World's best cookbooks

[Bickery]

Hey Everyone! I'm kinda new to all this, so excuse any violation of mores.
Searching google for anything on Mr. Steingarten on the web led me to
this forum. It appears te me that most of you are food professionals or
nearly that, while i'm just a 21-yr old student who likes to cook.

I own both Jeffries books, and i've started putting together a list of
all the books he sort of recommends in his writing. Thus came an idea
for this forum, wouldn't it be fun to concoct a list of say 50
cookbooks from the world over? I everybody, and hopefully mr
Steingarten along with them, would contribute his or hers favourote
books, this could be very interesting.

Due to my limited library on the subject (most cookbooks i've read are
mom's) i shall begin by contributing my current favourite.

I shall put it in last place, because i'm sure a lot of you will have
thing to say on the subject.

so:

50. La cucina essentiale - Stefano Cavallini


I hope a lot of suggestions will follow!

Yours Truly,

Rik

(Host's Note: Thanks to eG member marmish, who has compiled a list of everything mentioned as of the end of July 2009: it can be found here. -CH)

[Zingano]

If you want to understand the science of cooking (which is better than it sounds - once you understand how it works you can play around and be creative), then try Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking

[sockettrousers]

If you want to understand the science of cooking (which is better than it sounds - once you understand how it works you can play around and be creative), then try Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking

Or, if you want an easier read but without as much depth or rigor, try Peter Barham's The Science of Cooking

[fifi]

Welcome, Bickery. Yes, we have some pros here but we also have folks that are just interested in cooking. 21 year-old food nuts will fit right in.

Hmm... There are so many discussions here on books that you could do a lot of research just here and then make up your own mind on what fits for you. It also depends on where your interests are.

I am into Cajun cooking and my all time favorite for real success in the kitchen is Emeril Lagasse's Louisiana Real and Rustic.

The other area of interest to me is Mexican, not Tex-Mex. My favorites are anything by Rick Bayless, Diana Kennedy or Zarela Martinez. I have probably cooked more recipes from Zarela than the others but they are all great references. Zarela's Food From My Heart is the most approachable and I have many favorites from that book that I cook again and again.

[mikeycook]

I never hesitate to recommend my current long-time favorite, The Cooking of South-West France by Paula Wolfert.

To top things off, Paula is an active eGullet member.

My second favorite would be Cooking from New England by Jasper White.

[bloviatrix]

Another good book on the science of cooking is Russ Parson's How to Read a French Fry. Although it isn't nearly as hardcore as McGee, you'll want to take a highlighter in hand.

Russ is another egullet member.

As a catch-all reference, I like Madeline Kammen's The New Making of a Cook.

[docsconz]

The Cookbook that gets the most use with the consistently best results in my house is Julia Child's The Way to Cook.

Honorable mentions go to James Peterson's books.

The most amazing "cook"book that I now own, though is the new El Bulli book. It is simply beautiful. I'm not sure that I'll be doing much cooking from it, however .

[fifi]

I just got 3 of Paula's books and just started going through them. She is "it" for Mediterranean cooking as far as I am concerned.

[jsolomon]

Welcome to e-Gullet! My favorite cookbooks are Barbara Kafka's "Roasting" and a cookbook called "The Bread Bible". The cookbook that I also find myself always turning back to is "How to Cook Everything"

Finally "Intercourses, an Aphrodisiac Cookbook" is a fun one to have around.

[SiseFromm]

I love The Best Recipe which is a constant go-to for me when I want some recipe reference. The Professional Chef is also a good one because the photographs offer excellent "lessons" on common techniques such as bread-making, trussing a chicken, and sauce preparation among dozens of others. Just for fun, and mostly because I just got it for Christmas so I've been pouring over it, I'm kind of hot on Michel Bras' Essential Cuisine. I doubt I'll make anything out of it, but I love paging through it for inspiration and for plating design ideas. Aubrac, France is my next food mecca, I can feel it.

By the way, the cover photo of Essential Cuisine isn't some random assembling of various vegetables, that's his tasting of early summer vegetables which includes such rarities as pascal celery, onions from Lezignan, black rasdishes, black salsify, crosne, conopode, and red orache. Good luck putting that dish together!

R. Jason Coulston

[Brad Ballinger]

A couple come to mind. Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classical Italian Cuisine is probably used the most frequently in my house. I also like Mexico One Plate at a Time by Rick Bayless.

[AzRaeL]

Ooh oooh oooh! *waves hand excitedly*

Larousse Gastronomique

[marinade]

My all time favs:

In Madeline's Kitchen, by Madeline Kamen

Secret Ingredients by Michael Roberts

Southwest Tastes by Ellen Brown (a compilation)

Cusine Du Terroir by Celine Vence

Mastering the Art of French Pastry by Bruce Henry and Paul Bugal

Soup, Beautiful Soup by Felipe Rojas-Lombardi

The Commisary Cookbook by Steve Poses

How to Play with your Food by Penn and Teller

anything by Dianna Kennedy

These books do not leave my house!

Some of these are available at Kitchen Arts& Letters

http://kitchenartsandletters.com

[chefrodrigo]

I like every book I've seen listed so far. I'd like to add James Beards American Cookery.

I turn to that one constantly for ideas.

Rodney

[sanfranciscotreat]

I'm an avid diner and have learned to cook as a cheap means to eating well.

My favorite cookbooks are all regional and have taught me new techniques and flavors:

Catalan Cuisine: Europe's Last Great Culinary Secret by Colman Andrews

Everybody Eats Well in Belgium Cookbook by Ruth Van Waerebeek-Gonzalez

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

The Elegant Taste of Thailand: Cha Am Cuisine by Pinyo Srisawat

[Mabelline]

Need help with carnivore issues?"The Complete Meat Cookbook" by Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly. "Barbeque Bible" by Steven Raichlen. Any New York Times Cookbook you can beg,borrow, etc.

[joiei]

my references

James Beard

The Way to Cook Julia Child

Japanese Cooking, a Simple Art Shizuo Tsuji

Simple to Spectacular Jean-Georges Vongerichten & Mark Bittman

River Roads the best collection of Creole cooking basics around

Return to Cooking Eric Ripert & Mark Ruhlman (I found this at Dickson Street Bookstore in Fayetteville, AR for $20 and it is now my newest favorite)

The Cake Bible Rose Levy Beranbaum

Zuni Cafe Cookbook Judy Rogers

and so many more.

[AzRaeL]

actually i'm a big fan of the Naked Chef.

his recipes are simple and very unpretentious.

[SiseFromm]

actually i'm a big fan of the Naked Chef.

his recipes are simple and very unpretentious.

The thing I like about his recipes is that they're simple, but he squeezes a lot of flavor out of what he's using. There's a certain depth of flavor you'd usually only find with dishes that require greater techniqe, or time. He definitely has a certain food style, which I respect despite the fact many people abhor him.

R. Jason Coulston

[WolfChef]

If i could have but one cookbook it would be: The Escoffier Cook Book.

[Jinmyo]

Sacre bleu!

No one has mentioned Jacques Pepin's "Complete Techniques."

For shame.

[Jinmyo]

I just got 3 of Paula's books and just started going through them. She is "it" for Mediterranean cooking as far as I am concerned.

This is true.

[Moopheus]

One cookbook that I've gotten a lot of use of is Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. Greens also by Deborah Madison and Fields of Greens are great when I feel like making something a little more ambitious. Lord Krishna's Cuisine by Yamuna Devi is another one I can always find something I want to eat in. I've learned a lot about cooking from The Professional Chef, but hardly ever use any of the recipes in it. One the other hand, the CIA's Book of Soups is one that I've gotten a fair bit of use out of.

[twodogs]

simply fench--joel robouchon

ma gastronomie--fernand point

green eggs and ham-- dr. seuss

cheers

[Pan]

I do not like green eggs and ham! I do not like it, Sam-I-Am!

(No, I've never read the cookbook. How do you make the eggs green? Cilantro sauce?)