The BEST Cookbooks, aka: Dale, the Cookbook Junkie

Hey everybody!

My name is Dale, and I'm a cookbook-aholic.

There, I said it. I love to cook, and I love to recreate the best recipes in the world, try new things, and treat my lovely wife to yummy food. So, I have good reasons to go cookbook-crazy, don't you think?

Below are my favorite cookbooks, with reasons why I love them, and links for you to purchase your own copies!




From left to right:

Joy of Cooking - this vintage edition of this classic was a housewarming gift from Mere's mom (who is no slouch in the kitchen) {get it at my Amazon store here!}

What To Cook and How To Cook It - beautiful images make this not only great but super informative. I picked up this book at Anthropologie because of it's great demonstrations. {get it at my Amazon store here!}

Volt Ink - Loved seeing these brothers battle it out on Top Chef (kinda like my bro and I would do, which is why I love them). I only wish the older bro would've one. ;) {get it at my Amazon store here!}

Cook Like A Rockstar - Chef Anne Burrell makes cooking easy and it tastes amazing (Braised Short Ribs, bacon mac&cheese, and gnocchi are fabulous) {get it at my Amazon store here!}

The Professional Chef - This Culinary Institute of America book is the GODFATHER of cookbooks! Not only does it include executive chef stuff (like calculating food costs), it also has great recipes and countless techniques. {get it at my Amazon store here!}

'Wichcraft - Mere loves a good sandwich, and claims a sandwich is always better when someone else makes it for you. So, this gourmet sandwich book by Tom Collichio is my get-out-of-the-doghouse cookbook. (Oh, and mine is signed by the chef!) {get it at my Amazon store here!}

Think Like A Chef - This book made Collichio one of my favorite chefs. Reading how he approaches ingredients, in addition to his recipes, taught me a lot about how to look at food and how it works together. Collichio's goal (which he achieved in my case) is that you'll be able to cook without recipes when finished with the book. {get it at my Amazon store here!}

Bar Americain Cookbook - Bobby Flay. Enough Said. This Iron Chef shares recipes from his famed NYC restaurant. {get it at my Amazon store here!}

Live To Cook - Iron Chef Michael Symon, one of my favorite chefs, created this book awhile back (I have his new book, Carnivore, on pre-order). He does amazing things with pork, if you're a fan! {get it at my Amazon store here!}

Nature - Alain Ducasse is like chef royalty. I had the privilege of eating at Mix, and Alain Ducasse restaurant in March and was in heaven. This book, also an Anthropologie find, covers all sorts of recipes, not only for main dishes but for his stocks and sauces. I love that! {get it at my Amazon store here!}

Morimoto - The amazing Iron Chef, who has brushed shoulders with yours truly at his NYC restaurant, created a truly beautiful book. I don't know if buying this book is practical from someone like me living in the midwest (where finding his ingredients are darn near impossible), but it's a work of art. {get it at my Amazon store here!}

Mesa Grill Cookbook - I remember the first taste I had at Mesa Grill in Vegas - I understood what people mean when they say taste explosion. From one taste of sauce, it took on three different flavors. Yeah, it kind of blew my mind. Well, anyway, this book has those recipes! It's a must have for anyone who likes spicy and southwestern cuisine. {get it at my Amazon store here!}

5 Ingredient Fix - this is the first book I ever cooked my way through. Claire Robinson (who I have a little crush on), is the host of the show with the same name as this book. The recipes are fairly simple and the pictures are beautiful - of course, as I got this one at Anthropologie also, that was expected. {get it at my Amazon store here!}

Grilled Cheese, Please - finding this last book was a total fluke. I was wondering aimlessly in Williams Sonoma as Mere was shopping at the Promenade and stumbled upon this in the small sales section. Flipping through its pages, I wanted to see if they had anything like what I could expect to order at my favorite grilled cheese restaurant, Hammontrees. Well, my eyes popped out of my head when I saw that not only were the sandwiches amazing, there was one by Chad Hammontree himself! How cool is that?! I need to take it in and get signed! {get it at my Amazon store here!}

Talk to you soon,
Dale