Nigella Bites: From Family Meals To Elegant Dinners--Easy, Delectable Recipes For Any Occasion (2002) - Plot & Excerpts
One of the first cookbooks put out by Nigella, this is a breezy cookbook that doesn't take itself too seriously, but makes it approachable and fun for cooks of all levels, but especially appealing to cooks that don't want things to get too complicated in the kitchen.The food photography is nothing spectacular. All in all, there are lots of food close-up shots - I'm not sure if it’s just me, but some of the food shots are so close up that they appear blurry. Not a dealbreaker, but seriously, would it have killed the photographer to zoom out just a LITTLE? (Maybe the tablecloth was hideous or the plates were chipped).Each recipe is accompanied by longer than average intro blurbs, usually a mix of personal stories and recipe tips. The recipes are neatly laid out, with ingredients listed separately. Although the instructions are clear and concise, they are still written with Nigella's distinct voice, making it easy (and enjoyable) to read.The ingredients are generally easy to find and not super-expensive, plus I found many of the recipes are quite simple and turn out really well, no matter what your cooking level.There's a 'Notes' section at the back (blank, lined pages) of each chapter for the reader's own notes and scribblings which is a nice touch.The mix of recipes is very eclectic, especially with the vague chapter headings (categories such as 'All-Day Breakfast', 'Comfort' and 'Trashy'. My main gripes with this book:– There isn't a recipe list anywhere to be found. The vague Table of Contents and lack of recipe list make it very difficult to find recipes without using the index (and then you have to at least know the name of the recipe or main ingredient for the dish).– The blurry, close-up photos. I forgive this only because this is an older cookbook and precedes the huge growth of food pphotography. If these were photos in a cookbook published today it would be panned big time.Even with these two offences, I’m still glad that Nigella Bites was one of the first books in my collection as it helped fueled the flames of a long-term love affair with cookbooks.
I will never forget the first time I saw Nigella Lawson - flipping through channels on a late, rainy night, I was stopped short by the sight of this curvaceous, gorgeous woman holding a stick of butter in each hand, extolling the virtues of bacon. Oh, the gleam in her eye, like some ancient goddess of bounty, inviting us cold and dieting masses to stop denying ourselves the oldest of pleasures. I was mesmerized. I feel the same way - enchanted - whenever I read one of her delightful cookbooks. Do the recipes turn out well? Not so much, to be perfectly honest, but if this book is a failure as a technical manual, it is a success as a guide to inspiration.
What do You think about Nigella Bites: From Family Meals To Elegant Dinners--Easy, Delectable Recipes For Any Occasion (2002)?
This was the first Nigella Lawson book I ever read, because I'd seen her recipe for ham in Coca Cola on the TV show of the same name and was dying to try it. I've made it several times since, along with many other of her recipes. In fact, every recipe I've tried (which has been most of them) has had fabulous results, most especially the orange breakfast muffins, lemon risotto, italian sausage with lentils, slow-roasted pork shoulder, and sticky-toffee dessert. The book isn't perfect, though it's not because of the recipes. There are massive (albeit gorgeous) pictures, tons of white space, and whole pages, sometimes two, devoted to recipes when only a quarter was needed (asparagus in a soft-boiled egg? mashed potatos? watermelon daquiri?), making one feel a bit cheated, considering the book's price. Still, I've used it enough to make up for the extra cost.
—Anne
I picked up this cookbook at half-price books recently, and I'm glad I scored it for just a few dollars. Full of gorgeous full color pictures of tasty food, and equally tasty Nigella Lawson... unfortunately the recipe content isn't as compelling. This is one of those cookbooks I enjoy flipping through, but I don't think it will earn a place on my shelf as a go-to resource for recipe brainstorming. I do get a kick out of how the content is organized. The book is broken into sections: All-day breakfast, comfort food, tv dinners, party girl, rainy days, trashy (which are primarily american comfort foods, what are you saying about us Americans, Nigella?), legacy, suppertime, slow-cook weekend & templefood (healthier dishes, each with an asian flare).
—Waspyredhead
Nigella totally rocks. I bought this book on sale for a mere $2-what a find-because there is a lot of meat-but her recipes and her approach to a full fat-full flavour world is just so good. I'm a big fan...
—Allison
