# Best Recipe Books. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466 "2005-12-20T16:33:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/1 "2005-12-20T16:33:48Z")
C’mon, what cookbook or books do you own that are so good they are well-thumbed, covered in sauce and never fail to give you what they promise? Mine are: [The Australian Women’s Weekly Cookbooks](http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/slideshow.aspx?sectionid=1472&subsectionid=2000&slideid=340&u=/food/cookbooks/) These are tiny little books that do exactly what they say on the front. There are hundreds, so you can get exactly the ones you want and their recipes are always great. [The Ballymaloe Cookery Course](http://www.cookingisfun.ie/shop/product.php?productid=61) For when I want to do something a bit fancy, this really does have EVERYTHING in it, but it’s not a practical book for everyday meals. [The Delia Smith Collection](http://www.deliaonline.com/shop/books/) Because it’s not a kitchen until you have a Delia book…I have the Chocolate one and it is FAB. ---
**Author:** ![Future\_Londonite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9dc877/32.png) [@Future\_Londonite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Future_Londonite)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/2 "2005-12-20T16:52:48Z")
Well not yet covered in sauce or well-thumbed through, but I think I might have a new favourite italian cookbook - The Silver Spoon. Got it last week through Amazon ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/3 "2005-12-20T16:56:44Z")
[The Joy of Cooking](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0026045702/qid=1135097596/sr=8-2/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-9820973-1786356?n=507846&s=books&v=glance) is _the_ standard for basic American cooking. Aside from that, I have a great Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe book that I can’t find on Amazon, but it’s similar to [this](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312299834/qid=1135097717/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-9820973-1786356?s=books&v=glance&n=283155). ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/4 "2005-12-20T17:06:49Z")
The two cookbooks I use the most are _The Joy of Cooking_ (the recent update, with the addition of Asian and Latin American recipies and the subtraction of all that good info on how to dress a squirrel carcass) and _Sundays at Moosewood_, which is a nice collection of pretty simple, well-written recipies grouped by national/regional cuisines, all vegetarian (but you could add squirrel to any of the recipies if you like). _Joy_ is the only cookbook I’ve ever owned that you can just sit down and read. The section of coffee is pretty interesting. I wonder if this is available overseas? ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/5 "2005-12-20T17:14:42Z")
> [@Ichbin Dubist](#): > > _Joy_ is the only cookbook I’ve ever owned that you can just sit down and read. The section of coffee is pretty interesting. I wonder if this is available overseas? Yea, I think so. 🙂 UK: [Joy of Cooking](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0026045702/qid=1135098560/sr=8-5/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i5_xgl/026-9877941-5285265). Australia: [Joy of Cooking](http://www.emporiumbooks.com.au/store/emporiumbooks.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=128786). ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/6 "2005-12-20T17:31:50Z")
Other than the **Joy** (and I remain faithful to the 1972 edition, hey sometimes I have questions about squirrel cookery), my most favored cookbook is _The Minimalist Cooks Dinner_ by Mark Bittman. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/7 "2005-12-20T19:22:04Z")
Always, always used? [Martha](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0517703351/qid=1135104899/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/103-1527653-2986217?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) [Old Standby Betty](http://a2z4ufromme.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/bettycrockerscookbook.jpg) [NYT Cookbook](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060160101/qid=1135105793/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-3641822-8087063?n=507846&s=books&v=glance) ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/8 "2005-12-20T20:41:02Z")
[The New Best Recipe](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0936184744/qid=1135110955/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-4159819-9066418?n=507846&s=books&v=glance) --\> This is another reading cookbook, from the people who try each recipe 99 different ways to find the “best” way to make something. Sometimes they goof, but it’s still a pretty solid book. [Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1891105035/qid=1135111054/sr=8-3/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-4159819-9066418?n=507846&s=books&v=glance) --\> I know, I know. But her recipes work for me - I enjoy them. And the pasta recipes are worth the price of admission. [Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1891105035/qid=1135111054/sr=8-3/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-4159819-9066418?n=507846&s=books&v=glance) --\> Yep, the red gingham. This is the classic I remember from my mom’s kitchen, and it’s the one I use (instead of _The Joy of…_ - I don’t like Joy’s layout). I consult this one and the New Best Recipe for the basics. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/9 "2005-12-20T21:41:26Z")
I love everything from America’s Test Kitchen, first. I cook a lot out of them and out of _How to Cook Without a Book_ (surely you see the inherent paradox, but it’s a great book) and on weekends, _Slow Cooker Ready and Waiting_, which is anything but ready and waiting but _amazingly_ good. But it’s not your mama’s “roast and can of soup and then 8 hours later dinner” crock pot books; t here’s a bunch of prep work before it goes into the crock pot and it’s rarely a whole workday’s worth of cooking time, so that’s a weekend thing. Then, for books I haven’t actually _made_ anything from but like to sit around and think about except I’d have to go to three ethnic grocery stores for ingredients, _True Thai_ and Rick Bayless’ Mexican cookbooks. I also love to read Anthony Bourdain’s _Les Halles Cookbook_ - it’s great, he calls the mushrooms “little fuckers” and such. ---
**Author:** ![tiltypig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tiltypig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiltypig)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/10 "2005-12-20T21:56:58Z")
My favorites are: Joy of Cooking (for baked goods only–my savory foods never come out well when I follow their recipes) [The New Basics](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0894803417/qid=1135115620/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-1608789-1171836?n=507846&s=books&v=glance) Any book by [John Thorne](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/103-1608789-1171836?url=index%3Dblended&search-option=search-amazon&field-keywords=john+thorne) That Minimalist Cooks Dinner cookbook is really good, and I’d use it all the time if I ate meat. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/11 "2005-12-20T22:01:15Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I also love to read Anthony Bourdain’s _Les Halles Cookbook_ - it’s great, he calls the mushrooms “little fuckers” and such. I love the writing style on Bourdain’s cookbook, too. However, I find the recipes to be not that great, quite frankly. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/12 "2005-12-20T22:27:10Z")
[\*Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook](http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=Z33SsdkC7v&isbn=0671509934&itm=19)\*. And, of course, _anything_ by [Julia Child](http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?ATH=julia+child&userid=Z33SsdkC7v) [_The Barbecue! Bible_](http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=Z33SsdkC7v&isbn=1563058669&itm=1) by Steven Raichlen. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/13 "2005-12-20T22:49:44Z")
> [@irishgirl](#): > > Mine are: > [The Australian Women’s Weekly Cookbooks](http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/slideshow.aspx?sectionid=1472&subsectionid=2000&slideid=340&u=/food/cookbooks/) These are tiny little books that do exactly what they say on the front. There are hundreds, so you can get exactly the ones you want and their recipes are always great. Yes, I think they’re great too. I have several of them. I really like the one with the potato recipes. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/14 "2005-12-20T23:10:32Z")
What’s with you people? No one has yet mentioned Dear Julia’s favorite reference, the [Larousse Gastronomique](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0609609718)? It’s biased toward Continental cuisine, of course, although the latest revision is more broad-minded. Evan Kleiman’s books ([Pizza, Pasta, Panini](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0688142699/), [Cuisina Rustica](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060935111/), [Country Inn: The Best of Casual Country Cooking](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0376020423/)) are great references for casual European-style food that is easy to make and sophisticated enough for all but full dress formal dinners. _The Joy of Cooking_ is of course a stock standard and with good reason, though I find my copy scribbled with notes of things I do differently than their standard recipes. I have yet to find a good comprehensive text on Pan-Asian cooking, though I’d like to start in on learning Punjab and Tibetian cooking. It’s not really a cookbook per se, but I recently purchased [On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0684800012), and so far it’s quite interesting. And if you apsire to be an epicure you must read M.F.K. Fisher’s [The Art of Eating](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0764542613), which contains many good recipes and useful advice within her essays. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/15 "2005-12-21T00:49:12Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > I have yet to find a good comprehensive text on Pan-Asian cooking, though I’d like to start in on learning Punjab and Tibetian cooking. Getting yak’s butter might prove difficult. . . ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/16 "2005-12-21T00:53:41Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Getting yak’s butter might prove difficult. . . Every real cook keeps a yack in the garage or carport. Jeez, what kind of slack pseudo-chef are you? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/17 "2005-12-21T01:00:20Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > Every real cook keeps a yack in the garage or carport. Jeez, what kind of slack pseudo-chef are you? > > Stranger One who is [eagerly awaiting mammoth burgers.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=350176) Oh, and there’s no “c” in yak, unless you’re talking about the end result of your cooking. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/18 "2005-12-21T01:01:54Z")
That would be a **yak**. I usually try to keep my yack in the toliet. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/19 "2005-12-21T02:29:08Z")
Among my list of oft-used recipe books, with those that have not been previously cited, would be:[ul] [li]Biba Gaggiano’s \*Trattoria Cooking \* (this is the one that I have used for years)[/li][li]\*Saveur Cooks Authentic French \* (or _Italian_) - both are great[/li][li]Barbara Kafka’s _Vegetable Love_[/ul][/li]Among good books on techniques:[ul] [li]_Jacques Pepin’s Complete Techniques_[/li][li]_Weber’s Big Book of Grilling_[/li][li]_Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Technique_[/li][/ul] I will agree that the American Test Kitchen books are very good particularly when you benefit from the one thousand and one different methods used to fix the recipe and learn from their mistakes. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466/20 "2005-12-21T05:20:36Z")
Anything by John Thorne. I own _Outlaw Cook_ and _Pot On The Fire_ and use them both often. I read Nigella Lawson’s _How To Eat_ for fun and ideas. My most used one is probably _Appetite_, by Nigel Slater. I love him. His food writing and his recipes rock. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-recipe-books/336466.md?page=2)