THE CLASSIC
REVIEW: THE COOK’S COMPANION
WORDS BY VICTORIA TREMBATH
The Cook’s Companion tome is ubiquitous in Australian kitchens, a classic recipe book that never goes out of style.
When thinking of iconic Australian cookbooks, you can’t go past Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion. First published in 1996, it is found in kitchens all across Australia and remains the best-known book from the renowned Australian chef and restaurateur.
As a child, The Cook’s Companion left quite an impression on me. With its bright orange spine and large size, it stood out among my mum’s collection of cookbooks. As I grew up, I noticed how often it would appear on the kitchen bench when Mum was cooking; her copy is now grimy, the front cover has seen better days and the bookmark is set at her most famous and most requested recipe—sticky date pudding. People rave about it when she makes it and there are always multiple requests for the recipe afterwards.
The one thing to remember about The Cook’s Companion is that it’s not your average cookbook—as the name suggests, it is foremost a reference book for cooks. The aim is to be able to look at the ingredients you have in your fridge or pantry and create a homely meal for your family and friends. The book is structured around everyday ingredients—fruits, vegetables, grains and meats—listed in alphabetical order. For each ingredient Stephanie provides information about preparation, what other foods pair well with it, how to buy it, store it correctly at home and seasonality. She also includes at least five recipes for each ingredient ranging from the classic, like roast chicken, to the obscure, like brain fritters.
It is clear with each different ingredient and each new recipe how expansive Stephanie’s knowledge is on food, not only on how to use each ingredient but the history behind it and where it comes from in Australia. This wealth of information is balanced with the personal stories that Stephanie has collected from a lifetime of working with food; reminiscing about an apricot tree at a house she once lived in and noting that her grandma’s hand written recipe for chocolate cake said that it could be kept forever.
The book is user-friendly, with the recipe methods easy to follow along with. With Stephanie’s sidebar notes about flavour pairings and cooking tips, it is easy to go rogue and create a memorable dish without necessarily following the recipe. An interesting thing to note is that in comparison with contemporary cookbooks, there are no visual aids in The Cook’s Companion. The few pictures through the book are hand drawings and photos of ingredients or pastoral scenes to help set the mood of the chapter. Given it was released in the days before Instagram, the focus is on quality not aesthetics.
‘Regardless of what kind of cook you are, The Cook’s Companion is bound to have a recipe for you.’
Although an updated version was released in 2014, the original 1996 publication shows just how much food has changed over the last few decades. The original recipes are very Australian—think kangaroo tail soup—but also are very European-centric in comparison to the variety of food cultures and influences that we have access to today. The book also has no mentions of allergies, food intolerances, or lifestyle choices, now essential considerations in daily cooking and common cookbook inclusions.
In her introduction Stephanie writes that The Cook’s Companion exists partly to try and encourage young people to cook, as they were no longer learning to do it at home. As an educational resource (harking back to Stephanie’s roots as a librarian!), The Cook’s Companion does this wonderfully. Stephanie’s passion and knowledge resonate within the pages and her descriptions of food inspire you to head to the kitchen to try things out for yourself.
The book is also great for cooking enthusiasts with its wealth of information. Each recipe is tried and true, which means that whatever you cook is going to turn out well; no need to worry about a food failure if you’ve got guests coming over! The recipes are also easily modifiable; you can increase or decrease the quantity without a hassle and change parts of the method to suit your own style and needs, though this may take some trial and error.
Regardless of what kind of cook you are, The Cook’s Companion is bound to have a recipe for you. My favourites are the spinach and ricotta gnocchi and, of course, that sticky date pudding.
The Cook’s Companion
Stephanie Alexander
Penguin Books
Available in all good book stores
An app for iOS is also available
