Bookshelf

I have become a cookbook addict over the last few years. My very first cookbook, Joy of Cooking, was a wedding present. It was almost ten years later before I really began cooking, though, and by then I discovered how much I love flipping through cookbook pages, reading the text, admiring the food photos. These are some of the books on my shelf right now.

Cookbooks:

Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller is one of my recent favorites. He is quite a culinary perfectionist, to put it mildly, but this book makes his style of cooking accessible to the home cook.

Momofuku by David Chang and Peter Meehan joined my bookshelf recently, too. I haven’t gotten the nerve to actually cook anything from here, but it’s great reading nonetheless.

Gourmet Today edited by Ruth Reichl is filled with classic recipes from Gourmet magazine. I loved that magazine. Sigh.

The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition by the Cook’s Illustrated folks is a mammoth book, filled with recipe testing notes and very detailed instructions with each recipe. My husband and I really like the scientific approach to cooking.

The Splendid Table’s How to Eat Supper is on my bookshelf because I adore Lynne Rossetto Kasper and the Splendid Table podcast gang. Love them.

Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients and The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten are frequently pulled off my bookshelf. Her recipes are simple to follow but turn out amazing dishes. Besides, Ina Garten is probably my favorite Food Network chef.

The Gastrokid Cookbook: Feeding a Foodie Family in a Fast-Food World by Hugh Garvey and Matthew Yeomans has straightforward but refined recipes, perfect for getting kids interested in cooking and food. As the mother of two young kids (ages 3 and 6), I can use all the help I can get.

The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, Heavy-Duty Revised Edition by America’s Test Kitchen is a good reference book. I often use it as a resource for the basics of a recipe.

Great Food Writing:

Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl was my introduction to her writing, and I fell in love with her story and her writing style. Her book gives a fascinating insight into the life of a New York Times restaurant critic.

Amanda Hesser’s Cooking for Mr. Latte: A Food Lover’s Courtship, with Recipes is about finding love, but it’s also about food and cooking. I read it in just a night or two. Loved it.