The Kitchen Diaries Challenge 2010 - the books being used

Well, I loved last year's challenge so much. Cooking from Nigel Slater's 'Kitchen Diaries' was a marvellous experience, and one that forced me to look at new recipes, techniques and ingredients. It was the perfect book to chose, being seasonal and extremely varied. Finding another single book to match the experience in 2010 was impossible. So, this year, I have chosen 12 books instead. Every month, I will cook at least one recipe from each of these books - 12 a month, and 144 in total for the year - at least - I might cook more!

So which books have I chosen?

I focused on everyday cooking, but to stretch myself and increase my knowledge, I have also selected some books from other cuisines - Japanese, Indian, etc. Here they are! (with links to them at Amazon)

1. 'Tender' - Nigel Slater (well, I couldn't abandon Nigel altogether, could I!)
2. 'Harumi's Japanese Cooking' - Harumi Kurihara
3. 'China Modern' - Ching-He Huang
4. 'Home Cook' - Alastair Hendy
5. 'Everyday' - Bill Granger
6. 'Indian Everyday' -Anjum Anand
7. 'Favourite Food at Home' - Rachel Allen
8. 'Off the Shelf' - Donna Hay
9. 'Marcella Cucina' - Marcella Hazan
10. 'Fish' - Mitch Tonks
11. 'In the Mood for Food' - Jo Pratt
12. 'Top 200 Low Fat Recipes' - Judith Wills

This list is a blend of my favourite authors (Slater, Hendy, Granger, Allen, Pratt), the challenging (Tonks, Hazan), the exotic (Kurihara, Anand, Huang) and the healthy (Hay and Wills). Together, they will give me loads of choice for everyday cooking, and the more challenging stuff at the weekend, along with the realistic and healthy. Some are old friends and may even be out of print now, although Amazon seemed to have them all in stock one way or another, along with the new and relatively untested.

I hope you enjoy hearing about them as much as I know I will enjoy cooking from them!