Cookbooks

I have a fair amount of cookbooks in my collection.  Here are a few of my favorites and not just limited to cooking either.

• The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, revised edition - testing your favorite recipes with helpful tips and product recommendations

•  Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz - a vegan cookbook on low fat and filling dishes

• Arabesque, a taste of Morocco, Turkey, & Lebanon by Claudia Roden - three countries in one book.  Nice photos.

• Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics by Ina Garten - simple and fabulous.  A few to 10 things to serve and not to serve at parties, ingredient to have on hand, etc.

• Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book Reprint from 1950 -  A basic cookbook for your collection.  It has some food photos and illustrations.  There is a section in the begging that has photos of different kitchens of the time.  This book was very informative for it's time, offering how to do's, meal planning, nutrition and numerous other homemaker task/skills.  Very classic.

• Bread, the breads of the world and how to bake them at home by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter - a great variety of breads from around the world.  I use this book frequently.

• Cook with Jamie, my guide to making you a better cook by Jamie Oliver - great photos and easy ways to cook simply delicious dishes and how to shop or prep for them. 

• Cooking at the Kasbah by Kitty Morse - lots of recipes for cooking tagines or the whole lot for a dinner theme.

• The Country Cooking of France by Anne Willan - beautiful photos

• Elizabeth Berry's Great Bean Book by Florence Fabricant -  many great recipes and a great way to learn about different kinds of beans.

• The French Chef Cookbook by Julia Child - Fab recipes and some photos.  This book is based on early TV show on French cooking.  I love the cover.  Julia has a mallet raised in the air with a very happy expression.

• Fondue it! by Silvana Franco - a great way to get introduced to fondue, lots of photos.

• From Curries to Kebabs, recipes from the Indian spice trail by Madhur Jaffrey - a compilation of curries from around the word and history.

• Get Saucy by Grace Parisi - I think everyone should have this book.  Can't think of anything to do with that chicken?  Find a marinade, sauce or glaze.  Save the day from boring!

• The Gourmet Cookbook edited by Ruth Reichl - this is one of my favorite cookbook because it has so many contributors.  I have made almost all of the ice cream recipes in this book.  I would recommend this cookbook for your collection.  (The big yellow book!) 

• The Great Ribs Book by Hugh Carpenter & Teri Sandison - Lots of great ways to make ribs.

• Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey - She is an author of many cookbooks.

• Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness - one of my favorite for Indian dishes.

• Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver - easy to understand recipes and interesting photographs.

• Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin - instructional and it gives perspectives on each section of cooking, his take, her take on for example, poultry.

• Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook by Martha Stewart - great baking tips and recipes.  One of my favorites it the peanut butter cookies recipe. (I call this the orange book)

• Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres by Martha Stewart - themes for serving hors d'Oeuvres for parties.  Great inspiration for planning a reception.

• The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso & Sheila Lukins - lots of recipes here, no photos, and lots of info on cooking.

• The Original Thai Cookbook by Jennifer Brennan - there are no photographs in this book, but lots of history and fabulous recipes.

• Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher - instructions and recipes to making a great home brew.

• Red Sage, Contemporary American Cuisine by Mark Miller - I love the recipes in this book, most are fairly elaborate with ingredients, but a great mix of ingredients and wonderful photos.  Think southwest. 

• Sauces, classical and contemporary sauce making by James Peterson - more classical in approach.

• The Seven Sins of Chocolate by Laurent Schott - Decadent and almost excessive! I bought this large book for the photographs.  I have made several recipes from this book.  Beautiful and exalted!

• Specialty of the House published by The Florence Crittenton League Inc. - a book from 1955 with 100 recipes from 100 famous cooks.  I have fun reading this in my spare time.  Good food too!

• Sushi by Ryuichi Yoshii - great pictures and instruction.

• Turquoise, a chef's travels in Turkey by Greg and Lucy Malouf - I have not cooked much out of this book, but I mainly bought it for the photographs.

• Ultimate Bar Book, the Comprehensive Guide to over 1,000 cocktails by Mittie Hellmich - a great go to for all your drink mixing, very informative too.

• World of the East Vegetarian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey - no photographs, but interesting art work out of the 1970's.