My Top Nine Must-Have Cookbooks

In continuing my New Year's declarations (instead of resolutions, which inevitably always fail), I'm going to talk a little about my top nine cookbooks. Now, if you've ever been in my kitchen (and if you're actually reading this blog, you probably have!), you would know that I have quite the ever-growing collection, so it's difficult to narrow it down to just nine, but since it is '09, that's what I will try to do here:

9. Japanese Cooking at Home by Hideo Dekura. Found this on the bargain book shelf and it was the best $4 I have ever spent. I never thought I could cook Japanese food that tasted like actual food in Japan, but according to my husband apparently I can!

8. Williams-Sonoma's The Bride and Groom Cookbook by Gayle Pirie and John Clark. I can't say that my husband and I actually cook these recipes together as the book intends, but the recipes are delicious and great for entertaining. Many recipes serve two, which is great for us as well. The brined pork chops are to die for.

7. How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson. When it comes to her cooking recipes, I'm pretty much ambivalent about Nigella, but baking is a whole different story. Every cookie, cake, and pastry of hers is fantastic and usually quite simple. And who doesn't love this woman's sly sense of humor? Even though I don't normally make her non-baked goods, I always have to buy her cookbooks for my reading pleasure.

6. Quick and Easy Thai by Nancie McDermott. I love all of Nancie's cookbooks, but this one is my favorite. Ever since I bought the book four years ago, I've never looked at Thai restaurants the same way, since now my homemade Thai is usually better! My favorite recipes in here are the curries, which are simple enough to make on even the busiest day.

5. The Breath of a Wok by Grace Young. If you've been to Hong Kong or China and returned home longing to recreate the unbelievable tastes you experienced there, buy this book now. It's the most authentic Chinese cookbook I know of and it's full of savory recipes and tips on seasoning, using, and maintaining a real wok (not the fake, non-stick surface kind!).

4. The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. This one is a classic and one of my numerous beloved Ina Garten Cookbooks. I might have put all of them on this list, but that's just silly.

3. Lidia's Family Table by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. Sometimes, I like to imagine that I might have a long-lost Italian grandmother who cooks all day and would teach me all of her treasured family recipes. But since I'm not the least bit Italian, that's probably never going to happen. Luckily, I found a good substitute on PBS and her companion cookbooks are incredible. Every dish is comforting, soulful, and the kind of food you want to cook for the people you love most.

2. Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten. Okay, so I had to put one more Ina book on here because I really LOVE this cookbook! Every dish in here makes me feel like I am eating at my favorite French bistro, but for a whole lot less money. Some of my absolute favorites: scallops Provencal, lamb persillade, steak au poivres, and the profiteroles.

can you guess number one? If not, you obviously haven't read yesterday's post...

1. The Joy of Cooking, 75th Anniversary Edition by Irma S. Rombauer. If you don't own this book, please do yourself a favor and buy it. Really, buy it now. Here's a link to Amazon.com. It has a good recipe for nearly anything you can think of, plus definitions, advice, and so much more. Julia Child called it "the one book she'd keep if she could only have one English title on the shelf." So, if that's not enough reason to buy it now, I don't know what is...