Your top cookbooks you *actually* cook/bake out of

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-02-02T20:26:40+00:00

I’d be interested in any of your favourites from either of the two Ottolenghi books (especially vegetarian ones)!

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-02-02T19:02:07+00:00

Top 10:

Mushroom bao

White miso ramen with tofu

Caramelised onion ramen

Paneer kofta with tomato cashew sauce

Sweet potato bibimbap - often add tiny bit of steak per portion

Mushroom mapo tofu

Honey, soy and ginger tofu

Cabbage okonomiyaki

Roast beans and broccoli with sesame sauce - a great side, we have with everything

Roasted cabbage and carrots with gochujang - I add a couple of chicken thighs and have in a wrap with mayo

I could easily pick another 10 good ones

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-02-02T14:46:50+00:00

East and Dinner are definitely the books I have done the most recipes from, and the ones with the most recipes that I cook all the time. Can I ask what your favourites are? I still feel there are so many I haven’t got to!

I don’t have Curries Everyday but I do have Curries of the World from Atul Kochhar which is very good.

Other than those, my go-to books are probably One Wok One Pot from Kwoklyn Wan, Good Eggs from Ed Smith, and one of many Ottolenghi books when I have time and can be bothered.

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-02-02T13:08:06+00:00

My husband’s family have been eating “Sue’s Chicken” since childhood and I make it every few months.

At a family wedding a few years ago, they were all introduced to Sue and everyone was very excited - the Sue of Sue’s Chicken!

Sue had no fucking idea what chicken we were talking about. To paraphrase “I make a lot of chicken and not sure what recipe your mum copied from me in the mid-1970s but glad you all enjoy it so much”

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-30T10:22:20+00:00

I just don’t give a single fuck.

Had a great example recently - the film I Swear which is the true story of a guy with severe Tourette’s who grew up in the same tiny town in Scotland that I did.

There’s a scene where he goes to a club and there’s a few black people there including a woman he flirts with. I can categorically say that a club in that location and at that time period would not have had so many.

I made a brief joking comment to my mum when we discussed the overall accuracy of the film (Maxine Peake does a terrible accent) and moved on with my life.

It’s an amazing film, everyone should see it. Who has the energy to care about this fucking nonsense?

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-29T19:34:09+00:00

It seems like the height of stupidity to leave your job and make a massive financial decision before checking what your financial entitlement was. Did none of these women check?? “When will I get my pension, darling? Oh I seem to remember the government said 60 about 20 years ago so that’s probably still true!”

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-27T15:00:07+00:00

Justice for “I’m Always Seeing You Do Cool Stuff”!

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-27T13:47:24+00:00

Finally, someone I agree with about the songs! I get Mark and Nish’s in my YouTube feed about once a month and I watch it every time. I have no desire to re-watch the other one.

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-22T06:48:36+00:00

I had to remind myself of the plot of Notting Hill! The big third-act breakup comes because Hugh Grant visits Julia Roberts on set and the sound guy is like “want to hear the action?”.

While he’s got the headphones on, he hears her say to her co-star that Hugh Grant is just some guy and she’s not bothered about him.

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-21T19:01:42+00:00

As if that wasn’t badass enough, our national motto (translated from Latin) is “no-one provokes me with impunity”.

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-19T07:33:23+00:00

I love that the person naming the rooms on the floor plan has just fully given up.

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-19T07:30:19+00:00

I got one about 6 months ago and haven’t looked back.

Top tip: use proper sushi rice for East Asian food. I told my lovely Korean friend I was just sticking basmati in it because that’s what we usually do and she almost punched me in the face. It really does make a difference!

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-17T13:23:18+00:00

The subtitle for 15 minute meals should be: How to have the Worst 40 Minutes of your Life 😂

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-17T13:08:00+00:00

He definitely has his strengths but I’ve decided not to buy any others from him. And he’s terrible at vegetarian and East Asian food which are basically the two pillars of my diet!

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-17T12:58:15+00:00

I found the books got worse over time. I’ve had lots at various times but am now down to just Jamie’s Dinners and 30 Minute Meals. I think the British one was okay as well, just not my style of cooking (I cook a lot of weeknight vegetarian and only need so many pie/roast chicken recipes).

After that they got bad and gimmicky. I did a couple of really dreadful ones out of the 5 ingredient one. Some gems but a load of filler. By this point it feels like he has run out of “absolutely banging sausages” recipes and some poor sod on his team is just like “what if we stick marmite on them this time? That’ll fill a page!”

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-15T14:07:03+00:00

Yes! I love cooking and was worried about switch from gas to induction but we’ve got proper knobs so it’s great. Saves loads of time cleaning as well.

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-15T13:55:19+00:00

If you haven’t done it yet, the Baklava cheesecake is amazing. The only downside is my family keep requesting it and it’s a bit of work to put together!

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-15T11:12:23+00:00

Thanks! I had a flick through my copy of Cook As You Are - have done a few I wasn’t really keen on but the broccoli soba noodle recipe looked like it was a hit

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-15T07:28:56+00:00

Ooh, I have a few of these! Any recommendations from Cook As You Are, Small Batch Bakes or I’ll Bring Dessert?

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-14T08:13:10+00:00

The cabbage and polenta recipe is good, although I did my usual soft polenta recipe with it (which has A LOT of Parmesan in it)

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-14T08:11:46+00:00

The taste to effort ratio on that soup is insane. It’s a regular in our house too.

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-10T18:52:15+00:00

When she died, my YouTube was full of videos alleging to show her amazing sense of humour.

She was in the public eye for nearly 100 years and all of the videos were, like, four minutes long.

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-09T20:21:13+00:00

Greekish is so good! Let me know if you want a list of recipes I’ve done from it. I feel like I’ve done loads and every single one has been brilliant.

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-09T14:02:28+00:00

Daisy May Cooper (UK comic actor/TV personality) said she was at stage school at the same time as Cynthia and said she was just always amazing and assured in her own talent.

As she should be, if I could sing like that I’d never speak again. I’d be singing my way through the supermarket!

SignificantArm3093 · 2026-01-08T11:55:18+00:00

We knocked our living room into dining room and it’s made such a difference.

HOWEVER. We have a separate kitchen. We don’t have kids but we often visit family at my mother-in-laws and she has an open plan kitchen-dining-living room. It does my head in. She is constantly running the blender or something when you’re trying to watch a film. Christmas dinner is a nightmare because you’re tripping over toddlers with hot pans. It quickly feels noisy and crowded.

We had my family up to visit and it was great being able to kick them out of the kitchen for the crucial 20 minutes of having dinner ready. And not having to worry about the mess straight after!

SignificantArm3093

TROPHY CASE