4.23 avg rating — 193 ratings

"This massive revised edition of Making of a Cook (1971) is a scientific examination of cooking methods by one of the finest thinkers of the food world and teacher of hundreds of chefs."

4.34 avg rating — 41 ratings

"The magnum opus of the highly popular chef and teacher. Every food used by cooks today in Europe and America is dealt with here."

4.31 avg rating — 16 ratings

"Volume 2. There are recipes, but they're not the point. Thousands of detailed color photographs show the methods that are used by our leading chefs."

3.90 avg rating — 89 ratings

"[*] A fine compendium of cooking techniques, accompanied by outstanding step-by-step photographs. The author is a well-known teacher and chef. Similar to Jacques Pepin's Art of Cooking, but more tightly focused and essentially done without any recipes. Most useful for the intermediate cook."

4.13 avg rating — 198,304 ratings

"[*] The massive revision of America's great encyclopedia cookbook, first published in 1931. No longer Irma's book but still a tremendously useful source for recipes, reference, instruction, and advice. From storing asparagus to constructing a standing rib roast to making Greek pastry, everything you need (or most of it) is here."

4.01 avg rating — 8,329 ratings

"The modern answer to Fannie Farmer, Joy of Cooking, and other great books. A collection of recipes and information for the turn-of-the-century set--stylish and useful. Cocktail party goodies right through to turkey roasting charts."

3.64 avg rating — 28 ratings

"Although part of a Middle Eastern tradition, Egyptian food has much that it is its own. This conscientious book is a serous effort to record a variety of "modern" (as opposed to ancient) Egyptian recipes. A useful collection."

4.14 avg rating — 36 ratings

"A very serviceable anthology of recipes from all over the continent with a better than ordinary selection from the sub-Saharan regions. Notes provide background on ingredients, traditions."

3.25 avg rating — 8 ratings

"A good, sound book, utterly lacking in pretense, about a lesser-known cuisine. Self-published-probably the only way such a book could see the light of day."

4.30 avg rating — 208 ratings

"Wolfert's first book, based on long-term residence in Morocco, is surely her best. A prize example of simple, authentic cooking, this is better than other more glamorous-looking works on the region."

4.22 avg rating — 92 ratings

"Splendid, informal history of american eating in the 20th century-- from Steak Diane to Rice Krispies to Jell-O mold marvels, a warm, dizzying tour. Great nostalgia with a scholarly core."

4.22 avg rating — 1,698 ratings

"An epic work of American cuisine and the best of James Beard."

4.19 avg rating — 254 ratings

"Alice Waters had a lot of fine cooks working in her kitchen and Paul Bertolli, a talented Italian-American, was one of the best. Sturdy food with an Italian bent, but far different from Waters's own ethereal California fare. Nonetheless, her principles are the inspiration for this book, and her name appears as well."

4.24 avg rating — 51 ratings

"Old-Style Southwest food, showing its Spanish and Native American roots. Not the fancified nouvelle and fusion cooking we know too well, but rather a region's low-key authentic food."

4.23 avg rating — 62 ratings

"[*] Less a cookbook than a near-encyclopedia of Souther ingredients and dishes. From grits, to Country Captain, this loving book presents basic definitions, history, love, comparative notes, and more."

3.97 avg rating — 30 ratings

"More than 200 recipes from the African American Community. A bright, lively book that gives a slightly modern, healthier twist to popular down-home food."

3.67 avg rating — 12 ratings

"[*] A valuable collection of fact and folklore about America's foods and beverages. From the origin of Shoofly pie to the definition of hobo eggs and recipes for dirty rice and Senate bean soup, the book provides entertaining entries and a good level of reliable information."

4.12 avg rating — 8 ratings

"A fine West Coast chef offers some simple recipes with a distinctly American feel. Using largely familiar ingredients, Ogden creates dishes that makes palates leap and propels daily meals to the realm of the memorable."

4.36 avg rating — 73 ratings

"A chef, and a book, representing the American high-end cooking of the 1990s and beyond. Inventive, stylish, and highly commercial."

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 34 ratings

"The best work on the new food of California from the time before it became pretentious, undisciplined, and even a little silly. Simple ideas, clean tastes, and in the forefront, fresh ingredients-before talking about them became a fashionable cliche."

4.51 avg rating — 473 ratings

"A major work on Persian food with stunning color photographs of the food, and very helpful culinary and cultural notes."

3.94 avg rating — 48 ratings

"There is no better introduction to Thai cuisine than this book. Ingredients, methods, and menus are explained with care to launch every beginner on the way to understanding this exciting, exotic cooking tradition, without flash or fluff."

liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating

"[*] Coverage of the major Asian and Southeast Asian food products, including (and this is much of the book's value) packaged ingredients, such as soy sauce, and preserved black beans. How the products are made, the varieties available, packaging information, and suggestions for use. Outstanding for English speakers who want to navigate these food markets."

3.40 avg rating — 5 ratings

"[*] Excellent drawings, useful descriptions, tips, hints, and a few recipes for each vegetable, along with Chinese characters so you can take the book into the market and get more than a glassy look when you ask for tree ears."

3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings

"Large, authoritative work on the highly varied cuisine of Vietnam, representing a number of different regions and traditions. The authors are a restaurant owner, and a food writer."

4.13 avg rating — 70 ratings

"[*] A dictionary that not only defines the vocabulary of Japanese food and cooking but through that vocabulary, reveals much of the cultural underpinnings of Japanese traditions. There should, by law, be a book like this for everyone of the world major cuisines. "

4.36 avg rating — 70 ratings

"A cookbook and a manual of technique and instruction by a master teacher. One of the definitive Chinese cookbooks."

3.93 avg rating — 14 ratings

"Owens, an Asian food scholar living and working in Britain, has provided an outstanding ethnographic cookbook, integrating in a single text recipes and social and cultural information related to food and food preparation. A model for books of this sort. "

4.45 avg rating — 78 ratings

"One of the few books to integrate and explore the entire breadth of Mediterranean and West Asian food. Roden, a major food authority, offers comments and history, as well as great recipes."

4.20 avg rating — 1,188 ratings

"This book is a superb introduction to the food of India, especially valuable for its first 90 pages-- a short course on Indian ingredients, equipment, techniques, and the basic pantry. The recipes are clear and authentic."

4.26 avg rating — 394 ratings

"Solomon, who traveled and has lived in virtually every corner of south and southeast Asia, takes us on a country by country tour, providing a brief essay on the food of each culinary tradition, and then serving up to 10-15 good recipes to illustrate the character of the food.
NOT INCLUDED IN THIS LIST ** BONUS READ ** Encyclopedia of Asian Food:
arguably the final authority of this huge region and its food. Precise, informative, and essential for anyone who cooks, writes, or eats "Asian"."

4.36 avg rating — 74 ratings

"Chinese cooking at a high restaurant level by an outstanding teacher and restauranteur. "

4.33 avg rating — 1,055 ratings

"An Important work, both cookbook and reference, by one of Japan's best known teachers. It includes every major Japanese tradition, from soba noodles, to sushi, to rarified temple meals.. Good reading, great cooking."

4.11 avg rating — 66 ratings

"Writings of a knowledgable American based on a dozen trips to Portugal."

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings

"Huge collection of recipes on british cooking, that demonstrates the best. From Lancastershire potato pie to the Osborne pudding in Norfolk, this is a delight to browse through and cook from."

4.31 avg rating — 188 ratings

"The best basic book on orienting yourself to the cuisine and recipes of the Spanish culinary tradition. The author also wrote two books: Tapas (1985) and Paella (1999)."

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 8 ratings

"Favorite old-time recipes translated from German, to Austrians."

4.21 avg rating — 66 ratings

"A Greek-American who has returned to Greece to live, recovering hundreds of recipes and doing very little to improve them. The ethnographic approach becomes a huge useful successful."

4.50 avg rating — 62 ratings

"Written by consultant, scholar and humanist: the cooking tradition of Hungary."

4.27 avg rating — 128 ratings

"(Also see: The Food of Italy)
Superb guides for two leading culinary traditions of Europe. There should be a book like this for every country, providing an education for travelers and a course for cooks."

4.22 avg rating — 23 ratings

"A worthy statement of the many regional cuisines of Germany-- recipes ranging from Thuringian Cabbage Rolls, to Fluffy Swabian Muffins. Authentic recipes, along with good historical and gastronomical notes."

3.92 avg rating — 65 ratings

"Not quite vegetarian, yet dishing outstanding good, healthy, unpretentious foods."

3.97 avg rating — 30 ratings

"Translation of a 19th century cookbook, and represents the grand tradition of Russian cuisine."

4.45 avg rating — 110 ratings

"The author claims that Europe's best kept secrets are belgian recipes. Both Flemish and French Belgium are well represented."

4.25 avg rating — 77,566 ratings

"Approaching French cooking from an elaborate Anglo-Saxon way. Two valuable volumes that speak to Americans ability to parse, and spread media."

4.13 avg rating — 15 ratings

"A prominent culinary educator gives us French cooking stripped to its essentials--the classic dishes without the nonsense."

4.38 avg rating — 6,775 ratings

"[*] Essential for those concerned with classic European cooking. Not a cookbook, but an important reference work, with advice on everything from technical details to cultural and historical facts.
Normally, people would treat this as a neutral or unbiased food encyclopedia due to their European-centric way of viewing food and cooking. Still, a wonderful source."

0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings

"Wonderful lessons in French cooking by a longtime teacher in New York City. Every recipe represents a point of culinary theory or practice."

4.20 avg rating — 357 ratings

"The basic work by the great American cook who lived nearly half his life in France. A thoughtful treatment of cooking and pantry fundamentals."

4.31 avg rating — 42 ratings

"Eye-opening for its simplicity and its artlessness. A surprise from a former cutting-edge chef: a treatment of the way Parisians, using the many fine food resource they have available in their noble city, cook for themselves at home."

4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings

"[*] A compact dictionary of French cooking terminology, including ingredients, cooking methods, equipment, and finished dishes."

4.29 avg rating — 301 ratings

"A dazzling cookbook on the vigorous food of the region."

4.37 avg rating — 70 ratings

"Fine recipes from historical periods, in a highly readable text that provides rich cultural details. A significant cookbook, that is very educational as well."

4.07 avg rating — 25,871 ratings

"A bible of Italian cooking."

3.93 avg rating — 2,684 ratings

"Northern Italian region cuisine featuring subtle flavorings, traced by an American through its cultural history."

4.30 avg rating — 47 ratings

"First of a trilogy that represents some of the best writing on home Italian cooking. "Cold and room temperature foods": Simple non-prescriptive recipes written to encourage flexibility and thoughtfulness. "

4.11 avg rating — 56 ratings

"First of a trilogy that represents some of the best writing on home Italian cooking. "Plain country foods": Simple non-prescriptive recipes written to encourage flexibility and thoughtfulness. "

4.16 avg rating — 32 ratings

"Pasta foods. :)"

4.30 avg rating — 10 ratings

"[*] A mini encyclopedia of Italian food. Another good mention (but shorter book) is "Dictionary of Italian Cuisine" by Maureen Fant and Howard M. Isaacs."

4.37 avg rating — 90 ratings

"Food of Naples and Compania, treated with energy and respect."

4.32 avg rating — 62 ratings

"A fine kosher cookbook, organized by the festivals of the Jewish year. Good summaries of each holiday, showing how the traditional foods become part of the calabrations, plus a lot of strongly authentic recipes."

4.43 avg rating — 1,014 ratings

"A magnificently assembled history and recipe collection covering the entire world of jewish of north africa and the fear east. fascinating stories, excellent historical illustrations, and great recipes."

4.07 avg rating — 30 ratings

"A wonderfully annotated collection of recipes from central and eastern europe, as reestablished in America. All the old flavors and traditions are delightfully presented in quasi-memoir by the former restaurant critic of the NYT."

4.20 avg rating — 1,848 ratings

"A lucid exposition of Mexican home cooking, packed with richly informative sidenotes and good, open-minded recipes."

3.74 avg rating — 23 ratings

4.26 avg rating — 1,074 ratings

3.30 avg rating — 10 ratings

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings

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really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 5 ratings

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