Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen.

The Joy of Cooking.

I agree that the best cookbooks are southern Junior League or church cookbooks. Those ladies know food.

Most of my everyday cooking is based on "How to Cook Without a Book" by Pam Anderson http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Without-Book-Techniques/dp/0767902793

Other than that, anything by America's Test Kitchen.

Alice Waters "The Art of Simple Food", "Vegetables", and "Fruit." And Jamie Oliver's "Jamie at Home." And The Artisinal Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. With those books I can cook anything, from daily dinner to company brunch to Christmas Eve.

Anonymous wrote:This is going to reveal me for the rube I am but I don't really do the new pretty fancy cookbooks. To me, the best ones are any cookbook you can find at a thrift store compiled by some southern town's Junior League. Those bitches ALWAYS know how to cook.

I inherited my grandmother's collection of southern Junior League and symphony league cookbooks. It's awesome.

In general, though, my daily go-to cookbook is the big Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe.

My go to cook book was a gift from my mother when I graduated from college and moved to Denver. I am from Pittsburgh and she gifted me with the Three Rivers Cookbook I. It's a collection of handed down and ethnic recipes from the region. Everything I have attempted from this book has been a winner.
Second favorite is Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics.

Timing is Everything - it's not a cookbook per se, but a list of all types of foods with preparation details and cooking times (how long to roast new potatoes, how to prepare parsnips, what temp you have to cook venison to, etc, etc)

Also, What To Cook When You Think There's Nothing in Your House to Eat. They list recipes by main ingredient, like, there's a section for onions, a section for cornmeal, etc. It's saved me from ordering pizza countless times!

My computer. Some of the best recipes I have came from the web. And, I have the reputation of being a GREAT cook!

This is going to reveal me for the rube I am but I don't really do the new pretty fancy cookbooks. To me, the best ones are any cookbook you can find at a thrift store compiled by some southern town's Junior League. Those bitches ALWAYS know how to cook.

As my go-to for just about everything - Bittman's "how to cook everything vegetarian". We're not vegetarian, but it's a really great resource. I find myself using it about once a week for different things.

I often find myself wondering if it's worth getting the non-veg version?

My current favourite is Liebowitz "My Paris Kitchen". It's great reading and great, approachable food. But - this, like all, will change. Last moth I was on a Momofuku kick, and the month before on. Thai food kick. I really just love anything with recipes in it.

I have yet to find a go-to cookbook (one reason why my shelves are sagging with the weight of my cookbook addiction), but Martha Stewart's Baking book is the BEST for all baked goods. (Her cake book is good too, but there are lots of repeats from her magazine and the baking book there).

thanks for this thread! I am always looking for cookbook recs (see my addiction, above).

I'm a Barefoot Contessa junkie

PP, why are you rolling your eyes at OP's innocuous post??

I like Ottolenghi's books and Claudia Roden Middle Eastern Food.

Anonymous wrote:Deborah madison vegetarian cooking for everyone, and heidi swanson supernatural everyday

Deborah madison vegetarian cooking for everyone, and heidi swanson supernatural everyday