For those of you who, like myself, get a great deal of pleasure from reading, and cooking or baking from, good cookbooks, I offer some of my favorites here. You can purchase them from eCookbooks.com – an online cookbook store that offers a tremendous selection of all kinds of cookbooks, and some of the BEST PRICES on the internet – by clicking on the cookbook’s photo. Enjoy!

My two, of course:

BAKING:

To my mind, Sheryl Yard (from Spago restaurant) is about the best restaurant pastry chef in the country. Her flavor combinations are interesting and sumptuous, and her instructions are extremely thorough. If you’re looking for a dessert cookbook that is more than just your everyday cakes and muffins, you can’t go wrong with one of hers.

Carole Walter is a truly sweet woman who reminiscent of the ideal grandmother. She loves baking, and has written some wonderful cookbooks for home bakers. Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins and More is filled with exceptional recipes that you can bake for your friends or family, to make weekend breakfasts or brunches something truly special.

Alice Medrich, who first came to fame through her exquisite shop in California called Cocolat, has put together a beautiful book that breathes new life into many everyday desserts by using inspiring ingredients that increase the healthfulness of the dishes and make them more interesting to prepare and eat.

Peter Reinhart, one of the founders of Brother Juniper’s Bakery in Sonoma, California, is the go-to person when you want to know anything about bread baking. His books are thorough and interesting, with a wealth of excellent recipes.

Cupcakes are still all the rage, and I imagine they will be for quite some time. Kaye and Liv Hansen run the Riviera Bakehouse in Westchester, NY, and have indulged our cupcake whims with this lovely book. The recipes are interesting, delicious, and easy to make.

Cake Art is the Culinary Institute of America’s gift to the home baker. The instructions are thorough and easy to follow so that you can bake and decorate beautiful cakes in your own home. IT was written by the Baking and Pastry faculty of the school, and includes detailed information on techniques, decorating equipment, how to adjust (scale) recipes for pans of different sizes, how to schedule baking and decorating a cake in advance, and much more.

Michael Ruhlman creates some of the most serious and well-written cookbooks on the market today. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in preserved foods – sausages, confit, pickles, sauerkraut, and all types of salamis, terrines, and pates.

For those of you who weren’t around during the birth of the food revolution in America, this was the go-to book for interesting food. The ingredients and recipes were at that time somewhat new to many American cooks, and the international bend to the book was a welcome change to what was around. It was the book that changed the way Americans cooked. Don’t miss this 25th Anniversary edition.

My daughter Emily loves watching Lidia cook, and already has some of Lydia’s books in her own collection. Lidia’s Italian cooking is luscious, authentic, and down-to-earth. Her recipes are easy to follow, and her directions are thorough.

Alice Waters is the mother of the organic food scene. Her book, Simple Food, proposes ways to use locally grown, organic, sustainably farmed food to prepare delicious meals using fresh ingredients.

Aliza Green writes great books, and I am constantly referring to these two books when I develop recipes. Descriptions of every kind of fruit and vegetable, and all manner of herbs and spices are included in these volumes, with instructions for preparing them, recipes using them, and other foods that are compatible with them.

Rick Bayless is the master of authentic Mexican cuisine. In this book he provides recipes for a full range of dishes, from finger food to adobos, to caramel custard. All of the recipes include timing and advance-preparation information, as well as variations. This book takes you from town to town in Mexico, in a way that makes you feel as if you have actually been there yourself.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the world-famous chef, and Mark Bittman, cookbook author and food columnist for the New York Times (The Minimalist) have joined forces to create a book that offers 5 variants on each recipe – starting with the simplest form and gradually becoming more elaborate with each new variation. A total of 250 excellent recipes.

From equipment (grill types and tools) to fire (wood, charcoal, or gas) to ingredients (meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables), the authors, Andrew Schloss and David Joachim, have shared their impressive grilling know-how to explain the whys and the hows--and guarantee the wows--clearly and comprehensively.

Tarantino’s book is an exhaustive collection of flavor-packed recipes for seasoning and grilling all types of meats, providing endless possibilities. Features more than 450 recipes for marinades and more, including 150 dishes for poultry, meat, seafood, and vegetables.

The Silver Spoon has been a classic cookbook in Italy since it was released in 1950. Written by Italian chefs, it has been on most every Italian cook’s shelf since it was first published. It has only recently been translated into English, and every recipe has been updated for our use. It is a large, interesting, and informative book at a great value.

1080 Recipes is a comprehensive collection of traditional and authentic Spanish recipes. It has been repeatedly updated over its 35-year existence, and is the one cookbook you will find in most every Spanish household. It includes not only recipes, but cooking tips and alternatives to Spanish ingredients for those who do not live in Spain

The co-owner and executive chef for the award-winning New England Soup Factory has compiled 100 mouth-watering recipes for the soups that have made her famous. This is a must-have for any soup lover.

From one of the most exciting restaurants in the United States, chef Thomas Keller gives us an outstanding book with his insight into highly refined, intensely focused foods.

REFERENCE

This is a book that can answer many of your questions about culinary subjects such as techniques, ingredients, international foods, fruits, vegetables, meats, and cheeses. It includes substitution suggestions for various ingredients, seasoning suggestions, and a food additives directory. It has been hailed as one of the best culinary reference books.

James Peterson is a well-respected cooking teacher who has put together two books that provide valuable information for anyone who endeavors to learn the techniques that home cooks need to master to cook successfully. They are well written and filled with helpful photographs. Essentials of Cooking contains the 100 techniques every cook should know. Cooking teaches the necessary recipes that a cook needs to learn.

A ground-breaking guide to food presentation. Includes clear instructions and beautiful photography. A must for the true entertainer.

In a clear, easy-to-understand format, How Baking Works explains how sweeteners, fats, leavening agents, and other ingredients work, as well as how to apply scientific knowledge to answer your more technical questions.

Written by three Michelin-starred chefs: Charlie Trotter, Marcus Wareing, and Shaun Hill, this book covers every cutting technique-chopping, slicing, dicing, carving, filleting-for every relevant ingredient: meat, fish, shellfish, vegetables, herbs, and fruit

Alain Ducasse has written a true master class in haute cuisine by a true master. Long recognized as the greatest chef in the world, Ducasse has put together an amazing tome, including 700 recipes, choosing and buying ingredients, a glossary of ingredients, and much more. He has also produced a book that is a tribute to the art of pastry making. Both are indispensible.

The 8th edition of the nation’s top culinary school’s kitchen reference, this large book includes step-by-step photos and a global focus.

LITERARY FOOD WRITING:

So you want to be a chef. Before you sign up for Culinary school, read Michael Ruhlman’s excellent books, The Making of a Chef, and The Soul of a Chef. After reading these two volumes you will know whether or not becoming a chef is for you.

Ruth Reichl has led a privileged life as a restaurant food critic, but it wasn’t always that way. In Comfort Me With Apples, Reichl recounts her path from chef to food writer. As she progresses through her career, she weaves her romances and disappointments into a well-written and enjoyable book.

Writing In Defense of Food, and affirming the joy of eating, Pollan suggests that if we would pay more for better, well-grown food, but buy less of it, we'll benefit ourselves, our communities, and the environment at large. Taking a clear-eyed look at what science does and does not know about the links between diet and health, he proposes a new way to think about the question of what to eat that is informed by ecology and tradition rather than by the prevailing nutrient-by-nutrient approach.