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How many books would a cookbook cook if a cookbook could cook books?
11
items I love to cook - like, really love - but I'm not usually much of a recipe follower or cookbook user. But, everyone needs inspiration somewhere, and these cookbooks are the ones I'm in love with and keep coming back to.
Sections
3
The Sacred Text
(Mostly) Savory
Somethin’ Sweet
The Sacred Text
I know just about everyone has heard the good word from our Lorde and savior Samin Nosrat, but I really do mean it when I say that SFAH changed my life. I've always loved cooking, but the foundational understanding about how different elements play t...
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
(Mostly) Savory
My best friend and I both wanted this one so bad we bought it for each other for Christmas (on purpose). These recipes are so delicious, beautiful, and lovingly created. It's as fun to read for the history and culture as for the recipes.
Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking
I almost never having nothing to say after a meal, but my only thought after my first bite at Gramercy Tavern was, “I NEED my food to taste like this.” It's hands down my fav restaurant in New York. Needless to say, when I got this as a gift, it was ...
The Gramercy Tavern Cookbook
If you don’t fall in love with the way this man talks about vegetables and seasonality, I’ll genuinely be shocked.
Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables
You’ll have to forgive me for including another four-noun cookbook, but it’s worth it for this book all about bread. I absolutely love how he talks about the art and science of bread making, and how he leaves so much space for preference and creativi...
Flour Water Salt Yeast
I hunted for this cookbook for so long because I wanted to buy it locally and in person. It is an incredible celebration of food as culture that transcends any boundaries, interspersed with narratives and history lessons that you’ll love just as much...
Black Food: Stories, Art & Recipes from Africa
I’m in love with this woman’s story about how she and her friends helped bring seafood to Mexico City. Plus, her homemade tortilla recipe is fantastic! (though I personally recommend adding salt)
My Mexico City Kitchen
An iconic DC restaurant, this one is full of delicious takes on some classic Indian dishes. But this book is worth it just for the palak chaat recipe alone! Will I ever have the patience to batter and fry individual spinach leaves? Probably not, but ...
Rasika: Flavors of India
I couldn’t not recommend the cookbook from my favourite restaurant in DC. I have only one thing to say: muhammara. Muhammara, muhammara, MUHAMMARA!!
Maydān
1
Somethin’ Sweet
Admittedly not the most accessible, but Claudia Fleming is pastry chef royalty, and this cookbook is her pièce de résistance. Her commitment to seasonality and creativity is incredible. (And, if you manage to work up the courage to actually attempt o...
The Last Course
Closing out this list with my fav Harvard-nerd-turned-pastry-chef and former reigning queen of Bon Appetit (before The Fall, RIP). I love the thoughtfulness and attention she gives to every recipe. You can’t go wrong with this one!
Dessert Person