Ranked · Culture
Best cookbooks of all time
The ten best cookbooks of all time, from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and The Food Lab to Julia Child and Marcella Hazan, and who each book suits best.
Bitezine Editorial TeamRankings, reviews & guides 9 min read
AI generatedThe best cookbooks of all time do more than list recipes. They teach you why food works, so you cook with more confidence long after you close the book. The ten below include modern guides that explain technique, classic cookbooks that defined a cuisine for home cooks, and the vegetable-forward books that changed how many people cook today.
We compared chef and critic recommendations, long-running lists of cookbooks every home cook should own, and major honours such as the James Beard Awards. We favoured books that are still in print, have recipes that work in an ordinary kitchen, and have stayed useful to readers for years. We also looked for variety across cuisines and skill levels.
At a glance
#1 · Best for Beginners and improving cooks
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
The best book for learning to cook
Samin Nosrat breaks cooking down into four elements and shows how to balance them in any dish. The first half teaches principles with friendly illustrations by Wendy MacNaughton, and the second half gives recipes to practise on. It won a James Beard Award and became a Netflix documentary series.
- Teaches principles, not just recipes
- Illustrated guides and charts
- James Beard Award winner
- Netflix series adaptation
- Author
- Samin Nosrat
- First published
- 2017
- Focus
- Technique and flavour
#2 · Best for Curious cooks who ask why
The Food Lab
The science of home cooking
J. Kenji López-Alt tests common kitchen advice with experiments and explains what actually works. The book covers everyday American dishes like eggs, steaks, soups and burgers, with many step-by-step photos. It won the 2016 James Beard Award for general cooking.
- Science-backed techniques
- Detailed step-by-step photos
- James Beard Award 2016
- Comfort food focus
- Author
- J. Kenji López-Alt
- First published
- 2015
- Focus
- Kitchen science
#3 · Best for Ambitious weekend cooks
Mastering the Art of French Cooking
The classic that taught a nation
Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle wrote this book to bring French cooking to American home kitchens. Its detailed, step-by-step instructions make classic dishes like boeuf bourguignon achievable. The first volume came out in 1961, followed by a second in 1970.
- Detailed classic French recipes
- Clear technique explanations
- Two volumes
- Inspired the film Julie & Julia
- Author
- Julia Child, Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle
- First published
- 1961
- Focus
- French cuisine
#4 · Best for Cooks who love bold flavours
Jerusalem
Vibrant flavours from a divided city
Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, who grew up on opposite sides of Jerusalem, collected recipes that reflect the city's mix of cultures. The dishes are bold, colourful and full of herbs, spices and vegetables. It is one of the most popular cookbooks of its decade.
- Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dishes
- Plenty of vegetable recipes
- Beautiful photography
- Stories behind the food
- Author
- Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi
- First published
- 2012
- Focus
- Middle Eastern cuisine
#5 · Best for Lovers of Italian food
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
The best Italian cookbook for home cooks
Marcella Hazan combined her first two books into this single volume of traditional Italian home cooking. Her instructions are exact and her recipes, such as the famous tomato sauce with butter and onion, are simple and reliable. It remains the reference many chefs recommend for Italian food.
- Traditional regional recipes
- Precise, reliable instructions
- Pasta, risotto and sauces
- Combines two earlier books
- Author
- Marcella Hazan
- First published
- 1992
- Focus
- Italian cuisine
#6 · Best for A single all-purpose cookbook
How to Cook Everything
The everyday kitchen reference
Mark Bittman's big book covers basic techniques and thousands of recipes with simple variations for each. It is organised so you can look up almost any ingredient or dish and find a straightforward way to make it. Updated editions keep it current, and there is a companion vegetarian volume.
- Thousands of recipes
- Variations for each dish
- Clear basic techniques
- Vegetarian companion book
- Author
- Mark Bittman
- First published
- 1998
- Focus
- General reference
#7 · Best for A lifetime reference
Joy of Cooking
America's kitchen bible
Irma S. Rombauer self-published Joy of Cooking in 1931, and it has been revised many times since. It covers everything from basic stocks and baking to preserving and entertaining. The 2019 edition, updated by her family, adds modern recipes while keeping the encyclopedic approach.
- Encyclopedic range of recipes
- Baking and preserving sections
- Regularly revised editions
- Latest edition published 2019
- Author
- Irma S. Rombauer and family
- First published
- 1931
- Focus
- General reference
#8 · Best for Experienced cooks who want range
The Silver Spoon
Italy's household cookbook
First published in Italy in 1950 as Il cucchiaio d'argento, The Silver Spoon has been a standard wedding gift and kitchen reference in Italian homes. The English edition from Phaidon collects more than 2,000 recipes across all courses. It is broad rather than detailed, so it suits cooks with some experience.
- More than 2,000 recipes
- Covers every course
- Italian household classic
- Several themed spin-off books
- Author
- Editoriale Domus (compiled)
- First published
- 1950 (English edition 2005)
- Focus
- Italian cuisine
#9 · Best for Vegetarians and vegetable lovers
Plenty
Vegetables as the star
Based on Yotam Ottolenghi's vegetarian column in The Guardian, Plenty shows how inventive and satisfying meat-free food can be. Recipes are organised by vegetable and use lots of herbs, grains and spices. It helped change how many home cooks think about vegetarian cooking.
- Fully vegetarian
- Organised by vegetable
- Bold, colourful dishes
- Follow-up: Plenty More
- Author
- Yotam Ottolenghi
- First published
- 2010
- Focus
- Vegetarian cooking
#10 · Best for Readers who love food writing
How to Eat
Warm, practical and a joy to read
Nigella Lawson's first book is as much about how to think about food as it is about recipes. She writes about cooking for one, for crowds, on a budget and in a hurry, with a relaxed, personal voice. It is a cookbook many people read cover to cover.
- Chapters by occasion
- Relaxed, personal writing
- Practical everyday recipes
- Great for reading, not just cooking
- Author
- Nigella Lawson
- First published
- 1998
- Focus
- Home cooking
How to choose
If you are learning, pick cookbooks that teach technique before you pick a cuisine. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is the best cookbook for beginners who want to understand flavour, while The Food Lab explains the science behind everyday dishes. How to Cook Everything and Joy of Cooking are broad reference books you can use for almost any question.
If you already cook and want to explore, choose by cuisine. Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking is the best Italian cookbook for home cooks, Mastering the Art of French Cooking is the French classic, and Jerusalem and Plenty are the Ottolenghi cookbooks most people start with. Plenty is also one of the best vegetarian cookbooks. For the best cookbook gifts, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and Jerusalem are beautiful and widely loved.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best cookbook of all time?
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There is no single answer, but Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child and her co-authors and Joy of Cooking are the most influential classics. For modern home cooks, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat is one of the most recommended books because it teaches principles rather than just recipes.
What is the best cookbook for beginners?
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Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is ideal for understanding how flavour works, and How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman covers basic dishes with clear instructions. Both help beginners cook without needing to follow a recipe word for word.
What is the best Ottolenghi cookbook to start with?
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Jerusalem, written with Sami Tamimi, is a favourite for its flavourful Middle Eastern dishes. Plenty is the best start if you want vegetarian food. Ottolenghi Simple is designed for quicker weeknight cooking with fewer ingredients.
What cookbook explains the science of cooking?
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The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt explains the science behind everyday cooking through tested experiments, from searing steak to making mayonnaise. It won a James Beard Award in 2016. Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking is the classic reference on food science.
What is the best Italian cookbook?
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Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan is the most widely recommended. It combines her first two books and focuses on traditional home cooking with precise instructions. The Silver Spoon is a larger, encyclopedic alternative that has been a standard in Italian homes since 1950.
Are cookbooks still worth buying when recipes are online?
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Yes, if you choose well. Good cookbooks are tested, organised and written by one author with a clear point of view, and the best ones teach techniques you can use without a recipe. Online recipes are useful for quick ideas, but quality varies widely.
Which Joy of Cooking edition should I buy?
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The most recent edition, published in 2019 and revised by Irma Rombauer's great-grandson John Becker and his wife Megan Scott, is the best choice for most cooks. It updates the recipes and techniques while keeping the book's broad reference style.
If you buy only one, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat will improve your cooking most, because it changes how you think rather than just what you make. Pair it with a big reference such as How to Cook Everything and one cuisine book you love, and you have a small shelf of the best cookbooks that will serve you for years.
How we research: We compare each product on the same criteria, using makers’ documentation, independent reviews and owner feedback, and re-check the list when products change.
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Bitezine Editorial Team
Rankings, reviews & guides
Our editors research every piece from makers’ documentation, independent tests and owner reports, and update it when products change.
