Cookbooks

An encyclopedic work on Chinese food by a woman who lived and worked in Taiwan. Recipes range from simple to extremely complex. Essential for anyone serious about Chinese cooking.

Of Miss Lewis's classic, Laurie Colwin wrote:
"In addition to the felicity of its prose, it offers numerous perfectly wonderful recipes."

A book-length evocation of a meal that doubles as instruction in the art of food writing.

Laurie Colwin said it best: You can't run a kitchen without Joy. From cherimoya to zucchini, Joy has it all. I have six editions, including a cherished signed copy.

Bone creates a "perpetual pantry" by eat some food fresh, preserving some for later, and using scraps to make sauces, condiments, and infusions. Food that is frugal, sustainable, and delicious.

Bone creates a "perpetual pantry" by eat some food fresh, preserving some for later, and using scraps to make sauces, condiments, and infusions. Food that is frugal, sustainable, and delicious.

Boxer's elegant description of interwar English country house life engrosses, whether or not you prepare Mimosa Eggs, ginger cake, or potted cheese. A treasure enfolding history with approachable, delicious recipes.

Laurie Colwin's first of two beloved books about food. From the classic "Alone In The Kitchen With An Eggplant" to "Kitchen Horrors", this essay collection is a must for any cook.

Colwin's second essay collection is just as necessary her first. Recipes include boiled beef, gingerbread, and duck. In 1988, Colwin died in her sleep at age 48. Over 20 years later, the loss is still keenly felt.

One of the first real cookbooks I bought. Filled with ecletic, inviting recipes like spiced chicken livers, broiled quail, and spiced pork meatballs. For cooks of all levels.

Recipes are not exactly inexpensive. Nevertheless, the book is worthy for its numerous excellent braising and one-pot recipes. An extensive dessert section from the United Kingdom's "Queen of Tarts" will appeal to avid bakers.

A capacious book aimed at teaching basics like sauce-making, roasting, holiday meals. Lots of excellent, plain English fare: macaroni cheese, classic Sunday roasts, trifle. Day-Lewis also gives clear instructions for simple desserts, pie crusts, mayonnaise, rice dishes, and cheap dishes like pork belly and beans. An excellent reference; a thoughtful gift for anyone just starting out.

Naomi Duguid explains Burma's culture, the politics, and food. Recipes are accessible for cooks of all levels.

Subtitled "a culinary journey through Southeast Asia", Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid's capacious travelogue predates the Western craze for these flavors. Comprehensive, easy to use, and gorgeously informative.

This comprehensive overview of rice and rice cookery is full fascinating reading and useful information. Recipes span the globe. For cooks of all levels.

This inviting exploration of Persian life, cuisine, and politics won a James Beard Award. Recipes for soups, dumplings, breads, and kebabs are mostly easy; the photography, as always, is gorgeous and eye-opening. Demystifies a poorly understood, oft-maligned region and its people. A must-read.

Whether you cook Chinese once yearly or continually, this is your book. Page 106, Beef With Cumin, is badly stained, and Fuchsia's Emergency Midnight Noodles are a 24-hour staple chez IK. See also the many rice and noodle recipes, along with wok care. Buy immediately.

Greenspan is famed for meticulously written, easily followed recipes. Baking is full of American classic recipes from the sweet spectrum: crumb cakes, apple pies, chocolate puddings. Great for anyone wanting only a few baking books. (or dozens!)

The author is a native Californian living Japan. Her book offers an extraordinary look at Japanese life, culture, and food. Engrossing whether or not you cook.

Hachisu takes readers on an amazing journey into an unknown Japan, demonstrating the details of miso-making, soy-sauce brewing, authentic dashi, paper-making, tea ceremony, and sake. A unique and beautiful book from a bi-cultural individual.

Published in 1954, this 676-page book is a cornucopia of English culinary history, from ancient fireplace structures to fruit varietals to English cheeses to seaweeds, all illustrated by Hartley. Compulsively readable; a must for every serious cook.

Condescending writing about the Thai people is offset by authentic recipes: lush curries, light soups, appetizers, excellent fish dishes, scorching curries, offal, plenty of pork. Out of print, but easily found used.

A James Beard Award winner. From weeknight meals to holiday celebrations to leftovers: you'll never wonder what to do with a package of thighs again.

When Henry's doctor suggested she lose weight, Henry sought recipes "where healthy meets delicious." Packed with Asian and Mediterranean dishes, A Change of Appetite is as delightful to read as it is to cook from.

In this atmospheric book, essays about places, memories, and people evokes what was felt, said (or not), and eaten. Menus are seasonal: fava beans with shallots and mint, raspberry lemonade; roast quail. There are food memoirists, and then there is Diana Henry.

Written during an economic downtown, the book addresses preparing cheaper cuts of beef, lamb, and pork, how to cook pulses, and practical uses for leftovers. The topic and recipes endure.

Written while Henry was parenting a fussy infant; focuses on food requiring minimal shopping and prep: sausages, chops, easy roasts, simple desserts. The Pacific Lime Chicken is amazing.

Diana Henry's ode to cold weather food will have you longing to tramp through the snowy Alps or be pouring maple syrup over clean Vermont snow. In lieu of that, make recipes like Dublin Coddle and Danish Christmas Kringle.

Simple had me baking flourless chocolate cakes successfully. This nervous baker can't offer a higher recommendation. Easy, family friendly recipes for chops, poultry, vegs, pasta, eggs, and grains. A must-have.

Amanda Hesser's update of Craig Claiborne's cookbook is based on reader input  from the newspaper's famed Wednesday section. Lively, interesting, amusing, and above all, useful.

A James Beard Award winner. Simple, seasonal foods prepared with an elegantly Italian/French sensibility. Gorgeous photography.

Try the ricotta muffins, flatbreads, breakfast mushrooms, Classic Creamed Spinach and American potato cutlets. Realize breakfast may be eaten all day.

A comprehensive view of celebratory cooking, from Christmas, New Year, Easter, with sections on breakfast, children's birthdays, daily life, and cooking for weddings and funerals. Published in 2004, the books remains timely.

Nigella Lawson's first cookbook may shock readers familiar only with her later work. Intelligently written, long on text, it reflects a highly educated woman whose abilities as cook and writer are gravely underestimated.

That rare "quick meal" cookbook whose recipes transcend genre: you'll use it when you aren't hurried.

A big, sprawling mess of a cookbook filled with great recipes for family dinners, special occasion meals, and desserts both basic and fancy. People seem to either love or hate this book; it's my favorite Lawson.

Chez Panisse alum Lebovitz moved to Paris, where he blogs at Davidlebovitz.com. Here he offers an accessible collection of French classics with his trademark wit and warmth.

If literary writing is important to you, order this book. If real cooking is important to you, order this book. Revel in recipes like Salmagundy, sippets and croutons, and "fechoulette:" mixed lamb offal. Lee is a man who adores food, adores cooking, reads widesly, and reminds us these activities are not about likes, clicks, influencing, or being influenced.

The name says it all. For eaters of all persuasions. Worth purchasing for the section entitled "Vegetables: The Heart Of The Matter."

An exploration of all things bitter, from fruits to alcohols, arugula to tobacco-infused desserts. McLagan's scientific inquiry is fascinating, the recipes superlative. Exquisite photography by Aya Brackett.

Deb Perelman's perfectionistic tendencies make her expert at step-by-step instructions. The result is a first cookbook including a recipe for a perfect piecrust. Even I couldn't mess it up.

A month-by-month look at traditional foods, foodways, and cooking by a Bay Area chef and teacher. More than a cookbook: a cultural examination of food and culture.

Chez Panisse alumna Claire Ptak places an emphasis on quality ingredients and maximizing flavors rather than overly sweet desserts. Quietly classic.

The Zuni Cafe Cookbook is that rare, singular item: a perfect book. In it, Judy Rodgers gently instructs readers in the culinary arts, including techniques like pre-salting proteins, making stocks, and correct braising. A chapter devoted to charcuterie demystifies confit and sausage making. Rodger died in 2013 at age 57. Her passing remains a blow.

Seasonal recipes from a Chez Panisse alumnae. Simple pastas, easy roasts and braises, tasty vegetable dishes, and basic but delicious fruit desserts. Wonderful for cooks of every level. My copy is a mess.

David Tanis's second volume of simple, seasonal recipes. Asian dishes, a fantastic focaccia recipe, an easy pork terrine. Photographed by Christopher Hirsheimer in Paris. Again, a must-have for every cook.

Paul Bertolli's sternly worded work appeared long before cooking became home sport. While some recipes are restaurant-level, the book is worthwhile for the recipe for Cabbage Braised With Reisling And Bacon alone.

Alice Waters returns to basics: the chapters on sauces and "a little something"--pickled vegetables, marinated cheese, and stuffed eggs make the book worth buying. For cooks of all skill levels.

In this second volume devoted to simple cooking, Waters focuses on organic farming practices and home gardens. Especially useful for home gardeners looking to grow what they cook.

Will Wolfert's book make you long for clay pots? Yes. But recipes like Slow-Cooked Sandpot Mushrooms and Chicken With Red Wine Vinegar, Tomato, and Shallots are scrumptious prepared in a cheap frying pan.

From Spain to Syria, Israel to France, Turkey to Greece, Wolfert sniffed out tempting dishes redolent with garlic, shimmering with olive oil, and bursting with beautiful greens.

A classic look at regional Southwestern French farmhouse cooking, including Armagnac, cassoulet, and confits. Recipes are long, often take 2-3 days, and can demand specialty products. More patience than skill is required. The payoffs are enormous. A personal favorite.