The Cook’s Companion by Stephanie Alexander

The Cook’s Companion by Stephanie Alexander is an exceptionally comprehensive culinary reference and cookbook, widely associated with modern Australian home cooking. This substantial 1126-page hardcover combines an extensive guide to ingredients with practical recipes, cooking techniques and kitchen knowledge, making it a valuable reference for both enthusiastic home cooks and experienced cooks looking for inspiration.

Rather than functioning simply as a conventional recipe collection, Alexander organises much of The Cook’s Companion around individual ingredients, explaining how they can be selected, prepared, stored and combined with complementary flavours. Vegetables, fruits, herbs, meat, poultry, seafood, grains, dairy products and numerous other staples are explored alongside recipes designed to make practical use of them. This ingredient-focused approach makes the book particularly useful when deciding what to cook from ingredients already available in the kitchen.

This 2004 second edition represents an extensively developed edition of Stephanie Alexander’s celebrated Australian cooking reference. The Cook’s Companion is also notable for Earl Carter’s food photography and its striking contemporary design. Presented in colourful illustrated hardcover boards, it is an imposing and attractive volume suitable for regular kitchen reference or inclusion in a serious cookery collection.

With more than 1,100 pages of recipes, culinary information and ingredient guidance, The Cook’s Companion is a substantial single-volume resource covering an enormous range of everyday and special-occasion cooking.

Condition – Near Fine

Near fine 2004 hardcover with colourful illustrated boards. The boards remain bright and attractive with only light evidence of shelf handling. Binding is firm and the substantial 1126-page contents are well presented. A clean, attractive example of this large-format culinary reference.