The Cook’s Companion                              
By Stephanie Alexander

Between the covers of this gaily rainbow-striped 1126-paged tome, The Cook’s Companion is everything anyone could ever want or need to know about cookery. It is, in fact, described as “The book for a lifetime of cooking.”

 Australian author Stephanie Alexander is an iconic chef, Melbourne restaurateur, and prolific cookbook author. The Cook’s Companion, the complete book of ingredients and recipes is an update of her 1986 epic book which is the kitchen ‘bible’ in over 300,000 Australian homes. This edition has more than 300 new recipes (over 1000 in all), and 12 additional new chapters.

 A quick study of the introductory chapters on equipment, basics and measurements will launch you into a sensible layout that devotes 100 alphabetical chapters to everything from abalone to zucchini with stops at beef, bread, olives and olive oil, pork, potatoes, prawns and everything else you could possibly cook with. Chapters are filled with practical advice and explore seasonality, selection, prep, and cooking, and tell you what the feature ingredient goes best with. There are loads of recipes too.

 It’s a terrific, one-stop reference for any cook from beginner to super-pro. Sharing her reasons for cooking, Alexander says, “Food and wine and friendship matter more than almost anything I can think of. In the end, I still believe there is no greater joy than sharing food, conversation and laughter around a table.”

 Reviewed by Judith Lane, wine and food writer

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