First vegan cookbook and sharing a kitchen with omnivores

[chordwhisper]

I don't really know how to cook and I need to stop living off of packaged/restaurant/etc. food. So I have decided to learn how - without using animal products! What cookbook should I get? I'm looking at Vegan with a Vengeance, Veganomicon, How It All Vegan, and The Garden of Vegan

Comments

[queerlikef_you]

I love love love love love Vegan with a Vengeance. Veganomicon is also totally awesome and delicious, but I've found VwaV to be much friendlier on my budget and ability to cook the things in it without a huge amount of hard-to-find things in stock.

The second part I can't answer. I very happily live with four other vegans.

[rayelily]

I live with both a vegetarian and an omni and we usually share our cooking utensils.

As long as we use hot water and plenty of soap there isn't any residue/bacteria for either party to get grossed out by.

We also clean our stuff right after we're done cooking so it's not just sitting and stewing (which is gross even if its a vegan pan!)

An exception would be any cast-iron skillets or pans.

[complexzeta]

I use the first two cookbooks quite a bit. (I don't have the last two.) They both have a lot of nice recipes. One difference I've found is that Veganomicon has a lot more unusual ingredients that are difficult to find at normal supermarkets.

As for the second question, I share an apartment with an omnivore, and I allow him to use my cooking utensils for whatever he wants, provided that he washes them out carefully. For one thing, we really don't have enough space to put two sets of everything, but also, I don't want to seem like a mean guy. (It won't help his view of veganism if I'm mean.) Fortunately, he's eating animal products far less frequently. It always amuses me to find Tofurky slices and almond milk in the fridge that I didn't buy... But if you think it's too unpleasant to use cooking equipment that is also used for animal products, then you need to have a separate set of your own.

[orphe_]

vwav definitely, and alternative vegan by dino sarma. both of those are more budget-friendly, whole-foodsy, and focus on teaching you how to cook.

as to the sharing thing, i live with my parents. their kitchen is packed and all of my kitchen supplies - pots, utensils, plates, et al - are in storage. so for now i suck it up and deal; it's really no different than eating vegan food marked for allergies to animal products. however, when i move into my own place this summer, my stuff will all become dedicated vegan equipment, and if my roommates wanna cook meat, they will have to buy extras.

[jinxaire]

I'm going to go against the grain and say How It All Vegan and The Garden of Vegan. So far I've been a bit disappointed with Veganomicon, and although VWAV is one of the first cookbooks I got, I've only used it maybe two times in the couple of years I've had it. However, I've had a lot of success with most of the recipes from How it All Vegan and the Garden of Vegan. Easy tasty recipes. :)