 | La Methode by Jacques Pepin
Buy used from: $13.95 Along with La Technique, the book other cookbooks want to be when they grow up. Lots of photos (black and white), although reproduction quality might vary.
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| La Technique by Jacques Pepin
Buy used from: $12.99 Use in conjunction with La Methode.
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 | On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee
Buy new: $26.40 / Used from: $17.95 A masterpiece, cited frequently by chefs and food media. Incredibly dense, but filled with practical tips for cooking and food storage, amidst very technical food science.
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 | Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006 by Irma S. Rombauer
Buy new: $23.10 / Used from: $17.88 The one and only. I reach for this less often than I should, but it usually gives me a strong foundation when I'm improvising.
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 | Cooking by James Peterson
Buy new: $24.00 / Used from: $17.44 Newly added to my collection but I have been impressed by its photos. Is not all-inclusive but most basics are covered very well.
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 | A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $3.48 My copy is covered in post-it notes. Great tips for healthy cooking that offer very flavorful results. Schneider has many unique, very useful "improvisation" lists that help you customize your meals.
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 | The Cook's Book
Buy used from: $24.89 Received this as a gift, and I love it. Chapters from well-known chefs on just about every basic cooking technique, with ample color photos. The recipes are not standards, but riffs on traditional dishes that utilize techniques illustrated in each chapter.
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 | Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume One by Julia Child
Buy used from: $6.39 Groundbreaking...no "celebrity chef" cookbook would exist today had it not been for Julia Child's masterpiece.
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 | Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home by Julia Child
Buy new: $31.35 / Used from: $2.48 Dual, 4-color treatments of classic French recipes and techniques, it's fun to see where these two titans of cooking differ on approaches.
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 | The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition with 1,000 Recipes by Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine
Buy new: $23.10 / Used from: $17.49 A little more basic, easier to follow for beginning home cooks, still with comprehensive explanations about "what works" in the kitchen.
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 | The Elements of Cooking: Translating the Chef's Craft for Every Kitchen by Michael Ruhlman
Buy new: $16.32 / Used from: $10.00 Concise yet comprehensive, practical yet inspiring.
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 | Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
Buy new: $24.00 / Used from: $20.20 Essential for vegetarian cooking.
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 | Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways To Incorporate Whole and Natural Ingredients into Your Cooking by Heidi Swanson
Buy new: $13.60 / Used from: $12.04 This might not quite fit into the "technique" essentials but it's a terrific, inspiring book for healthy home cooking (from the blogger at 101 Cookbooks).
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 | The Professional Chef by The Culinary Institute of America
Buy new: $38.50 / Used from: $33.99 Maybe a little much for the home cook, but an interesting insight into the CIA's program for "armchair chefs," particularly when read with Ruhlman's "The Making of a Chef."
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 | Larousse Gastronomique by Larousse Gastronomique
Buy new: $53.55 / Used from: $33.00 I'll never get completely through this, but it's fun to browse.
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 | The Japanese Kitchen by Shimbo Beitchman
Buy new: $14.93 / Used from: $3.36 A great overview -- particularly important for perspective in our Western (mostly French)-centric culture.
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 | Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments by David Lebovitz
Buy new: $16.47 / Used from: $12.00 THE book for home ice cream making. Lebovitz also has a popular food blog.
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