However, there are times, even for me — when I don’t know what to make for dinner. Or what to bring to a party. Or the perfect cake for a one year old’s birthday. Or what goes with a crispy chicken thigh.
And before you ask, AI could never.
I’ve come to rely on a handful of books that rarely fail.
If you’re just beginning in the kitchen, I think you should undoubtedly invest in some of the classics such as “Joy of Cooking” or Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything.” And once you’ve mastered the basics, it’s essential to investigate whoever wrote the Bible of whatever genre you want to learn. Madhur Jaffrey for Indian, Marcella Hazan for Italian, Edna Lewis for Southern Cuisine and Alice Waters for Farm-to-Table, for example.
Beyond those though are a collection of books by authors you might not know, ones that have never starred on the Food Network or hosted a travel show. Books whose pages, in my house, are absolutely dotted with puddles of soup and sprayed with unruly olive oil or even stuck together due to overuse.
If you love beautiful, uncomplicated food, often accompanied by a bit of spunky narrative, I will share some of my favorites.
‘Apples for Jam’ by Tessa Kiros
The recipe for broccoli soup in this book is so utterly covered by green specks the words are nearly illegible, which is okay because I have the recipe committed to memory. Tessa Kiros writes and cooks in a way that is both aspirational and approachable.
She serves her children smoothies in little glass jars and makes salads in beautiful beat-up wooden bowls and somehow it doesn’t make the reader feel inferior, but maybe does leave you with a desire for a simple life.
The book has a loosely Mediterranean foundation and is packed with satisfying (not exclusively) plant-based meals. It is organized by color, instead of food type which makes the photography beautifully monochromatic.
The recipe for Lentil Rice is one of my cheap meal hacks that returns to our table frequently.
‘Simple’ by Yotam Ottolenghi
I imagine this book was frequently requested by Ottolenghi fans. His recipes are always outstanding and deliver to all the senses. Beautiful color and texture combinations along with bright, interesting flavors. But, previous to this book — they are also very complicated.
Some may have you running to several different grocery stores before you even preheat the oven. And while I appreciate an elaborate day of cooking, real life doesn’t always accommodate.
For that, he wrote Simple which is all the Ottolenghi brilliance, but very streamlined. Most of the recipes rely on items you can find entirely in a regular grocery store, and he’s cut the time dedicated to each dish in half. I will suggest, should time allow and you feel you have a hold on these recipes, that you purchase all of his books. He is a truly brilliant chef and cookbook author.
‘Dinner: a Love Story’ by Jenny Rosentrach
If I ever met Jenny, I would hug her and tell her we’re already friends — she just hasn’t met me yet. She’s the kind of writer and cook that leaves you with FOMO, wishing you’d been invited to that dinner party where she served salmon with ginger-scallion sauce and sat back for a post-meal cappuccino with a handful of glasses-clad New Yorkers. Ugh, I want to be in that conversation.
This book (and the blog with the same name) is exploding with approachable meals you can feed your family. There are simple things like an easy bolognese and more decadent combinations like the pork shoulder ragu; that as Rosentrach claims - is a dinner party waiting to happen. Your table won’t look nearly as cool as Jenny’s Manhattan apartment scene but the food will be just as satisfying.
‘Smitten Kitchen Keepers’ by Deb Perelman
I would argue that Perelman is this generation’s Martha Stewart or so says her Clam Chowder with Bacon Croutons. She’s a master of taking all the things we want to eat, turning up the flavor and freshness and turning down the difficulty — making them appropriate for our everyday lives. Her snarky sense of humor and straightforward instructions make each book she’s published a treasure.
Arriving at the perfect time, Perelman was an early food blogger and appealed to those of us who were ready to part with the Food Network personalities but TikTok and Reels recipes hadn’t even been invented.
Her site contains a list of recipes that shaped the way I cook and flavors I continue to build on today. All of her cookbooks are beautifully photographed and invite you to cook in a wholesome, interesting way.
‘A Homemade Life’ by Molly Wizenberg
Now we’re getting into dangerous territory because this is actually a memoir with recipes. And if we’re opening that category, this list would take up too many pages in the newspaper you’re currently reading. But, I simply couldn’t ignore the tattered pages, lost cover, warped binding, and smudged type of this overused book.
I’ve made everything in it.
It holds family gems, like her dad’s French toast and combinations that, before reading this book over 10 years ago, I had never imagined. A salad with chocolate, meatballs with raisins and vanilla ice cream with black pepper.
This book is essential to anyone who is fascinated about the way feeding people and eating and cooking creates stories and memories that live on long after we finish the stew.
My shelf of cookbooks has spilled over into my living room and other little stacks throughout the house. Sometimes on a lazy Sunday morning, I pour myself a cup of coffee and sit down with my favorite author and the food he or she loves, flipping the pages, studying the photographs and methods. Ugh, this brings me endless pleasure.
Even if your obsession doesn’t run this deep (I don’t blame you, I’m unusually obsessed with food) this short list of books will keep your table filled with inspired food. I hope you find pleasure in that.
”But First, Food” columnist Whitney Kling is a recipe developer who lives in southwest Ohio with her four kids and a cat and is developing a food memoir that’s ever-nearing completion. If she’s not playing tennis or at a yoga class, she’s in the kitchen creating something totally addictive — and usually writing about it.
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