Not too long ago my friend Jenny asked me if I could recommend any cookbooks to her for general cooking. It’s a good question and got me to thinking. I have a library of well over 100 cookbooks–a room dedicated to them and then a shelf in my kitchen—but which ones are the true standouts? After some contemplation I realized there are a few that I use over and over. So let me give you the list of the books in my library that are splattered, dog eared and on my top shelf.
Anything by Ina Garten–I have all of her books and while she may not be at the top when it comes to technical or classical cooking, her recipes are reliable and really, really good and in my book this is what counts. I think my Facebook friend John says it the best: “Ina is the bomb.”
Williams Sonoma books–these tend to be more topical in nature. I have a volume on sauces, pasta, vegetables–you get the idea. Not only are these well written and illustrated with excellent step-by-step photos, they are a really good resource for anyone that really wants to learn a technique or wrap their head around a specific kind of cooking.
I love the James Peterson books Cooking and his newly released Baking and I’ve read both of these cover to cover. Yes, they include recipes you’ll probably never use–but for a kitchen geek like me who wants to learn everything they can, it’s the perfect ingredient and also excellent good nighttime reading. These two books are so useful they sit right on my kitchen counter for quick access.
While we are on the subject of baking, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include Baking by Dorie Greenspan–my best friend Emmie and I am baking our little hearts through this book. And we are on a first name basis with the author too. A conversation sounds like this: “Have you tried making Dorie’s carrot cake on page 254?”
When I am not devouring chocolate or other baked goods, I try to be a healthy cook. Two favorites are A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider and Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking. Heidi also has the blog 101 Cookbooks, to which I am obsessed. I love Heidi’s writing, takes on recipes and the photography on her site and in the book.
Lastly I have to mention Susan Spungen’s book Recipes. Susan was food editor at Martha Stewart Living for many, many years and was the food stylist on the Julie & Julia movie. I had the pleasure of interviewing her for a college project back in the day. I find myself using Recipes quite often. It’s broken into chapters that reflect techniques like grilling, braising and roasting and I like the new takes on classic dishes.
Now some of you may be asking–no Martha Stewart on the tippy top list? It’s true–I have most of her cookbooks–two are even autographed, but I can’t say they make my top list. However, I do use them quite often and there are many recipes that have become part of my repertoire. I do like her BIBLE Martha Stewart’s Cooking School (yes, it has kitchen counter status) and my cousin Suanne recently bought me Dinner at Home–which I am starting to cook my way through.
While we are the on the subject of books let me talk briefly about my favorite magazines. And this is a hot topic with our beloved Gourmet going bye-bye this month. I can’t live without my subscription to Fine Cooking. It’s an excellent magazine dedicated to technique and in my opinion high-quality recipes designed to build the repertoire for the serious home cook. I love that they dedicate articles on how to make your own feta (haven’t tried it yet, but will) and in the same issue will talk about 5 different ways to quickly cook Brussels sprouts. I also am going out on a limb here b/c I know this is a sensitive subject–but I prefer Bon Appétit over Gourmet. I love the redesign of Bon Appétit and I think they are spot on with targeting the up and coming generation of 20-something foodies. I feel really old when I’m reading it—like a mom in a hip New York City club—but if I could I would say to my fellow readers (and club goers who are eyeing me with disdain) to please ignore me, I’m just here for the recipes. Sadly, I’ve let my subscription to Food & Wine and Cook’s Illustrated lapse. Food & Wine just doesn’t do enough for me anymore, and I think Cooks can be a drag to read and Chris Kimball’s aw shucks editor’s letter gets on my nerves.
So now I’ll step off of my soap box and you tell me–which cookbooks make it to your kitchen counter? Which books are you thinking about picking up? Which ones can’t you live without and how do you use them? Do you thumb through them randomly or have you typed up a list of recipes to try? Can you imagine some crazy people actually type up a list of recipes and check them off as they try them? I can.
