The other day, I decided to tackle the task of organizing my bookshelf. Growing up, my shelves used to be filled with all kinds of books on philosophy, theology, military intelligence groups, and every single one of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novels. Strange child, I was. Fast forward a few decades and now my shelves contain books covering only two major topics, with more than half of the shelves dedicated to cookbooks.
Discovering a great cookbook is, for me, like finding treasure you never even knew was out there. Some of my most loved cookbooks are the ones recommended by friends, and a few are even written by friends.
Finding treasure is always a fun activity, even better when we all can share the rewards. So let’s go hunting! Tell us:
What are some of your favorite cookbooks?
And by favorite, I mean the ones with the dog-eared pages, or with 36 makeshift bookmarks sticking out of the edges. The ones with pages wrinkled from water splashes, translucent blobs from oil spills, and hazy colored spots from “something or other, just please let it be clean.” The ones with creased spines from repeated photocopying because you just had to share a copy of it with your mom, sister, aunt, and that nice lady you always see at the library who said you had a lovely smile.
The books on my shelf are always happy to welcome new friends. So come share your favorites in the comments below!
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Jessica on 3.26.2014
I truly do use Ree’s cookbooks as often as possible. But also my mother hand-copied into a spiral notebook family recipes when I got married, so those recipes I often use more than others.
Dottie on 3.26.2014
My oldest, splotchiest, is probably the Betty Crocker Cookbook my mom gave me at my wedding shower in 1978..? She also gave me “Joy of Cooking”, which I have used as a reference as to the science of why we do certain things in cooking, but aren’t as “everyday” in the recipes department. In more recent years I have found myself using Ree’s first cookbook (although I tend to “lighten up” the ingredients a bit since we are not hard working cowboys and we’d weigh 1000 pounds if we ate like they do!), Gwyneth Paltrow’s “My Father’s Daughter”, Ina Garten’s “Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics” and Giada De Laurentiis’ “Giada’s Family Dinners”.
NancyW on 3.26.2014
My favorite is McCall’s cooking school cook book…I bought it years ago through the mail…
One piece at a time and now I have 2 binders full of wonderful recipes… I have a few that were handed down from my mom…which most are recipes put together by church groups…some ingredients that are no longer available..great recipes….
I even have my mom’s handwritten recipes from when I was a child..that I still use to this day…I love cook books…
Janice on 3.26.2014
My old, trusty, Fannie Farmer – it’s my go-to cookbook.
Next to that is our Hershey’s cookbook my son bought on a trip to Hershey Park. 
Auntie Chicken on 3.26.2014
A very old Betty Crocker Good and Easy cookbook. My mother had one from the fifties and the first book I bought for my self in the eighties was this one, It is dog-eared, stained, and everything else you mention, but a great go-to for easy basic recipes. I recommend it for a shower gift.
Carol on 3.26.2014
I have an old Best of the Pillsbury Bake-off competition that my Mom got back in the 60’s….it’s got 1000 recipes from the first 10 bake-offs. It’s worn and falling apart from use….boy do I love that book. It’s all about the cooking and baking from scratch….something I love doing. It’s recipes using real ingredients, not prepackaged stuff. They rereleased the cookbook a few years ago and I was lucky enough to stumble upon a copy-that way when this old one falls totally apart, I have one to replace it.
I also love the church cookbook my daughter and I put together a few years ago. It contains all of our family and friends’ recipes that have stood the test of time.
I’m an avid cookbook collector-well over 500 and counting…I read them like some people read a good novel.
SusanT on 3.26.2014
I have several favorites, but these are the splotchiest, and, therefore, the most beloved: The Joy of Cooking (1984 edition), Jacques Pepin’s Simple and Healthy Cooking (everything is easy and delicious), Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book (1963 edition found at a garage sale for 50 cents), Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cooking, Rick Bayless’s Mexico One Plate at a Time, and a community cookbook put out by a local high school as a fundraiser in the early 80’s. I wouldn’t want to do without any of these gems.
JoyK on 3.26.2014
I have an old Betty Crocker cookbook that has served me well for over 30 years. The ones I use most often at this point of my life are Ree’s first cookbook and America’s Test Kitchen cookbooks. But, I’m always looking for more. Just got Amy Theilen’s cookbook called “The New Midwestern Table” and Melissa D’Arabian’s “Ten Dollar Dinner’s” . I really like their shows on the Food Network so look forward to trying some of their recipes.
T2Nashville on 3.26.2014
Southern Living magazine is doing a great column on this in every issue as well. I’m learning about some beloved cookbooks that have stood the test of time. I have to say – for me, the dog-eared ones are the ones from churches I grew up in, or the local ones from my hometown (one done by BellSouth employees that has several different volumes – it’s a doozy!). These are the comfort foods I grew up with that I find myself making over and over again.