I owe a great debt to the authors and chefs whose culinary knowledge found its way into the cookbooks I own. I’ve listed the more influential of these books below in tribute to what I’ve learned from them. Please note that these are not necessarily introductory texts, nor are they the only ones I own or love. The books on this list are simply the ones that found me first.
I would also be remiss in not naming Chopped, Top Chef, Master Chef, Chef’s Table, and The Great British Baking Show as sources of inspiration. While I can’t exactly point to these shows as instructional (since they are largely reality TV), I can attest to the fact that hearing and seeing the same principles applied over and over onscreen by dozens of different chefs has greatly influenced my approach to cooking. To all of the chefs who have made their knowledge available to the general public through these means, thank you.
Cookbooks That Influenced My Kitchen
Secrets of the Best Chefs by Adam Roberts
The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer
Jamie At Home by Jamie Oliver
Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson
Ancient Grains for Modern Meals by Maria Speck
The New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi
A Good Food Day by Marco Canora
Cook It In Cast Iron by Cook’s Country/America’s Test Kitchen
Sweeter Off the Vine by Yossi Arefi
The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook by Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez
Referenced In My Posts
Run Fast. Eat Slow. by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
How to Cook Everything: The Basics by Mark Bittman
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat
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