7 minutes at high speed once the sugar is incorporated.

Kelly Cloete, group account director

The Good Table

by Valentine Warner This book taught me to slow down and do things properly. The recipes are glorious and hearty; tomatoes stuffed with rice, raisins and pine nuts, and a chilli con carne featuring chocolate.

Katharine Pope, associate editor

Lessons with Liam by Liam Tomlin

This book is splattered with sauce from repeated use – particularly the pages featuring the roast bone marrow and the beef burgers.

Tharien Nel, key account manager

The Conran Cookbook

by Caroline Conran, Terence Conran and Simon Hopkinson

This book helped me so much when I first started as a food stylist at Fairlady. It’s full of techniques and step-by-step tips for each ingredient. In the days before the internet, it was my encyclopedia. I still make the dark chocolate mousse, and the pastry recipe.

Abigail Donnelly, food director

Jamie’s Kitchen

by Jamie Oliver I learnt how to cook risotto properly using this book. The key is to resist the urge to stir it too often, otherwise you’ll end up with a stodgy mess!

Lynda Ingham-Brown, senior copy editor

Basics

to Brilliance

by Donna Hay This beautiful book inspires me so much! Each recipe comes with three ways to serve it. Slow-cooked beef brisket becomes a topping for pappardelle, and the filling for a pot pie, while the molten chocolate puddings transform into cupcakes or a cake.

Jacqueline Burgess, multimedia food stylist

From the Table of My Memory by Urmila Jithoo

This is one of my oldest books.

The stories behind Urmila’s recipes make me want to try all of them. Her baby brinjals filled with a yoghurt-spice mixture converted me from a brinjal hater to a fan.

Michelle Coburn, senior content editor

The Modern Cook’s Year

by Anna Jones This book changed the way I think about veggies – they’re no longer just a side dish.

Hannah Lewry, food editor