Top 10 Favorite Cookbooks

JOY OF COOKING

by: Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker

Amazon Price: $17.89 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $2.87

Is there a serious home chef out there who doesn't own a copy of "The Joy of Cooking"? It may not be the "coolest" cookbook out there, but for decades this has been THE home cooking reference for all of the basics of cooking. Need to know how to make a basic Bechamel sauce? Pie crust? Rack of Lamb? It's all here. Not sure how long you need to roast that turkey or chicken, or what's the best stuffing to use for each? Just look it up. If you boil beets or corn, how long will they take to cook? The answer is inside these pages. What are the different cuts of beef steak and how is each best prepared? Ditto. How long can different products be stored in a freezer, including meats, fish, vegetables and soups? ...You get the idea. "The Joy of Cooking" is one of the best references out there for all of the basics a home chef needs to know or might need to look up at any given time. I always feel a certain amount of comfort knowing I can look up a basic recipe in this book even if I expand upon it or modify it from there, and that I can trust the instructions to be accurate and well-tested from years upon years of cooks' experience.

Classic Fish Cooking

by: Linda

Amazon Price: $0.01 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $0.01

Cooking fish is something that makes many chefs nervous. The delicate flesh can easily be overdone - or overpowered with bad seasoning or sauce choices. And how does one know when fish is truly fresh, and how to clean and prepare fish for cooking if necessary? All of these basics are covered in this simple yet comprehensive volume. 70 classic fish dishes are presented here, from soups and appetizers to pasta courses, whole fish and filets. My favorite section is the length selection of delicious international fish stews, including Green Fish Curry, Creole Fish Stew, Italian Fish Stew, Indian Fish Stew and Louisiana Seafood Gumbo. Traditional favorites such as Pan-Fried Sole with Lemon and Mussels Steamed in White Wine are all included with easy to follow instructions, including photographs of many of the recipe steps. So if you are looking to make your first steps getting serious about cooking fish at home, this book is an excellent way to start.

Antony Worrall Thompson's Top 100 Beef Recipes: Quick and Easy Dishes for Every Occasion

by: Antony Worrall Thompson

Amazon Price: $10.00 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $0.02

I'm generally not big on tv celebrity chefs, at least as far as their cookbooks go. But BBC Chef Anthony Worrall Thompson is a big exception to that rule for me. If you love beef and steak recipes, then this is absolutely a book you want to own. Thompson presents terrific recipes for all different cuts of beef, from filet to chuck steak to rib-eye and sirloin. All of the most famous beef dishes are in this collection, including "Steak Diane", "Beef Tagine", "Hunter Steak" and "Steak au Poivre". There are also numerous international favorites such as "Hungarian Goulash", "Beef Carpacccio", numerous beef curries and an absolutely wonderful "Sukiyaki Beef Rolls" that is easily my favorite way to prepare filet mignon. This is seriously the cookbook for anyone who wants to become serious about cooking beef. Instructions are detailed and easy to follow, and there are sections explaining the different cuts of beef available and also simple sauces and sides that will complement any simply prepared steak. A really wonderful resource for meat lovers!

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

by: Marcella Hazan

Amazon Price: $17.00 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $13.00

The recipes in this book - when first published in Marcella Hazan's widely acclaimed "Classic Italian Cookbook" and "More Classic Italian Cooking", were how I first learned to truly appreciate Italian food and how to cook it myself at home. We're not talking Americanized "red gravy" Italian food here - we're talking the REAL stuff, from Italy, with an emphasis on Northern Italian and coastal cooking. Hazan's instructions are thorough and highly detailed, from how to prepare and stuff different cuts of meat to how to properly trim an artichoke. Recipes range from deceptively simple to long and complex, but follow her thoughtful directions and you won't go wrong. You basic pastas and sauces are all covered, as well as more complex options such as Lasagne with Mushrooms and Ham. Pan-Roasted Small Fish with Marjoram and Lemon is a simple delight, and her Sauteed Veal Chops with Garlic, Anchovy and Parsley is always a favorite in my household. Vegetables and desserts are covered thoroughly as well, along with suggestions on how to plan dinner parties and buffets easily from her included recipes. Without doubt this cookbook is one to own if you are an enthusiast of Italian food - and seriously, who isn't?

Pasta: Every Way for Every Day

by: Julia Della Croce, Eric Treuille, Anna Del Conte

Amazon Price: $23.70 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $0.11

Pasta! We all love it, don't we? It's often fast and easy to prepare. Yet do you know how to really cook pasta right?

This cookbook will teach you everything you need to know about expertly preparing pasta, from the basics of salting your water and selecting the right noodle for a particular sauce to how to dress and serve pasta properly for the table. Recipes included cover all of the favorites, from butter and cream sauces to tomato and meat-based ragu. Vegetable, bean, seafood, poultry and baked pasta entrees are also well-covered, with many variations shown on how to turn one recipe into 3 or 4 others with additional, different ingredients depending on what you have on-hand. Recipes are also labeled "Slow Cook", "Quick Cook", and even "No Cook" for convenience in knowing what you can prepare in the time you have available - indeed, many sauces can be completed in the time it takes to boil your pasta water and cook it! And more than that, they taste delicious without fail as well.

The Good-for-You Soups and Stews Cookbook: Over 125 Deliciously Healthful Recipes

by: Linda Ferrari

Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $2.99

Mention that a recipe is "Good for you" and lots of people will become skeptical about how it will taste. Such worries are unfounded for any of the recipes from this wonderful volume of over 125 delicious soups and stews. Each recipe showcases how the use of fresh ingredients, spices and low-fat substitutions can result in deliciously flavorful meals that won't throw you off your diet. But you don't have to be dieting or trying to lose weight at all to enjoy these wonderful recipes like "Drunken Chicken Stew", "Sweet Potato, Pear and Apple Stew", "Favorites-From-the-Sea Cioppino" and "Peppery Bean Melody". There are recipes for every season, from hearty winter beef stews to chilled fruit soups, and selections for vegetarians and meat-lovers alike. I honestly have never prepared a recipe from this book that I didn't enjoy, and that didn't receive raves from friends and family. Many of the recipes are designed to make large portions great for parties or to freeze and store for later meals. Each recipe includes detailed nutritional information including calories, protein, fat, fiber, carbohydrates, sodium and cholesterol.

Stir Fry: Tasty Recipes for Every Day (Complete Cookbook Series)

Amazon Price: $4.90 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $0.17

Wok cookery became trendy and popular in the 1970s, with home chefs throwing everything and anything into a wok and praising its efficiency in cooking. While some of those claims were a bit much, the wok IS a versatile cooking vessel which can be used for far more dishes than traditional Chinese and Asian cuisines. This wonderful cookbook, "Stir-Fry: Tasty Recipes for Every Day" showcases some of the many ways a wok can be used to create delicious stir fries, traditional and modern. Attractive photography of each recipe will tempt you to try "Thai Red Curry Noodles and Chicken", "Spicy Chili Prawns", "Many Mushroom Noodles" and that old favorite "Sweet and Sour Pork". For less traditional stir fries, try "Indian Lamb and Spinach", "Vegetables Provencale", and the deliciously different "Salmon with Leek and Camembert in Honey Mustard Sauce". Most recipes do not require hard-to-find ingredients and preparation is simple: just chop, slice or mince, and follow the instructions for how long to stir fry and in what order. I reach for this cookbook a lot when I have random vegetables and meat to cook up and don't have an idea in mind for how to use them. A lot of the recipes are quite flexible, with tofu or tempeh easily substituted for animal proteins. I really love this book and it's a great introduction to Asian cooking for the novice.

Japanese Country Cookbook

by: Russ Rudzinski

Amazon Price: $275.00 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $1.94

This curious little cookbook is perhaps my most beloved cookbook of all. I've gone through at least 3 used copies of it through the years and literally know the page numbers of my favorite recipes by heart. When most people think of Japanese food, they think of sushi and elaborate preparations of tempura and sukiyaki - not the kind of meals one typically can easily make at home. Yet country-style Japanese cooking is much different and is the focus of this delightful volume. Learn about traditional farmland and country recipes from Japan including delicious pickled or sauteed vegetables; rice bowls topped with meat and egg; soothing custard soups and simple marinated fish and pork delights. When I was a child, I learned to love eating vegetables because of this cookbook and the sweet-and-salty preparations of everything from asparagus and bean sprouts to cabbage and radishes. Stop making boring steamed and boiled vegetables and learn how easy it is to dress them up in a healthy fashion using traditional Japanese recipes! Most of the recipes in this book are easy to follow and do not require ingredients that are difficult to find today.

Barbeque Over 200 Sizzling Dishes for Outdoor Eating

Amazon Price: $0.01 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $0.01

When the summer comes, we all love cooking outdoors on the grill. There are countless cookbooks on barbeque cooking, but this one has to be my favorite - as it's well-worn cover and grease-stained pages will attest. This book goes far beyond the basics and will show you how versatile grilling and barbeque cooking can be. Learn to prepare wonderful dishes such as "Skewered Lamb with Cilantro Yogurt", "Blackened Cajun Chicken and Corn", "Mediterranean Turkey Skewers", "Calamari with Two-Tomato Stuffing", "Tofu Satay" and so much more. International cuisines are featured in many of the recipes, but the ingredients are all straightforward and most dishes do not require elaborate preparation work. There is also a lengthy section devoted to salads, salsas and other accompaniments perfect to go with grilled food, and many of the grilled recipes also come out wonderfully prepared indoors under a broiler. The "Stuffed Roast Loin of Pork" in this book has become my "signature dish", a recipe I prepare for many holiday gatherings that never fails to wow a crowd. This large book is beautifully illustrated with tempting photographs that make you want to return to it again and again, if just to drool over the pictures. From beef and poultry to seafood and vegetables, everything is well-covered here in this volume of traditional and non-traditional barbeque cooking.

Perfect Mexican

by: Parragon

Amazon Price: $3.49 (as of 02/23/2012)
Used Price: $0.50

Mexican food is a favorite of many, though as prepared in American restaurants it is often heavy, greasy and not the healthiest of cuisines to enjoy. If you like Mexican food - and want to prepare it in a more healthful manner - learning to cook it at home is a snap with this wonderful, compact cookbook. Standard Mexican favorites are all covered, including Tortilla Soup, Guacamole, Fish Ceviche, Tamales, Refried Beans and Fajitas. Yet this book also features many tempting regional specialties you may never have heard of before, such as Seafood Cocktail a la Veracruz, Jalisco-Style Eggs, Michoacan Beef, Fish Tacos Ensenada-Style and Chicken With Yucatan Vinegar Sauce. Every recipe includes a photo of the final dish to tempt your tastebuds and give you inspiration to try something new. You'll discover that true Mexican food is rich with flavor, healthy ingredients, and not as complicated to prepare as you might believe. This is a great cookbook I often reach for when seeking inspiration, especially in the spring and summer months when ingredients such as corn, tomatoes, fresh peppers and greens are in plentiful supply.