My Favorite Cookbooks

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash

Over the past few years, I’ve developed a love for cooking and baking. And because I’m a bibliophile, that means I want to own all the cookbooks. I have a decent-sized collection at this point, so today, I thought I’d share some of my favorites, and explain why I love them. 

You should know that despite my love of food and cooking, I have the palate of an 8-year-old. (I’m working on it!) I like cookbooks that are full of simplicity and don’t require me to hunt down ingredients that are hard to find. Pretty pictures don’t hurt, either.

Cravings and Cravings: Hungry for More by Chrissy Teigen

No cookbooks get more use in my kitchen than the two Cravings books by Chrissy Teigen. Her cheesy ham and green bean casserole is a Thanksgiving and Christmas staple. The black bean and mushroom enchilada casserole is a simple and delicious vegetarian option. I’m not a huge fan of breakfast foods, but the everything bagel casserole is absolute breakfast perfection. (I just realized while writing this paragraph that I have a thing for casseroles. I guess we can thank my Midwest roots for that.)

I love these two cookbooks because every recipe I’ve cooked from them is packed full of flavor and uses ingredients that I already have in my pantry. Plus, the photography is fantastic.

Magnolia Table Vol. 1 and Magnolia Table Vol. 2 by Joanna Gaines

Joanna Gaines has the best chocolate chip cookie recipe. (Her shortbreads are fantastic, too!) That’s reason enough to want to make more of her food, but there are others. Her Spanish rice is my favorite rice recipe, and I feel like I’ve tried so many looking for “the one.” I can barely handle how yummy her scalloped potatoes are, drenched in their cheesy, gooey sauce. I love few things in this world as much as I love queso, and her recipe does not disappoint.

I reach for these two cookbooks repeatedly during the holiday season because the recipes are perfect for a crowd as the portions are quite generous. I also appreciate the mix of main courses, sides, and desserts.

Half Baked Harvest and Half Baked Harvest: Super Simple by Tieghan Gerard

Is there an Instagram feed that is more drool-worthy than Half Baked Harvest? (No, there isn’t.) Instagram is where I first discovered Tieghan Gerard, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her cookbooks. While I enjoy and use both books a lot, the Super Simple one is my favorite because I like food that is both 1) super and 2) simple. (That book also includes a lot of Instant Pot recipes, which delights my IP-loving soul.) Gerard’s tomato soup recipe could not be easier, but it is packed full of bright, bold flavors. Her peanut butter chocolate bars are like a Reese’s cup married chocolate chip cookies and lived a long, happy life together. I like homemade mashed potatoes, but don’t like all the work involved, so her Instant Pot mashed potato recipe is just what I needed. 

If you’re a fan of Gerard’s blog and Instagram, don’t miss out on these cookbooks. You’ll use them all the time, I promise. 

Chefs’ Fridges: More Than 35 World-Renowned Cooks Reveal What They Eat at Home edited by Carrie Solomon

If you’re a visual and curious person like I am, you’ll love Chefs’ Fridges. I’m fascinated by what other people keep in their refrigerators and kitchens, so this book was satisfying on multiple levels. Unlike with the rest of these cookbooks, I don’t turn to this one too much for the recipes because the focus is primarily on the photographs and interviews with the chefs. Instead, I turn to this book for inspiration. I enjoy seeing what kind of sandwiches a person throws together after a long workday. It’s interesting to see what staples a chef always has around. Looking at this book (even just the pretty mint-colored spine) always makes me happy, and that’s reason enough to love it. 

Simple Cake by Odette Williams

I like to cook more than I like to bake, so I wasn’t sure how much I’d use this book. Though it’s true I don’t turn to this book nearly as often as I do some of the others on this list, I’m grateful I have it. The format of Simple Cake is wonderful and user-friendly. Readers are presented with various cake recipes that are simple staples, like chocolate and vanilla, but the book also contains recipes for frostings, compotes, and ways to mix and match the flavors. I’ll love this book forever because of the excellent chocolate cake recipe inside, but I also appreciate how fun it makes cake-baking and assembly.

The New York Times Cooking No-Recipe Recipes by Sam Sifton

The spirit of this cookbook is my favorite way to cook. Instead of relying on specific measurements, Sifton’s recipes call for some of this and a handful of that. There are some great basic recipes and some more “showstopper” dishes, but the book makes it all accessible and fun. I got a copy of this from my library this week, but I want to purchase my own copy soon. That’s a sign of true love.

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Do you use any of these cookbooks? What are some of your favorites?