Meet the Chef; Delia Smith

If you don't know who Delia Smith is, it is about time you found out. That is, of course, if you love to cook.

I was introduced to Delia in 1994 while I was working as a nanny for a lovely family in Australia. Of course, I don't mean that I met her personally, I met her through one of her wonderful cookbooks; Delia's How to Cook. As a nanny I was expected to cook for 3 children and I had no idea where to start. Delia helped me through!

Delia's How to Cook will take you step by step through the basics of cooking. One such tip I do recall learning from this book was how to make really awesome roast potatoes. I always assumed you throw the potatoes on a tray and bake. But Delia would teach me that you first boiled the potatoes and then you roast them. This will ensure that the potatoes are soft inside and super crispy on the outside. Now this might be a tip that everyone already knows, but it was new to me.

Recently I have gotten the urge to start cooking again, or at least learn a few new recipes, and that means that Delia must come down from her shelf above the fridge so the adventure can begin.

Another reason why I love Delia's cookbooks is that the instructions are so detailed that the finished product always tastes exactly as it should - absolutely scrumptious!

She now has numerous cookbooks being sold throughout the world;

• How to Cheat at Cooking (1971)
• Recipes from Country Inns and Restaurants (1973)
• The Evening Standard Cookbook (1974)
• Frugal Food (1976)
• Delia Smith's Book of Cakes (1977)
• Delia Smith's Cookery Course (3 volumes: 1978, 1979 & 1980)
• One is Fun (1985)
• Delia Smith's Christmas (1990)
• Delia Smith's Summer Collection (1993)
• Delia Smith's Winter Collection (1995)
• Delia's How to Cook – Book 1 (1998) (based on the television series)
• Delia's How to Cook – Book 2 (1999)
• Delia's How to Cook – Book 3 (2001)
• The Delia Collection (2003) (several themed volumes)
• Delia's Kitchen Garden: A Beginners' Guide to Growing and Cooking Fruit and Vegetables (2004)

And if you go to DeliaOnline you can subscribe to her newsletter and be up-to-date on everything you need to know to become a great cook.

Comments

[mary b.]

hi faith!
thank you for the info.