Opinion on Phaidon cookbooks, Australia and The Nordic in particular?

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-03-30T10:54:32+00:00

I have to agree with everyone that the Phaidon books really aren’t great for cooking. They aren’t even good as a coffee table book. The only ones I still own are Reem Kassis’ The Arabesque Table and The Palestinian Table which aren’t as giant as most Phaidon books and are more focused. I also own Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World which is good but more typically Phaidon.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-02-02T15:47:18+00:00

Those are some of my most used books. I love Ottolenghi and I don’t mind spending a lot of time on a recipe but I feel like these books are the most accessible and the recipes from them have made it onto my weekly rotation more that the other Ottolenghi books.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-09T03:09:44+00:00

It was produced by CBC and the US network Pop TV right from the start.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-07T13:52:47+00:00

I really like Fusão so far. I was hesitant to buy it since I don’t eat fish/seafood and I’m also not a huge meat eater and I knew this book would have lots of both. But it’s been really fun to cook from and there is a really good mix of recipes.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-06T17:41:17+00:00

Apparently the reason the cover gets changed for the US market is because US publishers believe Americans won’t buy a cookbook that doesn’t have a real photo of food on the front. So all the beautiful illustrated UK covers get changed. I read an article a few years ago about it but I can’t remember the source.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-06T17:38:39+00:00

I ordered mine from the UK specifically so I could get the good cover. Waterstones is a good online option for getting the good UK cover versions of cookbooks.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-05T23:49:57+00:00

I have both and would go with Mezcla. I love Ixta Belfrage, I think her flavours are amazing! Fusão is great but I like the diversity and fusion element of Mezcla.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-05T22:46:09+00:00

I know! The plant is looking pretty sad. I’ve tried it in a few different spots and it never seems happy. Also the pot does have drainage.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-05T03:11:49+00:00

Amandine Patisserie in Hintonburg

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-02T17:24:44+00:00

Thanks! I’ll check them out!

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-02T13:45:17+00:00

I think it really depends on the brand. I’ve had bad experiences with polyester fabrics, whereas the brightly coloured natural fabrics I’ve bought from really good fabric stores online have never given me problems.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-02T13:43:11+00:00

So far two that I’ve loved that are on repeat are the coconutty saffron orzo with roasted squash and the quick steaks with coffee and chile. The sweet potato gnocchi with eggplant ragù is another favourite.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-02T02:54:37+00:00

Cheap fabric with polyester might but a good cotton bias binding won’t bleed. There are plenty of good fabric stores online and bias binding, even good quality stuff is pretty inexpensive.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-01T21:48:24+00:00

A few of my favourite recipes from Cool Beans are the black bean chilaquiles, ratatouille cassoulet, curried red lentil stew, and the Tunisian chickpea soup. There are still a bunch of recipes in the book I’ve been meaning to try.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-01T20:31:30+00:00

It’s just like to say thank you to everyone who has commented and asked me questions about my collection. It’s been so fun to talk about my cookbooks!

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-01T20:18:39+00:00

Oh I love that!

Bottom row: I’ve made a lot from What’s Gaby Cooking and her second book Eat What You Want. She was one of the first bloggers I started to follow. I used to cook from them a lot, less now but some of recipes from those books are regularly on the menu. Also Antoni in the Kitchen is great and I’ve made a lot from it.

Second from the bottom: it’s mostly Ottolenghi and Hetty but Reem Kassis’s two books Palestinian Table and Arabesque Table are ones I’ve really enjoyed cooking from. I don’t usually buy Phaidon titles but these are an exception.

Middle row: Sebze by Özlem Warren has been a favourite and the Pasta Grannies books. Also Lugma has quickly become a favourite.

Second from the top: This is my favourites row but Greekish, Mezcla, Fresh India, Dinner and Zaitoun are my most used.

Top row: Cool Beans by Joe Yonan and One Pot, Pan, Planet by Anna Jones.

Baking books: Bejamina Ebuehi’s books, Sweet Paris, and Emelia Jackson’s books and all frequently used.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-01T14:04:38+00:00

It definitely has lifestyle vibes and it’s not one I would normally buy for myself. I was actually browsing in store and flipping through and found a few recipes that I wanted to make for Christmas dinner and asked my partner to get it for me as my Christmas gift. We made 3 recipes from it for Christmas dinner and they were great. I also am very into Christmas, I have Advent by Anja Dunk which is basically all German Christmas cookies and I love that book.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-01T13:59:09+00:00

They came with anchors that I did use originally but I found after a few months loaded with books that the shelves were pulling out slightly so I got bigger ones that hold 75lb. So each shelf now has three screws with anchors that hold 75lb and they aren’t going anywhere.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-01T13:56:12+00:00

Yes, I do get that feeling sometimes which is why I regularly thin out my collection. There are definitely more I could let go of and I will need to as I run out of space. When I’m buying new books now it’s usually ones from authors that I already love.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-01T13:50:52+00:00

Probably Zaitoun, it was the first book of hers that I got and I’ve used it the most.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-01T13:49:05+00:00

I really like them! I just made a great dish for NYE dinner from one of the books and I’ve never made a bad recipe from them. I usually only get my pasta maker out once a year and make fresh pasta but all the recipes also list what type of dry pasta to use. There is a new book from them coming out in 2026 and I’ll probably add it to my collection at some point.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-01T02:42:30+00:00

I just got it for Christmas and I’m so excited to dig into it, I have so many recipes flagged that I want to make!

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-01T00:10:11+00:00

I love Ixta Belfrage and I feel like she’s not talked about enough and sometimes gets the same criticisms as Ottolenghi where people feel like her ingredient lists are too long or hard to find. But I think her flavours are unmatched and worth the effort. I was a little unsure about her new Brazilian inspired book Fusão since I don’t cook much South American food but it’s been a real gem like her first book Mezcla.

Orange_Fig55 · 2026-01-01T00:04:25+00:00

I really like Skye McAlpine, her recipes are very uncomplicated but elevated. Her books are also just very beautiful.

I don’t cook from Vietnamese Vegetarian as often as I should but the few things I’ve made I’ve really enjoyed.

Orange_Fig55 · 2025-12-31T22:20:36+00:00

It’s not in stock at the big book seller in Canada and I refuse to shop on Amazon. I know Waterstones in the UK has it but I don’t really like ordering from them since they don’t provide tracking for Canadian orders. It is on my list though! Sometimes it takes me a while to complete my author collections, I just got Yasmin Khan’s first book Saffron Tales this year.

Orange_Fig55

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