My Favorite Cookbooks

I love collecting and reading cookbooks. I enjoy sitting in the book nook browsing selections for dinner inspiration, but often find myself revisiting a handful of favorites. These are the books that include a big variety of vetted recipes and the finished product tastes good and looks like the picture. Food stained pages and cracked bindings are testament to their frequent use.

The nook. I need another shelf.

Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
I've owned an edition of this book since I began cooking and baking. It's an all-purpose cookbook that covers all the bases: appetizers, main courses, breads and desserts. The recipes are easy and perfect for the novice or not-so-confident cook.

The King Arthur Baker's Companion
King Arthur has been in the flour business for over 200 years and while their cookbooks are a  more recent addition, the recipes are just as reliable. Their team of world class bakers develop solid recipes including illustrations detailing shaping techniques. This is a must-have for bakers.

Ball Blue Book Guide To Preserving
Anyone who preserves food probably has a few Ball jars in their cupboard. But their cookbook is the real star,  providing safe, tested recipes to novice and experienced canners for years. At $8, it's the most affordable cookbook in my collection - well worth my peace of mind, knowing I'm safely preserving food.

Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian
For a period of about two years, my husband was a vegetarian (after we'd been married 10 years). We'd always enjoyed lots of produce in our diet, but I'd never really put much thought into preparing meals without meat. This book gave me lots of ideas, including international recipes. Although we're both currently meat eaters, I still use this cookbook.

I'm always on the hunt for new cookbooks. Leave a comment below with your cookbook recommendations.