Which cookbooks (classic or modern) should be in every home chef's collection?

[Anonymous]

Subject title says it all. What are your favorite cookbooks? Which cookbooks should be an essential part of any serious home chef's collection? Cooking, baking, etc.

[Anonymous]

The Joy of Cooking. It's the first place to look for how to prepare anything. Then the Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks for entertaining.

[Anonymous]

America's Test Kitchen New Best Recipe

[Anonymous]

Bittman's How to Cook Everything
Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
The Fanny Farmer Cookbook
Jenkins/Fox, Olives and Oranges
The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
At Home With Madhur Jaffrey

[Anonymous]

I have:

The Complete America's Test Kitchen
Joy of Cooking
Fannie Farmer (only for occasional reference)
Marcella Hazan Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:America's Test Kitchen New Best Recipe

+1 on any America's Test Kitchen cookbook!

[Anonymous]

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Joy of Cooking. It's the first place to look for how to prepare anything. Then the Barefoot Contessa's cookbooks for entertaining.

This is still my bible.

[Anonymous]

The Joy of Cooking
How to Cook Everything - Bittman
Mastering the Art of French Cooking - Julia Child - excruciatingly detailed and complicated but a nostalgic favorite
The New Elegant But Easy Cookbook - Marian Burros
anything by Joan Nathan if you like Jewish cooking

[Anonymous]

The Joy of Cooking

Smitten Kitchen - no need to buy the cookbook though as most of her recipes are online in her blog.

I like Carla Hall's two cookbooks. She balances both health and flavor with a comfort food base.

[Anonymous]

New Basics Cookbook always has interesting ideas

[Anonymous]

The Joy of Cooking. Hands down.

[Anonymous]

I love this thread, thank you!

[Anonymous]

I second (or third, or whatever) Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. I also like The Art of Simple Food by ALice Waters. I also consider James Peterson's Meat: A Kitchen Education a must-have.

[Anonymous]

Ratio - good for all things baking and flour and sauces and how food goes together.