Cookbooks that made us better home cooks! Our top 10 favorites

Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

Have you ever wondered which cookbooks truly deserve a spot on your kitchen shelf?

Whether you’re dreaming of wowing guests with holiday-perfect cinnamon rolls or mastering a melt-in-your-mouth pot roast, the right cookbook can be a game-changer for any home cook.

In this episode, we’re diving into the cookbooks that have shaped how we cook—well-loved gems with splattered pages, the ones we gift over and over, and the timeless classics that every home chef should own.

By the end of the episode you’ll discover:

1. Why a cookbook with a collection of diverse recipes can be just as (if not more) supportive than one from a single author’s voice
2. How a chef from a top restaurant can teach you professional techniques that transform home cooking
3. The standout recipes from best-selling cookbooks that you’ll want to make on repeat

Hit play to uncover how these books spark joy, build confidence, and turn your everyday cooking into something extra special in the kitchen!

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Links:

Kari’s top 5:

Most cooked from: The 150 Best American Recipes, by Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens

Most inspiring: Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies, by Najmieh Batmanglij

Gifted the most to others: Sonya’s cookbook Braids, and The Cooks Illustrated Cookbook

Life changing: The Improvisational Cook, by Sally Schneider

Biggest influence: The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market Cookbook, by Amelia Satlzman

Sonya’s top 5:

Most cooked from: Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Most inspiring: Summer Kitchens by Olia Hercules

Gifted the most ot others: Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and Julia Turshen’s Small Victories

Life changing: The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden

Biggest influence: Prune: A Cookbook, by Gabrielle Hamilton

Recipe links from this episode:

Diana Kennedy’s Mexican corn soup

Butternut squash tahini spread from Jerusalem

Fresh Herb Khoresh (Khoresh-e qormeh sabzi) from Food of Life

Julia Turshen’s turkey meatball recipe from Small Victories

Toasted manti and cold candied oranges, by Gabrielle Hamilton from Prune

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