Our Favorite Cookbooks, Nutrition Books, and Wellness Reads
It's almost summer reading season, and here's our list. These are the books we love and reach for: the cookbooks our chefs actually cook from, health books based on evidence, and a couple of productivity books worth your time.
Cookbooks for the Home Kitchen
Joy of Cooking — Irma S. Rombauer. The most enduring American cookbook, first published in 1931. Covers everything from basic techniques to full meals, and has been updated by her family over the years.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat — Samin Nosrat. Breaks cooking down into four essential elements. Teaches intuition and technique rather than strict recipes.
Mastering the Art of French Cooking — Julia Child. The book that introduced French cooking to American home kitchens. A foundational text for serious cooks.
On Food and Cooking — Harold McGee. Less a cookbook than a look at the science behind cooking — why ingredients behave the way they do, and why techniques work.
The Professional Chef — Culinary Institute of America. The CIA's main textbook. Precision, consistency, and classical technique.
The Food Lab — J. Kenji López-Alt. Scientific testing applied to everyday recipes, to find the best way to cook them at home.
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone — Deborah Madison. A comprehensive guide to vegetarian cooking, built on fresh, seasonal ingredients and simple preparations.
Chez Panisse Café Cookbook — Alice Waters. Recipes from the pioneer of farm-to-table. Elegant but simple, built around quality ingredients.
Plenty — Yotam Ottolenghi. Vegetable-forward dishes with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors. Bold spices, inventive combinations.
Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts. From the "Queen of Desserts." Precise, reliable recipes for cakes, cookies, tortes, and pastries.
Sally's Baking Addiction — Sally McKenney. A great option for beginner bakers. Clear instructions, step-by-step guidance, and a focus on the basics.
Nutrition, Wellness, and Productivity Books We Recommend
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy — Walter Willett. Written by the chair of Harvard's nutrition department. Sensible and strongly evidence-based.
In Defense of Food — Michael Pollan. The case for eating real food — summed up by Pollan in seven words: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
Why We Sleep — Matthew Walker. Sleep is the bedrock of wellbeing, and this book makes the case. Sleep is one of the pillars of lifestyle medicine.
Happier — Tal Ben-Shahar. A practical guide to a life with more joy and meaning, from the Harvard professor whose happiness course became the most popular in the school's history.
Atomic Habits — James Clear. A genuinely useful framework for accomplishing your goals.
100 Ways to Change Your Life — Liz Moody. Each chapter only a page or two — a book full of life-changing habits.
Happy reading. And if you'd rather spend your summer on the porch with a book than at the stove, book a trial and let Easyfeast handle dinner.