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. [Since speaking to us in 2015, Claire Ptak has subsequently designed Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake]
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.
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1
Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human
by Richard Wrangham -
2
Historia General y Natural de las Indias
by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdes -
3
Leipoldt’s Cape Cookery
by C Louis Leipoldt -
4
Seven Fires
by Francis Mallman with Peter Kaminsky -
5
Thrill of the Grill
by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby
The best books on Barbecue and Grill, recommended by Steven Raichlen
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
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 Baking Cookbooks of 2021, recommended by Becky Krystal
Every year Becky Krystal of the Washington Post and staff writer of “Voraciously”, a food column with a strong ‘how-to’ focus, chooses the best cookbooks of the year for us. In 2021, she’s focusing on books about baking, an activity she’s passionate about—and many of the rest of us have been doing more of in the past year or two.
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
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
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)
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1
Mastering the Art of French Cooking
by Julia Child & Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck -
2
The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
by Marcella Hazan -
3
The Key to Chinese Cooking by Irene Kuo
by Irene Kuo -
4
A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes
by David Tanis -
5
The Cake Bible
by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Wonderful Cookbooks, recommended by Madhur Jaffrey
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
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