Good Cook Bad Cook: 20 Rules for the Kitchen 80 Essential Recipes

Victoria Heywood came across many weird, supposedly edible, things in 17 years travelling the world as a journalist, but none so strange as some of the dishes she encountered back home in Australia when researching Possum Pie, Beetroot Beer and Lamingtons. But you won’t find any possum pie or beetroot beer in her latest offering, Good Cook Bad Cook. What you will find is 80 essential recipes for home cooking. From bread to burgers and pesto to pies, you’ll find no tricky restaurant fare here, just good, foolproof recipes for a lifetime of happy eating.

In her friendly conversational style, Victoria Heywood details how to cook a range of dishes, including poached eggs, hotcakes, risotto, salmon, pumpkin soup, pizza, gnocchi, steak, hollandaise sauce, brownies, apple pie, and much more. Each double-page spread focuses on one recipe and comes bursting with helpful hints to ensure that culinary faux pas are avoided.

“This is a book about fundamentals, the dishes that we all love and eat regularly,” said Victoria Heywood. “Cooking isn’t rocket science. It’s about fine ingredients, treated with respect and an understanding as to what works and why.”

Good Cook Bad Cook offers an insight into the culinary history of each recipe, as well as variations that can be attempted once a technique has been mastered.

In addition, Good Cook Bad Cook contains 20 essential rules for kitchen novices – the tips and tricks that will guarantee success. Rules include the value of a well-stocked pantry, the importance of tasting, the need for visual appeal, cleaning as you go, and staying relaxed in the kitchen.

An informative resource for the confident cook and an excellent handbook for the novice looking to expand their repertoire, Good Cook Bad Cook: 20 Rules for the Kitchen 80 Essential Recipes is a must-have recipe book for every kitchen.