The Best Cookbooks

I am not only a self-confessed foodie, but also (would like to be) a gourmet cook. Can you see me, in cooking aprons, holding up a chicken by a hand and gesturing with the other as a french cook would to explain the nuances of errr...'exotic saucy chicken with pepper and salt' ? Anyway as a start to that about twelve years ago, i started reading cook books and although my cooking has not improved, my knowldege of its theory has. I am letting you into my list of the best cookbooks ever as i have read it all.

Claudia Roden is a name to reckon with in the world of cookbooks. This is the best read i have ever done on cooking, and by the time i finished one reading, i was so much better informed that i immediately started on a second read.

This one is a classic, a real one. The meticulous care taken to elaborate on the traditional recipes as well as divised ones, ensures that the book will invite you for several rereads. The imagery connected with food is simply lovely, and the deep tradition enclosed between the covers ensures that it never goes out of date.

Elizabeth David needs no introduction to a person who loves reading about cooking. This book is enjoyable for several things, the style of writing is very fluid, the tips you pick up and unlike me put it use will be several. Forget the fat that this came out in the 1960s, it can still be read by a layman starting out and found an ocean of knowledge.

Julia Child's name is synonymous with French Cooking, since the time she co-authored the 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' She was there with her ways to get round french cuisine much before the celebrity cooks of the TV era. The details are given so exactly that you feel ready to try the recipe out after a first read. Do get it.

Amazon.com sells all these books I have mentioned and more. Browse through their lists and make your own choices. This list by the way, is my personal preference in cookbooks and not the ultimate choice..