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Best Food Books

Category100 of 283 books88 recommendations total

Food writing and cookbooks recommended most by chefs, writers and serious home cooks — technique, regional cooking and food history. Plus the memoirs worth reading for the prose alone.

Curated list content

Where to start: Food Books recommended most often

Recommended books, ranked by how many of the 52 people behind this list recommended each one.

  1. 1Setting the Table14 recommendations · recommended by Julie Rice, Patrick OShaughnessy and Simon Sinek
  2. 2Eating Animals10 recommendations · recommended by Earthling Ed, Dr. Michael Greger and Andrew Wilkinson
  3. 3Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat5 recommendations · recommended by Ben Silbermann, David Perell and Chris Sacca
  4. 4Kitchen Confidential4 recommendations · recommended by Éric Ripert and Jon Favreau
  5. 5The Botany of Desire4 recommendations · recommended by Samin Nosrat and Nathaniel Drew
1
Book cover for “Setting the Table”
Setting the Table

The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

14 recommendations

Recommended by Julie Rice, Patrick OShaughnessy, Simon Sinek and 6 others

Book Summary

Part memoir, part management manifesto, this book takes you inside Danny Meyer’s rise from novice to celebrated restaurateur. The core argument—that putting employees first drives outstanding guest experiences—is illustrated through candid stories of openings, mistakes, and daily decisions. You’ll likely take away a nuanced understanding of hospitality as a deliberate, teachable mindset. The downside: the anecdotal, sometimes self-congratulatory tone may wear thin, and sections on the mechanics of restaurant operations can feel like inside baseball if you’re not in the industry.

2
Book cover for “Eating Animals”
Description

Jonathan Safran Foer spent much of his life oscillating between enthusiastic carnivore and occasional vegetarian. Once he started a family, the moral dimensions of food became increasingly important.Faced with the prospect of being unable to explain why we eat some animals and…

3
Book cover for “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat”
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

5 recommendations

Recommended by Ben Silbermann, David Perell, Chris Sacca and 1 other

4
Book cover for “Kitchen Confidential”
Kitchen Confidential

Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.)

4 recommendations

Recommended by Éric Ripert and Jon Favreau

Book Summary

Reading is like eavesdropping on a profanity-laced confessional from a seasoned chef: fast, bracing, and full of vivid set-piece scenes about kitchens, drugs, sex, and the small cruelties of restaurant life. Most useful are the tactical portraits of how restaurants run, the hierarchy and rhythms that make service work, rendered with blunt wit. Limiting: voice can feel self-indulgent and macho; anecdotes repeat similar beats, so novelty wears thin by the back half. Best read in chunks or as a binge for maximum momentum.

5
Book cover for “The Botany of Desire”
The Botany of Desire

A Plant'sEye View of the World

4 recommendations

Recommended by Samin Nosrat and Nathaniel Drew

Description

Every schoolchild learns about the mutually beneficial dance of honeybees and flowers: The bee collects nectar and pollen to make honey and, in the process, spreads the flowers? genes far and wide.

6
No coverThe Case Against Sugar
3 recommendations

Recommended by Vinod Khosla and Joe Rogan

Description

From the bestselling author of Why We Get Fat, a groundbreaking, eyeopening expose that makes the convincing case that sugar is the tobacco of the new millennium: backed by powerful lobbies, entrenched in our lives, and making us very sick.Among Americans, diabetes is more…

7
No coverThe Taste of Country Cooking
The Taste of Country Cooking

The 30th Anniversary Edition of a Great Southern Classic Cookbook

3 recommendations

Recommended by Samin Nosrat and Rashad Robinson

Description

In recipes and reminiscences equally delicious, Edna Lewis celebrates the uniquely American country cooking she grew up with some fifty years ago in a small Virginia Piedmont farming community that had been settled by freed slaves.

8
No coverJerusalem
Jerusalem

A Cookbook

3 recommendations

Recommended by Sam Kass and Simon Sebag Montefiore

Description

With Jerusalem, Ottolenghi reteams with his friend and coowner of his restaurants, Sami Tamimi. Both men were born in Jerusalem in the same year: Tamimi on the Arab east side and Ottolenghi in the Jewish west.

9
Book cover for “From Scratch”
From Scratch

A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home

2 recommendations

Recommended by Reese Witherspoon

10
No coverThe Macrobiotic Way
The Macrobiotic Way

The Definitive Guide to Macrobiotic Living

2 recommendations

Recommended by David Blaine

11
Book cover for “IT'S ALL GOOD”
IT'S ALL GOOD

Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great

2 recommendations

Recommended by Mindy Kaling

Description

Gwyneth Paltrow, AcademyAward winning actress and bestselling cookbook author, returns with recipes for the foods she eats when she wants to lose weight, look good, and feel more energetic.Last spring, after a particularly grueling schedule and lapse of overindulgence, Gwyneth…

12
No coverSous Chef
Sous Chef

24 Hours on the Line

2 recommendations

Recommended by Bret Easton Ellis and Easton Ellis

13
Book cover for “My Father's Daughter”
My Father's Daughter

Delicious, Easy Recipes Celebrating Family & Togetherness

2 recommendations

Recommended by Mindy Kaling

Description

The AcademyAward winning actress and avid foodie shares a sumptuous collection of recipes and gorgeous photographs celebrating the joy of preparing food for loved ones, a passion she learned from her beloved father.

14
Book cover for “The Plant Paradox”
The Plant Paradox

The Hidden Dangers in "Healthy" Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain

2 recommendations

Recommended by Whitney Wolfe Herd and Jack Dorsey

Description

From renowned cardiac surgeon Steven R. Gundry, MD, a revolutionary look at the hidden compounds in "healthy" foods like fruit, vegetables, and whole grains that are causing us to gain weight and develop chronic disease.In the deadly game of predator versus prey, an Adult,…

15
No coverThe Book of Jewish Food
The Book of Jewish Food

An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York

2 recommendations

Recommended by Nigella Lawson and Yotam Ottolenghi

Description

A monumental work the story of the Jewish people told through the story of Jewish cooking The Book of Jewish Food traces the development of both Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jewish communities and their cuisine over the centuries.

16
Book cover for “Breaking Bread”
Breaking Bread

A Baker's Journey Home in 75 Recipes

2 recommendations

Recommended by Jodi Picoult

Book Summary

Reading Breaking Bread feels like standing beside a baker as he kneads and talks—part memoir, part recipe collection, heavy on sensory detail and personal reflection. The useful payoff is seventy-five practical recipes paired with clear photographs and hand-drawn illustrations that invite you into the process. The main limitation is an emphasis on craft and meditation over strict technical instruction: expect long reflective passages that slow the pace and recipes that assume patience and experimentation rather than step-by-step troubleshooting.

17
Book cover for “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home”
2 recommendations

Recommended by Adam Savage

Description

In Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home, two legendary cooks invite us into their kitchen and show us the basics of good home cooking.

18
Book cover for “Gran Cocina Latina”
Gran Cocina Latina

The Food of Latin America

2 recommendations

Recommended by Samin Nosrat

Description

Gran Cocina Latina unifies the vast culinary landscape of the Latin world, from Mexico to Argentina and all the Spanishspeaking countries of the Caribbean.

19
Book cover for “An Everlasting Meal”
An Everlasting Meal

Cooking with Economy and Grace

2 recommendations

Recommended by Shauna Niequist and Frank Chimero

20
Book cover for “My Bombay Kitchen”
My Bombay Kitchen

Traditional and Modern Parsi Home Cooking

2 recommendations

Recommended by Samin Nosrat

21
No coverOranges
2 recommendations

Recommended by Daniel Pink and Paul Graham

Description

A classic of reportage, Oranges was first conceived as a short magazine article about oranges and orange juice, but the author kept encountering so much irresistible information that he eventually found that he had in fact written a book.

22
No coverSomething to Food About
Something to Food About

Exploring Creativity with Innovative Chefs

2 recommendations

Recommended by Anthony Bourdain and Micah Baldwin

Description

Questlove is a drummer, producer, musical director, culinary entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author. What unites all of his work is a profound interest in creativity. In somethingtofoodabout, Questlove applies his boundless curiosity to the world of food.

23
No coverPlenty
Plenty

Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi

2 recommendations

Recommended by Sam Kass

Description

With his fabulous restaurants and bestselling Ottolenghi Cookbook, Yotam Ottolenghi has established himself as one of the most exciting talents in the world of cookery and food writing.

24
No coverThe How Not to Die Cookbook
The How Not to Die Cookbook

100 Recipes to Help Prevent and Reverse Disease

2 recommendations

Recommended by Sadia Badiei and Amy Tan

Description

From Michael Greger, M.D., FACLM, the physician behind the trusted and wildly popular website Nutritionfacts.org, and author of the New York Times bestselling book How Not to Die, comes a beautifullydesigned, comprehensive cookbook complete with more than 120 recipes for…

Show 76 more books with a single recommendation
25
Book cover for “The Cooking Gene”
The Cooking Gene

A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South

1 recommendation

Recommended by Nigella Lawson

Description

2018 James Beard Foundation Book of the Year | 2018 James Beard Foundation Book Award Winner inWriting | Nominee for the 2018 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in Nonfiction | #75 on The Root100 2018A renowned culinary historian offers a fresh perspective on our most divisive cultural…

26
No coverFlour Water Salt Yeast
Flour Water Salt Yeast

The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza [A Cookbook]

1 recommendation

Recommended by Jennifer Gunter

Description

From Portland's most acclaimed and beloved baker comes this musthave baking guide, featuring recipes for worldclass breads and pizzas and a variety of schedules suited for the home baker.There are few things more satisfying than biting into a freshly made, crispyontheoutside,…

27
No coverBOSH!
BOSH!

Simple Recipes Amazing Food All Plants (BOSH Series)

1 recommendation

Recommended by Sadia Badiei

28
No coverThe Whole Beast
The Whole Beast

Nose to Tail Eating

1 recommendation

Recommended by Richard Coles

Description

The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating is a certified "foodie" classic. In it, Fergus Henderson whose London restaurant, St.

29
Book cover for “PlantsOnly Kitchen”
PlantsOnly Kitchen

Over 70 Delicious, SuperSimple, Powerful and ProteinPacked Recipes for Busy People

1 recommendation

Recommended by Sadia Badiei

Description

PlantsOnly Kitchen offers an explosion of flavor, with more than 70 vegan recipes that work around your lifestyle.With symbols flagging whether recipes are highprotein, take less than 15 minutes, or are suitable for meal prep and batch cooking, PlantsOnly Kitchen explains how…

30
Book cover for “Home Cooking”
Home Cooking

A Writer in the Kitchen (Vintage Contemporaries)

1 recommendation

Recommended by Shauna Niequist

Description

Share the unsurpassed pleasures of discovering, cooking, and eating good, simple food with this beloved book. Equal parts cookbook and memoir, Laurie Colwin's "Home Cooking" combines her insightful, goodhumored writing style with her lifelong passion for wonderful cuisine in…

31
No coverSeeds of Science
Seeds of Science

Why We Got It So Wrong On GMOs

1 recommendation

Recommended by Max Roser

Description

Mark Lynas was one of the original GM field wreckers. Back in the 1990sworking undercover with his colleagues in the environmental movementhe would descend on trial sites of genetically modified crops at night and hack them to pieces.

32
Book cover for “My Life in France”
1 recommendation

Recommended by Frank Chimero

Description

The bestselling story of Julia's years in Franceand the basis for Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adamsin her own words.

33
No coverRamen Obsession
Ramen Obsession

The Ultimate Bible for Mastering Japanese Ramen

1 recommendation

Recommended by Jennifer Gunter

Description

The world of ramenfrom the streets of Japan to your kitchen Seasoned broth, slurpable noodles, and colorful toppings brimming with flavor and texturea good bowl of Japanese ramen is more than just food, its an experience.

34
No coverPrune
1 recommendation

Recommended by Anthony Bourdain

Description

Highly original in concept, execution, look, and feel, the Prune cookbook is an inspired replica of the restaurant’s kitchen binders.

35
No coverThe Vegetables We Eat
Description

What are vegetables, anyway Give kids the 411 on veggies with this richly illustrated introduction to produce!Peppers, beans, corn, and peas! Nonfiction superstar Gail Gibbons lays out the basics of veggies with colorful watercolors and straightforward text.

36
No coverFrench Kids Eat Everything
French Kids Eat Everything

How Our Family Moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered 10 Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters

38
Book cover for “The Beginner's KetoDiet Cookbook”
The Beginner's KetoDiet Cookbook

Over 100 Delicious Whole Food, LowCarb Recipes for Getting in the Ketogenic Zone Breaking Your WeightLoss Plateau, and Living Keto for Life

39
No coverKeto Diet Cookbook For Beginners
Keto Diet Cookbook For Beginners

550 Recipes For Busy People on Keto Diet (Keto Diet for Beginners)

Description

550 Effortless Keto Recipes for Quick Weight Loss in 201920! Do you crave quick & effortless keto recipes And I know you had tasty dinners with the loved ones and there are a few or more extra pounds ''on board''!

40
No coverCooking with Zac
Cooking with Zac

Recipes From Rustic to Refined

Description

Fashion designer Zac Posen gives fans a peek into his kitchen and the recipes for the gardenfresh and internationally influenced dishes he features on his Instagram account.

41
No coverThe Moosewood Cookbook
The Moosewood Cookbook

40th Anniversary Edition

Description

Among the most influential cookbooks of our time, the Moosewood Cookbook is such a powerful symbol that the publishers were tempted not to tamper with it. But times have changed, and knowledge about the foods we eat and their nutritional value has increased.

42
No coverNew Atkins for a New You
New Atkins for a New You

The Ultimate Diet for Shedding Weight and Feeling Great.

43
Book cover for “Food, Health, and Happiness”
Food, Health, and Happiness

115 OnPoint Recipes for Great Meals and a Better Life

Description

Oprah Winfrey has spent her life trying to make peace with food, which has been such a source of pleasure and meaning for her.

44
Book cover for “The Runner's World Vegetarian Cookbook”
The Runner's World Vegetarian Cookbook

150 Delicious and Nutritious Meatless Recipes to Fuel Your Every Step

45
No coverThe Paleo Diet
The Paleo Diet

Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat

Description

As seen on Dateline NBC Healthy, delicious, and simple, the Paleo Diet is the diet our genes were made for. This book presents readers with a program that causes weight loss in overweight people up to seventyfive pounds in six months while normalizing blood cholesterol, and…

46
Book cover for “The FastDiet”
The FastDiet

Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting

47
No coverKeto Slow Cooker & OnePot Meals
Keto Slow Cooker & OnePot Meals

Over 100 Simple & Delicious LowCarb, Paleo and Primal Recipes for Weight Loss and Better Health

Description

Keto Slow Cooker & OnePot Meals packs 100 highfat, lowcarb keto recipes! Enjoy quick, tasty dinners as you get healthy, lose weight, and control your blood sugar. Slow cooker and onepot meals are the ultimate convenience food.

48
No coverDiet Cults
Diet Cults

The Surprising Fallacy at the Core of Nutrition Fads and a Guide to Healthy Eating for the Rest of Us

49
No cover97 Orchard
97 Orchard

An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement

Description

97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement

50
No coverCocktail Codex
Cocktail Codex

Fundamentals, Formulas, Evolutions

Description

From the authors of the bestselling and genredefining cocktail book  Death & Co ,  Cocktail Codex  is a comprehensive primer on the craft of mixing drinks that employs the authors’ unique “root cocktails” approach to give drinkmakers of every…

51
Book cover for “Real Food for Pregnancy”
Real Food for Pregnancy

The Science and Wisdom of Optimal Prenatal Nutrition

Description

Prenatal nutrition can be confusing. A lot of the advice you have been given about what to eat (or what not to eat) is wellmeaning, but frankly, outdated or not evidencedbased.

52
Book cover for “L'Appart”
L'Appart

The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home

Description

Bestselling author and worldrenowned chef David Lebovitz continues to mine the rich subject of his evolving exPat life in Paris, using his perplexing experiences in apartment renovation as a launching point for stories about French culture, food, and what it means to revamp…

53
No coverSugar Nation
Sugar Nation

The Hidden Truth Behind America's Deadliest Habit and the Simple Way to Beat It

Description

THIS BOOK COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE Every five seconds, one more person develops diabetes. Worldwide, 285 million people are affected by type 2 diabetes. Many of them have no idea.

54
No coverEpic Tomatoes
Epic Tomatoes

How to Select and Grow the Best Varieties of All Time

Description

Savor your best tomato harvest ever! Craig LeHoullier, tomato adviser for Seed Savers Exchange, offers everything a tomato enthusiast needs to know about growing more than 200 varieties of tomatoes ?

55
No coverThe Noma Guide to Fermentation
The Noma Guide to Fermentation

Including koji, kombuchas, shoyus, misos, vinegars, garums, lactoferments, and black fruits and vegetables (Foundations of Flavor)

56
No coverEasy Keto Desserts
Easy Keto Desserts

60 LowCarb, HighFat Desserts for Any Occasion

Description

Dessert lovers, rejoice! Yes, on a healthy ketogenic diet, you can have your cake and eat it, too. In Easy Keto Desserts, bestselling author Carolyn Ketchum shows you how to enjoy the sweet side of keto with a variety of delectable dessert recipes.

57
No coverEasy Keto Dinners
Easy Keto Dinners

Flavorful LowCarb Meals for Any Night of the Week

Description

Modern life may be fastpaced and furious, but everyone needs a healthy and delicious homecooked meal. From her hundreds of thousands of social media followers and website visitors, low carb food blogger Carolyn Ketchum hears the same question time and again: Is this recipe easy…

58
No coverSister Pie
Sister Pie

The Recipes and Stories of a BigHearted Bakery in Detroit [A Baking Book]

Description

A burstingwithpersonality cookbook from Sister Pie, the boutique bakery that's making Detroit more delicious every day."Everything you want in a pie cookbook: careful directions, baker's secret tips, inspired combinations, and a youcandoit attitude."Chicago TribuneIACP AWARD…

59
Book cover for “The Encyclopedia of Country Living”
The Encyclopedia of Country Living

The Original Manual for Living off the Land & Doing It Yourself

Description

The bible of sustainable living, food gardening, and living green, no home is complete without this oneofakind encyclopedia!

60
Book cover for “The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook”
The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook

100 Simple Low Carb Recipes. 10 Ingredients or Less

Description

Easy, delicious ketogenic recipes all with ten ingredients or less, from the founder of the megapopular keto website Wholesome Yum.There's a reason that the ketogenic diet has become so wildly popular: It truly works! And weight loss is just the beginning.

61
Book cover for “Tartine Bread”
Description

The Tartine Way Not all bread is created equal"...The most beautiful bread book yet published..." ? The New York TimesTartine A bread bible for the home baker or professional breadmaker!

62
No coverThe Food Revolution
The Food Revolution

How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World

Description

The man who started the food revolution with the groundbreaking Diet for a New America now boldly posits that, collectively, our personal diet can save ourselves and the world.

63
Book cover for “Delay, Don't Deny”
Delay, Don't Deny

Living an Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle

Description

Tired of counting calories, eliminating foods from your diet, or obsessing about food all day If so, an intermittent fasting lifestyle might be for you!

64
No coverEdible Wild Plants
Edible Wild Plants

Eastern/Central North America (Peterson Field Guides)

Description

More than 370 edible wild plants, plus 37 poisonous lookalikes, are described here, with 400 drawings and 78 color photographs showing precisely how to recognize each species.

65
No coverEvery Grain of Rice
66
Book cover for “La Cucina”
67
Book cover for “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving”
Description

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving contains over 400 delicious and creative recipes. Home canning puts the pleasures of eating natural, delicious produce at your fingertips year round.

68
Book cover for “Keto Instant Pot”
Keto Instant Pot

130 Healthy LowCarb Recipes for Your Electric Pressure Cooker or Slow Cooker

Description

The Instant Pot is one of the hottest cooking tools around these days. With its ability to pressurecook foods in mere minutes, all in one pot, it is a huge timesaver for busy home cooks. You can even bake a cheesecake in it!

69
Book cover for “The French Laundry Cookbook”
Description

2014 marks the twentieth anniversary of the acclaimed French Laundry restaurant in the Napa Valley??the most exciting place to eat in the United States? (The New York Times).

70
Book cover for “Simply Keto”
Simply Keto

A Practical Approach to Health & Weight Loss, with 100 Easy LowCarb Recipes (1)

71
No coverAlton Brown
72
No coverThe Vegetarian Flavor Bible
The Vegetarian Flavor Bible

The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity with Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, and More, Based on the Wisdom of Leading American Chefs

Description

Inspiration for vegetarian cooking in the unique reference format pioneered in The Flavor Bible.Throughout time, people have chosen to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet for a variety of reasons, from ethics to economy to personal and planetary wellbeing.

73
Book cover for “Pizza!”
Pizza!

An Interactive Recipe Book (Cook In A Book)

Description

Cook pizza from scratch in this fully interactive recipe book that allows readers mix the ingredients, knead the dough, spread the sauce, and more!STEP ONE: Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water, and set aside until bubbly.STEP TWO: Combine the flour and salt in a large…

74
Book cover for “Perennial Vegetables”
Perennial Vegetables

From Artichoke to Zuiki Taro, a Gardener's Guide to Over 100 Delicious, Easytogrow Edibles

Description

There is a fantastic array of vegetables you can grow in your garden, and not all of them are annuals. In Perennial Vegetables the adventurous gardener will find information, tips, and sound advice on less common edibles that will make any garden a perpetual, lowmaintenance…

75
Book cover for “Intuitive Eating”
Intuitive Eating

A Revolutionary Program That Works

76
Book cover for “Tartine”
Description

An utterly fresh, inspiring, and invaluable cookbook: Every once in a while, a cookbook comes along that instantly says "classic." This is one of them.

77
Book cover for “Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1”
Description

For over fifty years, New York Times bestseller Mastering the Art of French Cooking has been the definitive book on the subject for American readers.

78
Book cover for “Tacos!”
Tacos!

An Interactive Recipe Book (Cook In A Book)

Description

For kids who cook in a play kitchen or a real kitchen, this interactive recipe book invites readers to chop the vegetables, mash the avocado, warm the tortillas, and more all inside the book!Step one: Cut the chicken into cubes and toss it in a bowl with the spices.Step two:…

79
Book cover for “The Ugly Vegetables”
Description

It's easy to appreciate a garden exploding with colorful flowers and fragrances, but what do you do with a patch of ugly vegetables Author/illustrator Grace Lin recalls such a garden in this charming and eloquent story.The neighbors' gardens look so much prettier and so much…

80
No coverIndianish
Indianish

Recipes and Antics from a Modern American Family

81
No coverPractical Paleo
Practical Paleo

A Customized Approach to Health and a WholeFoods Lifestyle

82
No coverEat to Live
Eat to Live

The Amazing NutrientRich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss, Revised Edition

Description

Hailed a "medical breakthrough" by Dr. Mehmet Oz, Eat to Live offers a highly effective, scientifically proven way to lose weight quickly. The key to Dr. Joel Fuhrman's revolutionary sixweek plan is simple: health = nutrients / calories.

83
Book cover for “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian”
How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food

Description

The ultimate onestop vegetarian cookbookfrom the author of the classic How to Cook EverythingHailed as "a more hip Joy of Cooking" by the Washington Post, Mark Bittman's awardwinning book How to Cook Everything has become the bible for a new generation of home cooks, and the…

84
No coverCook Like a Pro
Cook Like a Pro

Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks

Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Cook with confidence no matter how much experience you have in the kitchen with the help of the beloved Food Network star "Garten has kicked things up a level, this time encouraging readers to try more ambitious recipes that are still signature Ina:…

85
Book cover for “The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook”
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook

From Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker GloryMore Than 150 Magical Recipes for Wizards and NonWizards Alike (Unofficial Cookbook)

Description

Bangers and mash with Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Hogwarts dining hall. A proper cuppa tea and rock cakes in Hagrid's hut. Cauldron cakes and pumpkin juice on the Hogwarts Express. With this cookbook, dining a la Hogwarts is as easy as Banoffi Pie!

86
Book cover for “The Hungry Brain”
The Hungry Brain

Outsmarting the Instincts That Make Us Overeat

Description

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the YearFrom an obesity and neuroscience researcher with a knack for engaging, humorous storytelling, The Hungry Brain uses cuttingedge science to answer the questions: why do we overeat, and what can we do about itNo one wants to overeat.

87
Book cover for “Joy of Cooking”
Joy of Cooking

2019 Edition Fully Revised and Updated

88
No coverThe Silver Spoon
Description

The Silver Spoon is the most influential and successful cookbook in Italy. Originally published in 1950, it became an instant classic. Considered to be essential in every household, it is still one of the most popular wedding presents today.

89
Book cover for “Eat to Live Cookbook”
Eat to Live Cookbook

200 Delicious NutrientRich Recipes for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss, Reversing Disease, and Lifelong Health (Eat for Life)

Book Summary

Eat to Live Cookbook pairs a large set of straightforward, vegetable-heavy recipes with recurring nutrition guidance aimed at weight control and health maintenance. The useful part is dozens of practical dinners, breakfasts, and meal templates that favor nutrient-dense, lower-calorie ingredients and batch cooking. The main limitation is the book's prescriptive, advocacy tone: nutrition sections recur and restate the same rules, which can interrupt the recipe flow and feel preachy. No hands-on exercises — it's a cookbook with a strong agenda.

90
No coverForks Over Knives The Cookbook
Forks Over Knives The Cookbook

Over 300 Recipes for PlantBased Eating All Through the Year

Description

"Forks Over Knives," both the documentary and companion book, appeared on the scene in 2011 with an astonishing but simple claim: Following a fully plantbased diet can save your life.

91
Book cover for “The Backyard Homestead”
The Backyard Homestead

Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre!

92
Book cover for “Izakaya”
Izakaya

The Japanese Pub Cookbook

Description

Japanese pubs, called izakaya, are attracting growing attention in Japan and overseas. As a matter of fact, a recent article in The New York Times claimed that the izakaya is starting to shove the sushi bar off its pedestal.

93
No coverThe No Meat Athlete Cookbook
The No Meat Athlete Cookbook

Whole Food, PlantBased Recipes to Fuel Your Workouts and the Rest of Your Life

94
No coverSweet and Savory Fat Bombs
Sweet and Savory Fat Bombs

100 Delicious Treats for Fat Fasts, Ketogenic, Paleo, and LowCarb Diets

95
No coverThe Shredded Chef
The Shredded Chef

125 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy (Third Edition)

Description

MICHAEL MATTHEWS' BESTSELLING FLEXIBLE DIETING COOKBOOK WITH OVER 200,000 COPIES SOLD .If you want to build a body you can be proud of without having to starve or deprive yourself of all the foods you actually like...eating meals that you look forward to and savor every single…

96
No coverLa Grotta
La Grotta

Ice Creams and Sorbets

Description

More than 75 recipes for bold, fruitforward ice creams, sorbets, and granitasall made with fresh, natural, minimally processed ingredientsOne of The New York Times's "Best Cookbooks of Spring 2019" "Too often, ice cream is forgotten in the conversation about seasonal and…

97
No coverCanning for a New Generation
98
No coverNothing Fancy
Nothing Fancy

Unfussy Food for Having People Over

99
Book cover for “Gardening When It Counts”
Gardening When It Counts

Growing Food in Hard Times (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series)

Book Summary

A detailed, pragmatic manual for backyard food self-sufficiency aimed at North American gardeners who need high yields with minimal water and cash. It opens by arguing why cheap-oil decline changes what counts as sensible gardening, then pivots into dense, hands-on guidance on bed layouts, soil preparation, watering economy and crop choices. The useful part is concrete plans that lower input costs and boost reliable yields. The limit: a prescriptive, often opinionated tone, repetition of core claims, and advice tailored to temperate North American conditions.

100
Book cover for “The Drunken Botanist”
Description

Every great drink starts with a plant. Sake began with a grain of rice. Scotch emerged from barley. Gin was born from a conifer shrub when a Dutch physician added oil of juniper to a clear spirit, believing that juniper berries would cure kidney disorders.

Recommended Food Books by Samin Nosrat

Samin Nosrat recommends 4 books on this list. See all book recommendations by Samin Nosrat

Recommended Food Books by Sadia Badiei

Sadia Badiei recommends 3 books on this list. See all book recommendations by Sadia Badiei

Recommended Food Books by Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain recommends 2 books on this list. See all book recommendations by Anthony Bourdain

Food Books: common questions

What are the most recommended food books?
Setting the Table, Eating Animals and Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat are the most recommended food books on BookMentions, ranked by how many people recommended them.
Who recommends food books?
Samin Nosrat, Sadia Badiei, Anthony Bourdain and Frank Chimero are among the people who recommend books on this list. Each name links to their full set of book recommendations.
Which of these food books should I read first?
Setting the Table is the most recommended here with 14 recommendations, which makes it the safest place to start.

Built from recommendation data, category signals, and source-backed book records. Use this list as a starting point; open any book to see proof, context, and Amazon options where available.

Recommendation dataCategory signalsSource-backed book recordsOpen book pages for proof/context

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About this list

This list aggregates books that appear in public recommendation sources, reader-interest signals, and category data. Books are ranked by their position from the source list; recommendation counts and ratings are shown where available. Open any book to see source-backed recommendation proof, editorial context, and Amazon options — the per-book detail page is where the trust signals live.

Recommended books by person: who recommends food books

Books recommended by the people below. Open a profile to see everything they recommend, with the source behind each pick.