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Food & Cooking » Best Cookbooks

Most Recommended Books

The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

“It’s not beautiful writing; I don’t read her for information; I don’t read her for a sense of place. I read Marcella Hazan purely for the way she writes her recipes.”

Nigel Slater, Cook & Food Writer

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A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes by David Tanis

“David was always, always right. A Platter of Figs is a book everybody should have.”

Claire Ptak, Cook & Food Writer

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The Constance Spry Cookery Book by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume

The Alice B Toklas Cookbook by Alice B Toklas

“The anecdotal part of it is a dream and each recipe tells a story.”

Sophie Dahl, Cook & Food Writer

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How to Eat by Nigella Lawson

“If I could keep only one cookbook, this would be it. There’s an intelligence to the way she writes, and she expects a certain intelligence of her readers as well.”

Nigel Slater, Cook & Food Writer

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Browse book recommendations:

Food & Cooking

  • Baking & Desserts
  • Best Cookbooks
  • Dieting
  • Food & History of Food
  • Mediterranean
  • Wine & Drinks

Which are the best cookbooks ever written, the ones cooks and chefs themselves turn to again and again? Over the years, we’ve asked many of our favourite cookery writers to recommend their own favourite cookbooks. The ones that came up most often are listed on the left.

You can also browse below for cookbooks listed by country/national cuisine, including the best Greek, Persian, French, Italian and American cookbooks.

    Best Cookbooks of All Time, recommended by Nigel Slater

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    1

    How to Eat
    by Nigella Lawson

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    2

    The Cook’s Companion
    by Stephanie Alexander

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    3

    French Provincial Cooking
    by Elizabeth David

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    4

    The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
    by Marcella Hazan

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    5

    Thai Food
    by David Thompson

Best Cookbooks of All Time, recommended by Nigel Slater

Which is the one cookbook the cookery writer can’t do without? Who writes the best recipes? Who is the best writer? Who does he turn to for a breath of fresh air? Nigel Slater picks his all-time favourite cookbooks.

    The best books on Italian Food, recommended by Ruth Rogers

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    1

    Italian Food
    by Elizabeth David

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    2

    The Talisman Italian Cookbook
    by Ada Boni

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    3

    The Splendid Table
    by Lynne Rossetto Kasper

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    4

    The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
    by Marcella Hazan

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    5

    Cooking the Roman Way
    by David Downie

The best books on Italian Food, recommended by Ruth Rogers

A culinary tour of Italian food, with co-founder of the acclaimed River Café restaurant Ruth Rogers. She tells us about the books that have inspired her, including the one she asks all her chefs to read!

    Yotam Ottolenghi selects his Favourite Cookbooks

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    1

    On Food and Cooking
    by Harold McGee

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    2

    Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
    by Deborah Madison

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    3

    The River Cottage Meat Book
    by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall

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    4

    Stars Desserts
    by Emily Luchetti

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    5

    The Pie and Pastry Bible
    by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Yotam Ottolenghi selects his Favourite Cookbooks

Yotam Ottolenghi, the accomplished chef and owner of several high-end London eateries names the cookbooks he loves the most.

    Wonderful Cookbooks, recommended by Rose Levy Beranbaum

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    1

    From Julia Child’s Kitchen
    by Julia Child

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    2

    The Classic Italian Cookbook
    by Marcella Hazan

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    3

    Artisan Baking
    by Maggie Glezer

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    4

    The Doubleday Cookbook
    by Jean Anderson

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    5

    On Food and Cooking
    by Harold McGee

Wonderful Cookbooks, recommended by Rose Levy Beranbaum

The bestselling author of The Cake Bible, Rose Levy Beranbaum, explains why English cakes don’t rise, how to make the perfect croissant, and how to get holes the size of radishes in your artisan breads

    Mary Berry recommends her Favourite Cookbooks

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    1

    The Constance Spry Cookery Book
    by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume

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    2

    The Times Calendar Cookbook
    by Katie Stewart

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    3

    Chinese Cookery
    by Ken Hom

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    4

    The Madhur Jaffrey Cookbook
    by Madhur Jaffrey

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    5

    Elizabeth David Classics
    by Elizabeth David

Mary Berry recommends her Favourite Cookbooks

Mary Berry has written over 70 books—but what are the cookbooks she returns to, time and again? Here she shares her top five with us.

    The best books on Desserts, recommended by David Lebovitz

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    1

    Chez Panisse Desserts
    by Lindsey Remolif Shere

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    2

    The Essence of Chocolate
    by John Scharffenberger and Robert Steinberg

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    3

    Chocolate and the Art of Low-Fat Desserts
    by Alice Medrich

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    4

    Good to the Grain
    by Kim Boyce

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    5

    Baked
    by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

The best books on Desserts, recommended by David Lebovitz

Great desserts can be amazingly simple, and even low in fat. The pastry chef and author cooks up a mouth-watering reading list to bring your recipes up to date

    The best books on Cakes, recommended by Claire Ptak

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    1

    Chez Panisse Fruit
    by Alice Waters

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    2

    A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes
    by David Tanis

  • Read

    3

    The Art of Fine Baking
    by Paula Peck

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    4

    Tartine
    by Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson

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    5

    The Constance Spry Cookery Book
    by Constance Spry and Rosemary Hume

The best books on Cakes, recommended by Claire Ptak

Claire Ptak, owner of the Violet Bakery in London and former pastry chef at Chez Panisse, recommends some of her own favourite cookbooks.

    The best books on American Food, recommended by Ruth Reichl

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    1

    The Art of Eating
    by MFK Fisher

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    2

    Between Meals
    by AJ Liebling

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    3

    Diet for a Small Planet
    by Frances Moore Lappé

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    4

    The Alice B Toklas Cookbook
    by Alice B Toklas

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    5

    An Unprejudiced Palate
    by Angelo Pellegrini

The best books on American Food, recommended by Ruth Reichl

The Puritans got modern American cuisine off to a bad start. But the food writer and critic says subsequent immigrants have helped create a culture where food is appreciated.

    The best books on Barbecue and Grill, recommended by Steven Raichlen

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    1

    Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human
    by Richard Wrangham

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    2

    Historia General y Natural de las Indias
    by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes

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    3

    Leipoldt’s Cape Cookery
    by C Louis Leipoldt

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    4

    Seven Fires
    by Francis Mallman with Peter Kaminsky

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    5

    Thrill of the Grill
    by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby

The best books on Barbecue and Grill, recommended by Steven Raichlen

America’s master griller chooses books on the world’s oldest cooking method. He discusses why brown tastes better, and how our primal urge to play with fire helped us evolve.

    The best books on Favourite Cookbooks, recommended by Jojo Tulloh

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    1

    French Country Cooking
    by Elizabeth David

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    2

    The Greens Cookbook
    by Deborah Madison and Edward Espé Brown

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    3

    Honey From A Weed
    by Patience Gray

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    4

    Chez Panisse Vegetable
    by Alice Waters

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    5

    Recipes of Boulestin
    by X Marcel Boulestin

The best books on Favourite Cookbooks, recommended by Jojo Tulloh

The best cookbooks according to food editor of The Week. Raves especially about the Chez Panisse cookbooks. Says she’d like “it was my pleasure” carved on her gravestone

    The best books on French Cooking, recommended by Elisabeth Luard

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    1

    Two Towns in Provence
    by M F K Fisher

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    2

    La Cuisinière Provençale
    by J B Reboul

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    3

    Cooking in Ten Minutes
    by Edouard de Pomiane

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    4

    The Food of France
    by Waverley Root

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    5

    Goose Fat and Garlic
    by Jeanne Strang

The best books on French Cooking, recommended by Elisabeth Luard

The food writer and journalist says it was a Pole, Edouard de Pomiane, who taught the French housewife how to cook.

    The best books on Mediterranean Cooking, recommended by Diane Seed

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    1

    Sicilian Food
    by Mary Taylor Simeti

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    2

    Taste of Morocco
    by Robert Carrier

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    3

    Middle Eastern Cooking
    by Claudia Roden

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    4

    Nevin Halici’s Turkish Cookbook
    by Nevin Halici

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    5

    The Glorious Foods of Greece
    by Diane Kochilas

The best books on Mediterranean Cooking, recommended by Diane Seed

Cook and bestselling author Diane Seed selects five books on Mediterranean cuisine. From the forgotten spices of Turkey to the stews served to Greek freedom fighters, the variety of the region’s food is unsurpassed

    The best books on Cooking, recommended by Sophie Dahl

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    1

    The Pooh Cook Book
    by Katie Stewart

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    2

    How to Eat
    by Nigella Lawson

  • Read

    3

    The Kitchen Diaries
    by Nigel Slater

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    4

    The Alice B Toklas Cookbook
    by Alice B Toklas

  • Read

    5

    Roast Chicken and Other Stories
    by Simon Hopkinson

The best books on Cooking, recommended by Sophie Dahl

The author and food writer talks about honey pancakes, mushy peas, drop scones, choux pastry, baked onions and Winnie the Pooh. Perfect lunch-break reading (as long as you’re having a good lunch)

    Wonderful Cookbooks, recommended by Madhur Jaffrey

  • Read

    1

    Mastering the Art of French Cooking
    by Julia Child & Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck

  • Read

    2

    The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
    by Marcella Hazan

  • Read

    3

    The Key to Chinese Cooking by Irene Kuo
    by Irene Kuo

  • Read

    4

    A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes
    by David Tanis

  • Read

    5

    The Cake Bible
    by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Wonderful Cookbooks, recommended by Madhur Jaffrey

The author, chef, and actress Madhur Jaffrey recommends five of her favourite cookbooks.

    The best books on Greek Cooking, recommended by Diana Farr Louis and June Marinos

  • Read

    1

    The Food and Wine of Greece
    by Diane Kochilas

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    2

    The Home Book of Greek Cookery
    by Joyce M Stubbs

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    3

    Mediterranean Street Food
    by Anissa Helou

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    4

    The Cookbook of the Jews of Greece
    by Nicholas Stavroulakis

  • 5

    Greek Cheese
    by Elias Mamalakis

The best books on Greek Cooking, recommended by Diana Farr Louis and June Marinos

The authors of Prospero’s Kitchen take us on a culinary tour of Greece and explain how the country’s history has influenced its cuisine in sometimes surprising ways

    The best books on Persian Cookery, recommended by Jila Dana-Haeri and Shahrzad Ghorashian

  • 1

    Neshat Khanoom
    by Unknown

  • Read

    2

    Cooking
    by Hervé This and Pierre Gagnaire

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    3

    The Robert Carrier Cookbook
    by Robert Carrier

  • Read

    4

    Jane Grigson’s Fish Book
    by Jane Grigson

  • Read

    5

    Ottolenghi
    by Yotam Ottolenghi

The best books on Persian Cookery, recommended by Jila Dana-Haeri and Shahrzad Ghorashian

In this interview two celebrated chefs discuss the best books to help you capture the complex flavours and colours of Persian food. Along the way they describe their favourite Persian treats, including mouth-watering lattice window syrup cakes and rice with saffron and morello cherries.

    The best books on Food Writing, recommended by Giles Coren

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    1

    Nose to Tail Eating: A Kind of British Cooking
    by Fergus Henderson

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    2

    Real Cooking
    by Nigel Slater

  • Read

    3

    The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York
    by Claudia Roden

  • Read

    4

    The River Cottage Meat Book
    by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall

  • Read

    5

    French Provincial Cooking
    by Elizabeth David

The best books on Food Writing, recommended by Giles Coren

The London Times award-winning food columnist takes an irreverent look at the world of food writing, from restaurant critics to celebrity chefs

    The best books on Spanish and Moorish Cooking, recommended by Samantha Clark

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    1

    The Food of Spain
    by Claudia Roden

  • Read

    2

    Mediterranean Grains and Greens
    by Paula Wolfert

  • 3

    The Rural Taste of Lebanon
    by Chérine Yazbeck

  • Read

    4

    New Tapas
    by Fiona Dunlop

  • Read

    5

    The Spanish Kitchen
    by Nicholas Butcher

The best books on Spanish and Moorish Cooking, recommended by Samantha Clark

Samantha Clark, co-founder of the award-winning restaurant Moro, tells us about the camper van trip to Morocco that inspired her, and why we should all get acquainted with chicharrones and calzots!

    The best books on Simple Cooking, recommended by Bruno Loubet

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    1

    La Cuisine Gourmande
    by Michel Guérard

  • Read

    2

    The River Cottage Cookbook
    by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

  • Read

    3

    The Cook’s Companion
    by Stephanie Alexander

  • Read

    4

    Orchards in the Oasis
    by Josceline Dimbleby

  • Read

    5

    Cooking and Travelling in South-West France
    by Stephanie Alexander

The best books on Simple Cooking, recommended by Bruno Loubet

The Michelin-starred chef Bruno Loubet chooses the book that taught him the shortcomings of everything he had learned in catering school, and four other favourites. Two are by Australian chef Stephanie Alexander

About

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand interviews, or five thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

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