There’s nothing more satisfying than earmarking recipes, but when it comes down to planning the week’s meals they often seem a distant memory on a shelf very far away from the couch. Use these tips to sort and store your recipes: 

Haul out your pile of MyKitchen magazines that have collected over time. Go through them and earmark the ones that you want to make again, or could imagine preparing in the future.  

You can either scan the recipes and create a digital recipe book or stick with paper. Photocopy or tear out the pages and slip them into a flip file. You get to see both sides of the page easily plus you can wipe off any oil marks, sauce splatters or flour. If you like, paste them into an A4 spiral notebook to make a recipe scrapbook.  

If you want to make your cookbook kid-friendly, consider laminating the pages. This means your kid can work with the sturdy (and waterproof) recipe page easily, and it will still be it intact at the end of the day. Use a whiteboard marker to make notes to help them.  

Keep a pen and notepad nearby when you’re cooking. Jot down any grand ideas or successful experiments or substitutions for next time. Just remember to add them to the relevant recipe later.  

If you’ve made a recipe for the first time, give it a review. Write down what you liked about the recipe, what occasion it would be perfect for, or even what you didn’t like. That way you can evolve the recipe when you make it again.  

Categorise your recipes based on the type of meal, the main ingredient, method or even the cooking time.  

Consider using colourful sticky flags to divide the recipes. Next time you need supper inspiration, you can easily find the recipe you need. Once you’ve accumulated enough content, adding section dividers to your cookbook will also save time when you’re looking for a specific recipe.  

Add to your cookbook collection  

Thrive – Nicci Robertson Nutritionist

Nicci Robertson starts her recipe book by acknowledging that although eating should be one of life’s pleasures, it isn’t always that way for many people. Using her own personal experience, she guides readers through 80 recipes that are healthy, but which totally ‘break the diet rules’. – R380  

The complete Chinese takeaway cookbook – Kwoklyn Wan

Celebrated British chef Kwoklyn Wan has gathered 200 of his dishes into this, his complete round-up of recipes collected during a lifetime of cooking in Chinese kitchens. To top it off, he has thrown in easy explanations and foolproof tips and tricks. – R520  

Let’s Cook – Siba Mtongana

In this true family affair, Siba invites kids to take charge and develop skills in the kitchen. The easy, delicious and instructional recipes range from lunchbox staples to yummy snacks – with a little help from mom and dad, of course! – R290  

Our Italian Legacy of love – Chiara Viljoen, Ryan Viljoen and Luciana Treccani

In this book, the brother-and-sister duo behind Joburg’s Café del Sol have generously shared classic dishes handed down by their ‘mamma’ and ‘nonna’. – R400  

Onwards – Karen Dudley

A heartfelt story of how life changed for Cape Town chef Karen Dudley after the pandemic shuttered her much-loved restaurant, The Kitchen. She details how she rediscovered food and flavours and connected with her community again during such a turbulent time. – R360   

Waste not, want not

Butter is expensive on a good day, so stash the wrappers in the freezer for when you need just a little bit. Use them to grease a cake tin, or place over bakes as they come out of the oven to add gloss.  

Otherwise, spread them over potatoes, corn or other veggies as they go into the oven – the butter will drip down, plus the cover will protect it from direct heat. Once clean, use the wrappers to bundle up leftovers or to separate layers of patties, cookies or even veggies.  

Other Need To Know Skills  

GARLIC CLOVES 
Peel garlic faster by pressing down on the clove with the flat side of a knife. This will break it and loosen the skin.  

CHILLIES 
Make seeding easier by rolling the whole chilli between your fingers to loosen the seeds inside. Cut off the stem, push the seeds out and use chilli as needed.  

APPLES 
Keep a bowl of ice water with a squeeze of lemon close by when you slice, grate or peel apples. Add them to the lemon water to prevent them from oxidising and browning.  

YEAST 
Revive old yeast by letting it stand in sugar and milk for 5 minutes. It’s still active if it bubbles. Take care to make the milk lukewarm – too hot and it will kill the yeast. 

Words by Sjaan Van Der Ploeg
Photography: Adobestock 

The post DIY: A Family-Affair Recipe Book appeared first on MyKitchen.

If you love new cookbooks as much as we do, you’re in for a treat with the latest offerings from Penguin Random House. Choose from a wide variety for every palate, just in time for the festive season too!

Kicking off with Jamie Oliver, and his most user-focused cookbook ever, 7 Ways. Jamie wants to give everyone brand-new inspiration for their favourite ingredients, the kind of things you can pick up in any supermarket. He shares 7 achievable, exciting and tasty ways to cook 19 hero ingredients, and each recipe will have no more than 8 ingredients within it. With everything from fake-aways and tray-bakes to family and freezer favourites, you’ll find bags of inspiration to help you mix things up in the kitchen.

Another celebrity cookbook to get excited about is Yotam Ottolenghi’s Flavour. This is the third instalment in his bestselling and multi-award-winning PLENTY series (over 2 million copies sold). Flavour celebrates the limitless potential of vegetables and reveals how to transform them into magical and innovative dishes that deliver brand-new ingredient combinations to excite and inspire.

On the local front, you can be on the lookout for the brand new Weber’s Ultimate Braai Book which was released in September. This latest offering is exactly what you’d expect from the world’s foremost barbecue company. Innovative recipes, imaginative ingredients, fabulous photography, and a wealth of sound advice for both novice cooks and experienced braai-masters.

And of course, there’s our very own Ms Sibalicious! Her brand new book, Let’s Cook is jam-packed with nutritious and delicious, easy-to-do meals and snacks for any occasion, from lunch boxes to smoothies and so much more. Siba has taken the fuss out of the kitchen and created recipes for mom and dad to whip up with their little ones’ help.

And finally, one not to miss in December is Nigella Lawson’s brand new book, Cook, Eat, Repeat featuring narrative essays about food, over 100 new recipes and 50 beautiful colour photographs. A must for all Nigella fans.

For even more amazing cookbooks, visit penguinrandomhouse.co.za

Photography: Courtesy images

The post 6 new cookbooks we’re excited about for the festive season appeared first on MyKitchen.

Local is lekker so we’re sharing our top 10 local cookbooks with you today. Happy feasting! Let us know which one you’d love to get your hands on.

By Ulisha Moodley

1. Smitten by Sarah Graham

The focus is on extraordinary but still achievable, budget-friendly food. You can look forward to categories including as Nibbles, Speedy Suppers, Feast and Slow.

2. Simply Delicious by Zola Nene

‘Food has always been a huge part of my life’, says Zola Nene and this book showcases how far she’s come as a chef, while also sharing simple and delicious recipes.

3. Curry by Ishay Govender-Ypma

From fiery and strong flavours to recipes with subtle flavours made with lamb, beef, seafood, tripe and even goat, Ishay Govender takes us on a journey through South African curries.

4. The Democratic Republic of Braai Cookbook by Jan Braai

Jan Braai believes that there is no need to ever have badly braaied food. So, in his book you will find exceptional recipes for steak, chicken, lamb and more.

5. Tashas Timeless Café Classics by Natasha Sideris

Founder of Tashas chain of restaurants, Natasha Sideris shares popular dishes from her menu along with some of her other favourites.

6. Butter & Love by Anna Carolina Alberts

Anna uses her culinary heritage as inspiration for her unique recipes that include soetkoekies, sweetcorn pap with sheba and boerewors and a Bovril cake.

7. Something’s Cooking by J’Something

Honest food that is filled with magical flavours – that is the core of this cookbook. You will find recipes that stem from Portugal, South Africa and Japan.

8. Just Add Rice by Ming-Cheau Lin

This book focusses on comfort and celebrating culture with Taiwanese cuisine. Ming-Cheau shares simple recipes that offer taste, texture and nutritional value.

9. The Great South African Cookbook

Sixty-seven talented cooks, chefs, gardeners, bakers, farmers, foragers and local food heroes came together to create this magnificent book. Sharing over 130 recipes, each accompanied by creativity and diversity.

10. The Journey of Cape Malay Cooking with Fatima Sydow

Hearty and fulfilling recipes that include pasta, meat, chicken and fish. It also includes various curries & traditional rice-based dishes, plus puddings, biscuits and cakes.

Header image: Pixabay

The post Our top 10 local cookbooks appeared first on MyKitchen.