There are so many cookbooks introduced every year - how do you know which ones will work for you? Browse through this collection of my favorite cookbooks and you will be well on your way to building your own excellent cookbook library.
1. Home Cooking
This wonderful cookbook not only offers fantastic, easy recipes, but is an absolute joy to read. In over thirty years of reading and collecting cookbooks, this book remains my top choice. Ms. Colwin's philosophy was that food should give back to you much more than you put into it. And her recipes do that.
2. Pillsbury Classic Cookbooks
These books form the backbone of my cookbook collection. And it isn't just that I worked for Pillsbury! I loved them and read them until they were imprinted in my brain well before I ever set foot in the Pillsbury complex. The recipes are rigorously triple-tested and presented to many taste panels before they are published. And a picture of each recipe is included, as an extra bonus.
3. Someone's In The Kitchen With Dinah
Dinah Shore was not only an excellent actress and singer, but an accomplished cook and hostess. Her book is one of the first I ever read, and I use recipes from it to this day. Her recipe for Mother's Pecan Rum Cakes makes everyone who tastes it swoon. And Tennessee Lasagna is fabulous. You have to have this book!4. More Home Cooking
That I love this book goes without saying! It's the companion to Laurie Colwin's first book, and is a collection of more of her essays for Gourmet magazine. Buy both and I promise you the only time they will leave your nightstand (great night time reading) is when you're in the kitchen.5. Nathalie Dupree's Comfortable Entertaining
Nathalie Dupree is one of those effortless hostesses who is down to earth at the same time. One of the things I remember about her PBS series is how she would make mistakes cooking and just keep on going, showing you how to fix it! That type of teaching is invaluable. This excellent book offers superb menus and recipes written in her inimitable style.6. The Compleat I Hate To Cook Book
Peg Bracken is the author of many fabulous books. This is a combination of three of her cooking books. She covers all types of topics, from Cooking if Alone to Good Cooksmanship. Her recipes are tested by people who truly do hate to cook, but need to, and all are family-friendly.7. Betty Crocker's Best Loved Recipes
Betty Crocker, like Pillsbury, only publishes recipes that work. Each recipe is carefully developed and tested many times under controlled conditions before it makes it into one of thousands of cookbooks. And the advice and cooking tips are top notch. At least one of these books belongs in every kitchen.8. Best of the Bakeoff Cookbook
The Pillsbury Bake-off is the most revered of all baking and cooking contests. For the 50th anniversary of the contest, this excellent collection was assembled featuring the best of the best. Did you know that Peanut Blossom cookies were a Bake-Off winner? How about Oatmeal Carmelita bars? Your favorite recipes are all included in this excellent collection.9. Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals
If you haven't seen Rachael Ray's "30 Minute Meals" show on FoodTV, you are really missing something. Her engaging personality and fabulous cooking skills are so reassuring and an excellent teaching tool. She prepares an entire meal in less than 30 minutes, and those dishes are beautifully seasoned and artfully presented. You have to have this book!10. Nigella Bites
Nigella Lawson is Britain's cooking superstar. If you are lucky enough to see her TV show, you will see that she has the easy confidence of an accomplished cook. Her recipes are excellent and delicious, and her style is easy and effortless.