The 21 Cookbooks Our Editors Consider Essential for Every Kitchen

What cookbooks do you consider essential? Which do you keep returning to when you're craving Italian food, need weekday dinner inspiration, or want something you can read over and over again like a beloved novel? Forget about the classic tomes you think you should love, but have sat dusty on your shelves for years; what books do you actually cook from, reference constantly, and gift to beginner and expert cooks alike? These are the questions I recently posed to my fellow Serious Eats staffers while I was gathering titles for this list. And, luckily, they obliged, sharing their recommendations for the books that have had—and continue to have—the greatest impacts in their own kitchens.

Of course, no list of cookbooks can ever be definitive. We all resonate with different techniques and cuisines; what is vital in my kitchen may be an afterthought in yours. Even the most intrepid among us are likely to return to familiar foodways, leaving others sorely missed. I’m not foolish enough to claim that this is the be-all and end-all of cookbook collections, but consider this an expertly curated starting place as you build up your own library of essentials. Of course, no list of cookbooks can ever be definitive. We all resonate with different techniques and cuisines; what is vital in my kitchen may be an afterthought in yours. Even the most intrepid among us are likely to return to familiar foodways, leaving others sorely missed. I’m not foolish enough to claim that this is the be-all and end-all of cookbook collections, but consider this an expertly curated starting place as you build up your own library of essentials. 

Of this I am sure: Serious Eats editor emeritus Stella Parks is one of the greatest recipe developers and baking writers of our time. The way she covers the history, techniques, and ingredients that go into her desserts is all at once steadfastly earnest, infectiously curious, and deeply nerdy. She taught me, as a young baker, that sweets deserve just as much dignity and respect as savory dishes. Her work culminates in BraveTart, a compendium of American treats that offers up classics like Double-Vanilla Ice Cream and cinnamon rolls, as well as nostalgic faves like homemade Twinkies and Milky Way Bars. When I get a hankering for something sweet, this book is my first stop.

“COOKIES. Need I say more? Fine: Jesse Szewczyk's book is on the newer side, but it's iconic and manages to be both fundamental and innovative at the same time. The recipes are rock-solid, and I love that the chapters are organized by cookie style. That helps cement the 'why' of certain techniques, like creaming butter and sugar. Plus, the images are stunning and true-to-form. I've never had a recipe not turn out perfectly." — Rochelle Bilow, editor

Whether you’re a beginner baker or you’ve been at it for decades, you will find a companion in The Baking Bible. Rose Levy Beranbaum leaves nothing to chance, meticulously walking you through each technique and providing volume and weight tables in place of traditional bulleted ingredient lists (be still, my Type A heart). Her tie-dye-esque Lemon and Cranberry Tart Tart (ha) is one of my favorites to make as an unexpected holiday dessert, though the book’s extensive cake section is what I return to the most.

“For curious bakers who want to understand not just the art but the science of baking, there is Sift. The recipes are all works of art, and they serve to instill a deeper understanding of the technique involved. This is a giftable book, too—perfect for beginner bakers hungry for knowledge." — Daniel Gritzer, editorial director

Pies are one of the most advanced baking projects a home cook can take on—fiddly crusts, complex fillings, and tough-to-nail decorations can make them feel overwhelmingly difficult for many hobby bakers. But, even if you have never made a pie from scratch before in your life, this book makes it feel not only doable, but fun. The thing I love most about The Book on Pie is the accessibility that McDowell brings to her writing. In every sentence, there is a feeling of, "Yes, you can do big, hard things, and I’m here to help you along the way." This book is full of expert tutorials and creative mix-and-match opportunities, which makes it my go-to when I need a kick out of an uninspired cooking routine. On the subject of pie—and cooking with care—it is my sacred text.

“Many years ago, I was freshly unemployed and spending hours applying for jobs at the Bryant Park New York Public Library branch. After I hit whatever self-imposed quota I had set for myself, I would wander the shelves to pull books at random to help devour the remaining hours of the day before I trekked back to Brooklyn. One day, I pulled The Fragile Feast by Hannah Collins. I had never thought critically before about the stories you could tell around food or about how food photography could be so much more than an Instagrammed dish. This book changed that for me. In simplest terms, this book traces the origins of ingredients used by Ferran Adrià at El Bulli, one of the most famous restaurants in the world. Collins, however, manages to do so much more than the simple travel reportage you might expect with that premise. You won't find a single recipe in this book. Rather, each ingredient is captured and explored in the territory it originates from, with appearances by those who cultivate it and the methods of production, all leading back to its final destination at El Bulli. It's beautiful and poetic, and I guarantee it will cause you to think and look differently at ingredients known and unknown to you.” — Amanda Suarez, associate director, visuals

“Look, is this the kind of transportive, aspirational book like Basque Country by Marti Buckley that makes you drift into romantic culinary daydreams? No. Is it a book you curl up in bed with? Absolutely not. But do I think it is, and always will be, an essential book for anyone who wants to deepen their relationship with food and truly understand what is happening as they cook? Absolutely. McGee breaks down the chemistry and mechanics of cooking in a way that makes you a calmer, more intuitive cook. When I was still building that foundational knowledge, it was an indispensable resource, and I still reach for it when I want to double-check something from time to time. When we understand food, we cook it better, and that understanding deepens our relationship with it in a really meaningful way." — Laila Ibrahim, associate culinary editor

“If McGee is the essential scientific cooking reference, Serious Eats' own J. Kenji López-Alt's massive book, The Food Lab, based on his popular column on the site, doubles down on that premise, with a ton of delicious recipes to go with it. Page by page, Kenji lives the 'show, don't tell' credo of a good scientist, demonstrating why recipes and techniques work the way they do, how to make things better, and when not to believe conventional wisdom. It's an instant classic." — Daniel

“If you want to better understand the use and development of flavor in cooking, make room on your shelf for The Flavor Equation. Sharma is a trained molecular scientist who breaks down the biology of flavor in chapters on all the bright, bitter, salty, sweet, savory, fiery, and rich tastes we crave, with context for how aroma, mouthfeel, sight, and so much more play a role in how we enjoy our food. He also develops recipes for Serious Eats (like this Vegetable Biryani or his Vegan Aquafaba Cookies)." — Daniel

“Some cookbooks inspire. Others are utilitarian. ('What's for dinner?') The very best, in my opinion, teach. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is elemental for beginner cooks. It uses recipes to explain the science behind cooking and flavor building. It's the most empowering book a new cook can read. Honestly, I wish I had known about it before I paid tens of thousands of dollars to attend culinary school." — Rochelle

Joy of Cooking has been a classic in American households for nearly a century because it offers a crash course—or rather, thousands of crash courses—on all kinds of culinary techniques, classic recipes, and even kitchen gear. It may be a tad intimidating for beginners, often packing a dozen recipes or uninterrupted columns of text across a two-page spread explaining, say, the differences between various types of wheat and non-wheat flours. If you can learn to navigate it, though, you’ll be rewarded with an undeniable wealth of culinary resources. 

It’s hard to even summarize everything this tome includes. Illustrated sections on the equipment you need to brew and serve coffee, how to set your table (in several configurations), a few dozen cake icing recipes and ways to pipe them, and even a chapter on how to dress and prepare small game (including porcupines and raccoons)—and that’s barely scratching the surface. No matter the topic, if it’s related to cooking or dining, this book has it.

“The question of what cookbooks I consider essential gets more and more difficult for me to answer as time goes on. Many of the cookbooks I consult the most are on more niche subjects or specific cuisines, because I'm seeking information on topics that I don't have expertise in. But it's hard to say those books are 'essential' for everyone—they're without a doubt essential for me. I rarely crack open any kind of general cooking reference anymore, because that's knowledge I mostly have. One book that comes to mind is Tom Collichio's Think Like a Chef, which does an excellent job of explaining core techniques and recipe components in the Western kitchen and then demonstrating how to apply them in various ways to create your own dishes. It's an excellent entry point for the curious cook looking to solidify basic skills and an understanding of how and when to use them." — Daniel

“I love all of Julia Turshen's cookbooks, so choosing one to highlight had me hemming and hawing. Her books are full of practical, easy, and super flavorful dishes that turn Tuesday night dinners into less of a chore and more of a delightful putter in the kitchen. What Goes with What is her latest book (it came out in 2024), and I find myself turning to it regularly. The chicken gochujang meatballs are one of my favorite recipes; they're so easy and so delicious. Just mix the ingredients together (the sesame oil adds such a great depth of flavor), bake, then pour on a glaze and voila. Served with some rice and a quick cucumber pickle, it's the most satisfying weeknight meal." — Grace Kelly, senior editor

“I recently wrote about my love for Judy Rodgers' The Zuni Café Cookbook. The book equipped me with many of the skills and techniques I needed to become a better cook, like how to season properly, how to pair certain ingredients, and just hone my intuition. I still refer to it constantly!" — Genevieve Yam, senior editor

I Dream of Dinner is by far my most cooked-from book. Recipes like Chicken and Rice with Smoked Paprika and Smacked Vegetables with Feta and Dill are routine-worthy without ever feeling common and simplified without seeming dumbed-down. Ali Slagle takes a casual yet assured approach to recipe writing, providing a diligently constructed foundation and trusting you'll be able to eyeball a few tablespoons of grated ginger or a bit of harissa along the way. She provides helpful explanations and lights alternative paths—for making a dish vegetarian or using up leftover rice, for example—but doesn't fuss over cumbersome details. It's a book that acknowledges both the dignity and tedium of the most special meal of our lives, the one we're most often cooking and eating together: the everyday dinner.

“Since its publication in 2019, Jubilee has racked up accolades and awards: The James Beard Awards, IACP Awards, and Julia Child Award, to name a few. The book is comprehensive and well-researched, with over 100 recipes from Black cooks. The recipes—including Spoon Bread and Buttermilk Fried Chicken—sing with heritage and time-worn technique. Put simply: Jubilee has quickly become a leading piece of literature in American cooking canon" — Daniel

“This book covers a vast expanse of food cultures and traditions, but Maricel Presilla does it in such a respectful way. When she researched this book, she actually went out and met people in their kitchens, learning their takes on heritage recipes and honoring their contributions—every recipe has a story. And they're fantastic, too. The Argentine empanadas with chimichurri roja are a revelation, the piquant sauce given a smoky edge from paprika (it's also excellent on steak grilled a la parilla). They're my go-to dish when I want to impress people." — Grace

“I once had the honor of interviewing the legendary Madhur Jaffrey, and she told me that she'd never intended to be pigeonholed as an authority on Indian and Asian foods. 'I've been to Italy more times,' she said. And yet, becoming known as one of the foremost authorities on Indian cooking is precisely what happened when she published An Invitation to Indian Cooking in 1973. It and her subsequent books helped introduce American cooks to a cuisine that, at the time, was hardly known here at all. If she ever does publish a book on Italian cooking, I'd happily buy it, too." — Daniel

“This may be a newer cookbook than many on this list, but it's just as essential to me. Andrea Nguyen's 2019 book lives up to the promise of its title, with recipes for dishes that are doable any day of the week, such as herby oven-steamed eggs, gingery greens and shrimp soup, smoked turkey pho, and garlic noodles with shiitake mushrooms. Nguyen uses convenience items like rotisserie chicken to speed up meal prep, and the book is full of tips that can be applied to any cuisine. The gorgeous photos by the late photographer Aubrie Pick seal the deal." — Megan O. Steintrager, associate editorial director

“I am not the first person to call Marcella Hazan the Julia Child of Italian cooking, and I will not be the last. This book is, and possibly always will be, the go-to English-language source on regional Italian cooking, and for good reason: Hazan was deeply knowledgeable, exacting, and opinionated, as all good Italian cooks should be. For more Italian culinary titles, see Emily Teel’s cookbook recommendations." — Daniel

“Shizuo Tsuji's masterwork on Japanese cooking is as useful today as it was when it was first published, more than two decades ago. He takes you through essential equipment, cooking techniques, ingredients, recipes, and—just as important—the philosophy that underlies it all. Reading this book doesn't just help you learn to cook Japanese food; it helps you to understand and appreciate it far more, too." — Daniel

Why We're the Experts

• Ashlee Redger is a writer for Serious Eats. She worked as a professional chef and recipe developer for nearly a decade. She also helped create a cookbook club and a food-themed podcast series with one of her local public libraries in the early 2020s.
• Ashlee asked the rest of the Serious Eats team which cookbooks they think everyone should own, and gathered their answers here.
• Editorial director Daniel Gritzer wrote a previous iteration of this list, and the current collection reflects some of his longtime recommendations.