 | How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition), Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman
Buy new: $23.10 / Used from: $18.50 Core 1: Good basic introductions to ingredients and techniques. Breezier and a bit easier to use than 'Joy of Cooking', its primary comparison. Will provide you with the foundation to explore the other books on this list. JB
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 | The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition by Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Buy new: $23.10 / Used from: $14.45 Core 2: Cook's Illustrated has the reputation of taking the 'Consumer Reports' approach to food and cookware. Their core book: within it are their 'best' recipes and explanations of how they were achieved. Its almost-twin is 'America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook,' which I also recommend.
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 | Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006 by Irma S. Rombauer
Buy new: $22.30 / Used from: $18.62 Classic 1: This is the bestselling cookbook of all time. Similar to 'How to Cook Everything' in its encyclopedic scope. Be sure to check out their Web site for an extensive errata supplement. JB
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 | Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (Better Homes & Gardens Plaid) by Better Homes & Gardens
Buy new: $15.20 / Used from: $9.67 Classic 2: Great for busy families. Of all the books on this list, I imagine that this is the one that you'll probably end up using more than the others. Excludes a lot of the more complicated recipes found in 'Joy' and 'How to Cook Everything.' Many color photos. An analogous title is the 'America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.' JB
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 | Cooking Light Complete Cookbook: A Fresh New Way to Cook (Book & CD-ROM) by Editors of Cooking Light Magazine
Buy new: $23.07 / Used from: $21.37 Healthy: The 2006 edition of this book, published by the magazine of the same name, won a 2007 International Association of Culinary Professionals award. The lush photography and the nutrition information provided for each recipe are what make this book stand out.
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 | The Way to Cook by Julia Child
Buy new: $40.95 / Used from: $21.99 Cooking technique 1 ('How'): Buy not so much for the recipes but for the color photos of cooking techniques, which most of these other books lack. JB
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 | Jacques Pépin's Complete Techniques by Jacques Pépin
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $10.60 Cooking technique 2 ('How'): Another French master presents a mammoth reference work. Over three hundred cooking techniques are clearly demonstrated with thousands of step-by-step black-and-white photos. JB
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 | The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook by King Arthur Flour
Buy new: $23.10 / Used from: $20.20 Baking: This is the home baker's bible. Includes all the classic recipes, helpful illustrations, nutrition information, and very helpful chapters on baking ingredients and tools. Buy it! JB
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 | The Great Scandinavian Baking Book by Beatrice A. Ojakangas
Buy new: $12.89 / Used from: $10.89 Baking, Scandinavian: Written by an accomplished Scandinavian cookbook author, this book won the James Beard Foundation/KitchenAid Cookbook Hall of Fame award in 2005, which honors books that have had significant influence. Great if you bake during the holidays or if you are Minnesotan. Includes classics like krumkake and lefse.
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 | Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts by Maida Heatter
Buy new: $23.09 / Used from: $6.73 Desserts 1. (Comments coming eventually.) JB
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 | Classic Home Desserts: A Treasury of Heirloom and Contemporary Recipes from Around the World by Richard Sax
Buy used from: $23.56 Desserts 2: An excellent compendium of classic desserts that home cooks actually make. An award-winning book that's a pleasure to read. (It's the only out-of-print book on the list.)
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 | Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
Buy new: $26.40 / Used from: $22.05 Vegetarian cookery 1: The source for vegetarian cooking. Note that some of the recipes contain diary or meat; don't buy this book for vegans. JB
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 | How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman
Buy new: $23.10 / Used from: $21.75 Vegetarian cookery 2: Another Mark Bittman classic. Compare to his 'How to Cook Everything' and his 'The Best Recipes in the World.'
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 | Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World by Madhur Jaffrey
Buy new: $17.79 / Used from: $15.39 Vegetarian cookery 3: As Publishers Weekly noted, the book 'offers an Asian-centered complement to Deborah Madison's European-focused "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone."'
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 | Jane Grigson's Fruit Book (At Table) by Jane Grigson
Buy new: $21.33 / Used from: $11.79 Fruit cookery: This is your core fruit reference book. It's all here: lore, storage and selection tips, cooking techniques, and, of course, recipes. Organized alphabetically by fruit.
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 | Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook by Martha Stewart
Buy new: $24.75 / Used from: $4.97 Appetizers: Simply a gorgeous book. A logical organizational scheme, helpful sidebars, and a gentle tone make this book a winner. JB
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 | Silver Palate Cookbook 25th Anniversary Edition by Julee Rosso
Buy used from: $11.20 Entertaining. (Comments coming eventually.) JB
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 | James Beard's American Cookery by James Beard
Buy new: $17.15 / Used from: $6.83 American cookery: A fascinating discussion of American cooking with delicious classic recipes. Your core 'American' cookbook. Try to find a hardcover edition. JB
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 | The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $14.00 American cookery--Midwestern style. (Comments coming eventually.)
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 | The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman
Buy new: $19.77 / Used from: $9.34 International cookery 1: If you can only buy one all-purpose, world cookbook, this would be it. I like the menus and the index organized by type of cuisine. Best if you have a good international or Asian market in your area.
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 | The Best International Recipe by Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Buy new: $23.10 / Used from: $15.95 International cookery 2: The international companion to 'The New Best Recipe' (above). Organized by country/region.
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 | Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Volume One (1) (Vol 1) by Julia Child
Buy new: $23.40 / Used from: $17.99 French cookery: The quintessential cuisine. Child, that American cooking icon, clearly explicates French cooking. Still a classic, and easier than you think it will be. Includes wine suggestions! Buy both volumes 1 and 2. JB
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 | The German Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Mastering Authentic German Cooking by Mimi Sheraton
Buy new: $23.07 / Used from: $10.32 German cookery: Perhaps the most complete German cookbook available, written by an award-winning cookbook author, journalist, and food critic.
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 | Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni
Buy new: $20.87 / Used from: $10.49 Indian cookery: The core Indian cookbook. I appreciate the discussion of unique ingredients and where to buy them, meal planning advice, clear instructions, and food pairings. Included because Indian is a very popular ethnic cuisine. JB
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 | Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan
Buy new: $23.10 / Used from: $12.53 Italian cookery: There is no need to buy several Italian cookbooks. Buy this one and be done with it already! If you desire a cookbook that focuses on a particular region in Italy, choose books written by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. JB
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 | Authentic Mexican 20th Anniversary Ed: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico by Rick Bayless
Buy new: $23.40 / Used from: $16.95 Mexican cookery: Reading almost as part travel guide, part cookbook, you'll learn about Mexico through mouthwatering recipes. You *will* find all the ingredients in a good Mexican grocery. JB
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 | Quick & Easy Thai: 70 Everyday Recipes by Nancie McDermott
Buy new: $12.89 / Used from: $11.25 Thai cookery: Written by an American who served in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer. McDermott is considered a leading author of Thai recipes and cookbooks in the US. This book includes pictures and is organized in the standard scheme. The recipes are also simpler and faster to prepare than those in her primary work, 'Real Thai.'
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