Marcella Hazan, Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

Alice Waters, The Art of Simple Food

James Peterson, Meat: A Kitchen Education

Weber's Big Book of Grilling (not sure it is still in print, but there are copies of Amazon. Red cover. This is the superior Weber grill book, imo.)

Anonymous wrote:When I was starting I learned a lot following Alton brown recipes. His stuff is simpler and more about the methods rather some silly over complicated way of doing things.

I agree with the recs for Mark Bittman and Alton Brown. The recipes are usually pretty straightforward, well-written, and turn out well.

Julia Child recipes are often a little more ambitious, but they are also well-written. And by well-written, I mean the directions make sense and are easy to follow. Those meals also turn out well.