by King Arthur Flour
A veritible encyclopedia of baking terminology, basic and advanced recipes and tremendously useful "common sense" information about baking. Winner of last year's James Beard Foundation's Cookbook of the Year Award, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in becoming a competent home baker. It's expensive but worth every penny.
by Fanny Merritt Farmer
Known, very simply, in many circles as "the Fanny Farmer," this is, in my esteem, the Escoffier of home cookbooks. It's a no-nonsense, frill-free kitchen resource. While the new paperback editions sport glossy covers and fancy modern day recipes, they're still great for all the basics. Wanna cook a pork chop without turning it into a hockey puck? Having trouble with pie dough? Looking for something to do with leftover organ meat? Fanny's your girl. Try to get your hands on an early 20th century hardcover edition and people will think you're a hot shot. I have my Grandma's.
by Sheila Lukins and Julie Rosso
This is a cookbook destined for dog-ears and broken spines. The recipe for Chicken Marbella has become
a classic in my kitchen and the carrot cake is the best, most fool-proof I've yet to come across. Winner of the 1991 James Beard Foundation Cookbook Award, it includes many of the recipes that made the tiny Silver Palate storefront such a Manhattan institution.
by Dorie Greenspan
One of the companion books to her majesty's phenomenal "Master Chef" series on PBS, this one might not be quite as helpful to the beginning baker as King Arthur. However, it does include some very accessible recipes for both savory and sweet every-day delights, fancy pastries, basic and artisanal breads. My personal favorite, one of the more complicated offerings, is for sticky buns. I made these Christmas morning the year my mother was flat on her back after surgery and unable to bake her usual much loved Monkey Bread. I believe it took two full days and about 8 sticks of butter to complete one pan of buns. They were totally worth it. The Alsacian onion tart and challah bread recipes are also pretty easy and very impressive at table. This book is a damned jewell.
by Marcella Hazan
It is my humble opinion that everyone should be able to make themeselves a decent bowl of spaghetti without having to resort to bottled sauce and pre-grated supermarket romano. It's very easy to make simple, delicious Italian dishes that will impress dinner guests, potential bedmates and even your Italian grandmother. Hazan's book will help you score.