Getting teary eyed reading cookbook recommendation is a vibration I am here for .
If you’re anything like me, you love a good cookbook: familiar glossy pages and grocery lists with stories from my favorite chefs' kitchens. But, when looking to buy a new book, how do we sort out the most effective, full-proof recipe collections from the myriad of colorful cookbooks on the shelf? Look no further than a clever Reddit user,u/ExtraMayo666, to ask thequestion: “What cookbook do you use over and over again?”
People’s answers ranged from perfectly practical to nostalgic and heartwarming. I’ve collected some of my most favorite responses below:
1.“I have my mother’sBetty Crockerall tattered from use. When she was in a nursing home with dementia, I’d talk cooking. One day, I asked ‘mom, the sweet potato casserole dish, do you remember how you made it?’ She took a minute as her mind started working and said, ‘oh, for goodness sake, it’s on page 189,Betty Crocker Cookbook!'”
2.“MyIna Garten cookbooksget SO. MUCH. LOVE.”
3.“One Pot, Pan, Planetby Anna Jones — some pages are almost illegible with annotations and splatters. There’s chapters containing dozens of short recipes featuring an often wasted ingredient and her recipes are fantastic in general. Just perfect for flipping through when you’re stuck for ideas.”
4.“TheATK cookbookshould be everyone’s kitchen bible.”
5.“I have a 1988 book by the McIlhenny (Tabasco) Company calledLouisiana Cookin’… I learned all of my gumbo, jambalaya, and other Cajun/creole recipes from that book. There are smudges all over it, the cover was ripped off, but I still cherished and referred to it even though I know those recipes by heart from cooking them for 30 years.”
6.“My edition of theBetter Homes and Gardenscookbook (you know it, it has the red–and–white–check cover) is my daily driver. It was a wedding gift 30+ years ago, and has been annotated with notes, additional recipes, the obligatory 45 min /// 37 is perfect annotations, etc.”
7.“I was gifted theBest of Bridge cookbookfor my wedding, and the aunts all got together and annotated it with their notes for me. :-) Best gift ever.”
8.“Salt Fat Acid Heathas a handful of core recipes that I come back to a lot. My grandma begs me to make the pumpkin pie recipe.”
9.“Bouchonby Thomas Keller. It’s more that I use what I learned from that book almost every day as opposed to making things out of it directly.”
10.“I use Meera Sodha’sFresh Indiavery heavily — her recipe for Gujarati Cabbage and Potato curry can be found online if you need convincing- it’s honestly the perfect weeknight comfort dinner in cold weather.”
11.“My momma’s copy ofCalling All Cooks. She passed in 1990 and in ‘92 we had a house fire. The cover is gone, it’s stained up, with notes added. I was 12 when she passed and this book taught me how to cook. It’s on my counter right now because I made fudge today.”
12.“I’m a baker so my copy ofTartine Book No. 3is held together by a little bit of tape.”
13.“100% Nigel Slater’sReal Fast Food— falling apart, spattered mess. Because it’s what everyone needs to know about cooking without fuss, but with flavor.”
14.“The Flavor Bibleis invaluable to me. Also, when I’m inspired to try something new, especially with ingredients I’m not familiar with, I like to consultThe Flavor Bibleto see which other ingredients are potentially a good match. Highly recommend it to those who love to cook and tinker with recipes.”
15.“How to Cook Everythingby Mark Bittman has been my go-to for years, I bought copies for all four of my children when they moved out.”
16.“Joy of Cooking. It was a wedding shower present to me in January 1981. I don’t have the same husband and have gained cookbooks then downsized almost all cookbooks. What still holds it’s place isJoy of Cooking. I have read it cover to cover a couple of times.”
17.“Classic Indian Cookingby Julie Sahni andWorld Vegetarianby Madhur Jaffrey. Both great, well-tested, everything works out for me, and I love the range of flavors in both.”
18.“The Tucci Cookbook.I bought it because some friends and I decided to have a themed movie night and recreate the timpano fromBig Night. Didn’t expect much from a cookbook written by an actor (sorry, Stanley, I misjudged you!). Now I use it all the time, and it contains my go-to recipe for basil pesto.”
