It's not a matter of someone else's idea. It's a matter of science. Whether your tastes are off beat, eclectic, crisp etc, the way the chemicals in foods interacts is all the same.

I stand by the fact that you do NOT need recipes made by other people to get inspiration in the kitchen.

is entitle to one's own opinion; it makes the world go round....

Matthew, I agree that once you reach a certain level of mastery, you don't NEED cookbooks or recipes. I'm a fan of Rouxbe because they are trying to make it easier for people to reach that level of mastery. But darn it I just LOVE cookbooks. They inspire me on a daily basis. I just picked up a very old and well-loved copy of Myra Waldo's "The Complete Round-the-World Cookbook" Wonderful! Every other page I mutter 'Cool, I never thought of that' like chicken livers in coconut milk with plum jam.

Julie, no apologies necessary. Just tell your sister to bake a cake or something. The Larousse folks don't do edition numbers. Each new one just says "Revised and updated" Probably October, probably $90. 0307464911

Hervé This' "Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor" is excellent by the way. Highly recommended. 9780231133135

I am sorry as well Matthew, as I totally agree with Chris (btw - thanks for the props Chris). Even though I know how to cook and I know how to "think outside the box"...I love cookbooks and cooking magazines.

When I receive a cooking magazine in the mail, I get a little giddy inside. There are some good ideas and some interesting reading inside...minus all of the advertising (and there is more of that nowadays than actual recipes).

To me, it's kind of like saying if you are an artist you should never need or want to go and look at any other art, no museums, no galleries...I say, who cares where one gets their inspiration from. As long as people are in the kitchen cooking, that's what really matters!

Ok, so let me get this straight Matthew. Cookbooks are for amateurs.
Well, in that case, I'm proud to be an amateur, learning to cook.
I do consult your recommended 'The Flavor Bible', when considering a
recipe that tweaks my interest, as I too, like Julie, seldom follow a recipe to the letter. It depends on what's available at the market, in the pantry, the time available, etc. But, one thing I am sure of is, if I were a professional cook, I would still be a cookbook fanatic. Consider, that we amateurs are following/learning the 'master' recipes that you take for granted. You are using your experience to compliment the basics we are learning. That's what Rouxbe, I believe, is all about. I am a computer consultant by trade. If I relied only on my own ideas, I would have been out of business decades ago. What
I'm suggesting here, is that we can always learn from others, let alone be entertained, by reading about something we all love: cooking.
BTW: The original question asked: If you could only have 3 books about food & cooking, what would they be? >>The wording was meant to solicit more than 'just' recipe cookbooks. For example, Dawn's suggested 'The River Cottage Meat cookbook', is far more than a book of just recipes. It is informative, makes one think where our food comes from, and just a darn good read.

I had to pay a visit to the new Barnes & Noble (please Chris W forgive me) 55,000 sq ft which opened today, so I couldn't resist. Voila smack dab in the front of an ENORMOUS COOKING SECTION, I mean huge, huge, is The Flavor Bible you referred to Matthew. I just went to check out the place. Okay, on your ever-so-much hype, I perused through it, and put it in my basket. I wandered a little further into the section and they had the newly translated version of The Silver Spoon (I have the Italian version, but it is oh so much better in my primary language). Please no more arguments about cookbooks. I had to give up my first love (shoes, because I could no longer justify the expenditure given I no longer work in a profession which requires awesome shoes) so I need another indulgence. Cookbooks are so harmless, really. And then they had a dynamite one on spices called the Spice Bible. I am so tickled. The Spice Bible was the least heavy so it came with me on the plane. It is just lovely. Can a non-novel be lovely? I can't even tell you how happy I am at the moment. I will have to make another trip when I have more time to spend there, like a few hours; I do so love bookstores. Does that make me a nerd? Not that I really care, anyway.....toodles have a fab evening

I think we have spanked Matthew enough, so I won't go there. Yes the Flavor Bible and the Spice Bible are great. I am a confessed Penzey's junkie. I'm a guy, so shoes.. not so much. But, yes, a non-novel can be lovely. Flower Confidential and Fortune Cookie Chronicles are HIGHLY recommended. Julie, wear your nerd badge proudly. We actually rule the world. Did you know that? Your nerd badge will get you through more doors than you might imagine. Always ask.

Totally off topic, but this came up earlier elsewhere. My favorite Hemingway quote that I use (probably too often) is " It would be lovely to think so"

And - entirely unrelated - Hemingway's possible answer to why did the chicken cross the road?

To die. Alone. In the rain.

File those away for future use. I know you will find a way to slip either into a conversation some time.

For days and days. Anyway, I do not mind being a nerd. I usually know how to end up on my feet. I am delighted with the Spice Bible. Now I need to go home to my favorite chefs supply store for herbs ans spices and get cooking on some interesting dishes. Tonight is Joe's recommended Pork with Morels and I am lucky the butcher had Berkshire pork loin. Again a happy camper and I hope the partner will love it. He is usually open minded about new dishes. Ciao

Nice one Chris!

Thanks Dawn, (bows deeply) Love you guys. Keep the magic working. And keep cooking Julie - you got the magic. I love this community. No one here has to die alone, in the rain. And none of us are chickens.

Sorry I have been late in responses. We're in full swing of the summer season and the restaurant is turning over almost 3k people a day... granted, we're open for all three meals...

That, however, is leaving me working 18 hour days and not having the energy at the end of the day to get on the web.

I hardly feel beaten up by any of the responses.

At no point did I ever say cookbooks were amateurs. Simply put, I stated that I hate them because you don't really GAIN anything from them. Actually learning how and why food behaves the way it does... learning the basis of what cooking IS rather than following directions set forth by someone who understands these things is far more useful, in my opinion.

Even in obtaining my culinary degree from CIA, at no point were we ever given recipes to work with to learn these 'basics' you tout on about. We were told that a stock consists of x parts y, z parts a, etc... And on down the line. From there, you gain the backbone of your culinary repertoire.

Now, to play devil's advocate against myself, I will agree with Dawn. The ONLY time I pick up a cookbook is when I wish to see what my competition is doing. What flavor profiles and new ways they've mixed flavors or what new techniques they've been trying... but it's been decades since I've followed a recipe written by someone else.

I have just spent the evening perusing through The Flavor Bible. I have been in my little bit of heaven. Just breathtakingly happy. It is such a fabulous book, I have been studying it like the good little student I was 20-odd years ago and having a fantastic time. I know it is odd to go on and on about how elated doing something like this makes me, but no one else understands, really, not my best friends or my sisters, they just think I'm bizarre. Maybe I am, but I am wicked happy, too. Thank you, Matthew for the turn on to it, without you, I wouldn't have found it. I love this site, the best best best.

Matthew, thank you for this one. I grew up with a mother who was, basically, a non-cook, and most everything I have learned has been through my own research and experience.

I, too, don't like recipes, except as a starting point. I'll come up with an idea, and then will look for a similar recipe in order to get things like approximate cooking times, and so on. I'm good at this.

However, I tend to stick with flavor combinations I know are safe, and will be the first to admit that I am a bit overly-conservative in this regard. Things like salt, garlic, and pepper I am completely comfortable with, and I think many would admit that if they had to choose only three seasonings, instead of three cookbooks, these would be the three. In fact, I shall start a thread asking this very question, once I get done with this post.

However, when I watch shows like Iron Chef, and watch these people put this, that, and this, and that, and the other thing in a dish because "all of them compliment the flavor of the main ingredient," I am in awe. I think "The Flavor Bible" might be able to teach me how to use seasonings a little better.

I would, for example, have thought that in your crockpot chicken dish in another thread, the rosemary wouldn't blend at all well with the cream, especially if it is being cooked all day. because rosemary is so resinous and acidic. I usually use rosemary as an aromatic with a roast, or I only add it at the very last to a simmering pot. I never would have thought of adding it to a pot of cream that was simmering all day. But, as you have first-hand experience with this, you would know better than I.

Thanks again for pointing me in the direction of this apparently wonderful book. I shall pick it up post-haste, and no doubt learn a lot from it.

As far as the original question regarding cookbooks goes, I have a very difficult time choosing only three. It's like "Ask me today, and I will tell you one thing. Ask me a week from now, and I will tell you another."

However, for now, the first IS a recipe book, but I choose it because it teaches how to do everything from soufflé to rodent stew. This is, of course, "The Joy Of Cooking." And, as others have said, mine is from before they started getting rid of the fat.

The second would be "The Art of Mexican Cooking" by Diana Kennedy. She spent decades wandering about Mexico to learn this stuff, and this book is as much an instruction manual regarding technique, and an insight into Mexican culture, as it is a recipe book.

The third at this point, would be one of the books by Alton Brown. His books are almost all technique, with a few recipes thrown in, and as vilified as he is in some circles, his goals are similar to mine; to understand the science of cooking.

I guess if I had to pick at least one cook book... it would be The James Beard Cookbook... because well... it's so well written and has tons of hilarious anecdotes in it.

Beard deserves his legendary reputation. His Beard on Bread is still chock full of most of my favorites. And that's just bread.

1. Kitchen confidential
2. roasting in Hell's Kitchen
3. Jamie's Italy

If anyone liked Kitchen confdential- check out Bourdain's fiction (Bone in Throat, Gone Bamboo, and his historic writing on Typhoid Mary is good too)

I enjoy cookbooks for a basic recipe, but they always must be tweaked, but I see a recipe as more of a formula. I don't like volumetric measurement. My sister and dad live by Fannie Farmer, but whenever I make anything that she says to use baking soda in, it puffs up ridiculously (pancake batter should be able to sit for five minutes!) They blame it on the baking powder, which works just fine in everything else. One book that doesn't seem to fail me in a pinch is America's Test Kitchen, in the red binder form. I love Alton Brown's cookbooks as well, because he doesn't say in each recipe "mix until just combined." He explains the muffin method, and then lets you go.

It's the difference between volumetric amounts of celery, onion, and carrot; and saying mirepoix.

Very adorable! And also a big fan of ATC and AB. But, remember, people start out new at some point so mirepoix might perplex them, yet they have to learn. I think all recipes need tweaking since my palate is odd, to say the least. Speaking of learning and help to the Board, I am making a Cassoulet for the first time. Any hints for success? Not something I would normally make, a special request. Nervous about the duck confit. I've never ever made it.