20 Best Books About Chefs (2023 Update)

What if you could become world-class in anything in 6 months or less? it's a choose-your-own-adventure guide to the world of rapid learning. #1 new york times bestselling author (and lifelong non-cook) tim ferriss takes you from manhattan to okinawa, and from silicon valley to calcutta, unearthing the secrets of the world's fastest learners and greatest chefs. ferriss uses cooking to explain “meta-learning,” a step-by-step process that can be used to master anything, whether searing steak or shooting 3-pointers in basketball. that is the real “recipe” of the 4-hour chef.you'll train inside the kitchen for everything outside the kitchen. featuring tips and tricks from chess prodigies, world-renowned chefs, pro athletes, master sommeliers, super models, and everyone in between, this “cookbook for people who don't buy cookbooks” is a guide to mastering cooking and life.the 4-hour chef is a five-stop journey through the art and science of learning:1. before you learn to cook, you must learn to learn. meta charts the path to doubling your learning potential.2. the domestic. dom is where you learn the building blocks of cooking. these are the abcs (techniques) that can take you from dr, seuss to shakespeare.3. the wild. becoming a master student requires self-sufficiency in all things. wild teaches you to hunt, forage, and survive.4. the scientist. sci is the mad scientist and modernist painter wrapped into one. this is where you rediscover whimsy and wonder.5. the professional. swaraj, a term usually associated with mahatma gandhi, can be translated as “self-rule.”

Once upon a time, jenn segal went to culinary school and worked in fancy restaurants. one marriage and two kids later she created once upon a chef, the popular blog that applies her tried-and-true chef skills with delicious, fresh, and approachable ingredients for family-friendly meals. with the authority of a professional chef and the practicality of a busy working mom, jenn shares 100 healthy recipes for every meal of the day. with step-by-step instructions, vibrant photography, a list of recommended kitchen tools and appliances, and a helpful index, this essential cookbook covers everything home cooks need to prepare simple dishes that taste amazing. mouthwatering recipes include: breakfast favorites like maple, coconut & blueberry granola and savory ham & cheese waffles simple soups, salads, and sandwiches for ideal lunches such as fiery roasted tomato soup paired with smoked gouda & pesto grilled cheese sandwiches entrées the whole family will love like buttermilk fried chicken tenders tasty treats for casual get-togethers, including buttery cajun popcorn and sweet, salty & spicy pecans go-to sweets such as toffee almond sandies and a classic chocolate lover's birthday cake expert author: jenn segal is the founder of once upon a chef, the popular blog showcasing easy, family-friendly recipes from a chef's point of view. her recipes have been featured on numerous websites, magazines, and television programs. tips and tricks to improve your cooking: up your kitchen game by learning how to season correctly with salt, how to balance flavors, how to make the most of leftovers, and more. readers love it: once upon a chef, the cookbook has thousands of 5-star ratings and commenters rave that it's "the best cookbook i have ever read" and "i'd give 100 stars if i could." perfect for: anyone looking for great recipes for easy weeknight family dinners kids will love, indulgent desserts, fun cocktails, or exciting appetizers birthday, holiday, housewarming, or host/hostess gift for food enthusiasts or cookbook fans of chrissy teigen, skinnytaste, pioneer woman, oh she glows, magnolia table, smitten kitchen, or ina garten's go-to dinners

An informative, illustrated guide to food, cooking, and the culinary profession by a former white house chef—now in a revised second edition featuring 50% new material “this book is all meat with no fat. . . . sure to surprise and enlighten even the most informed gourmands.”—publishers weekly (starred review), on the first edition of 101 things i learned in culinary school a chef must master countless techniques, memorize a mountain of information, and maintain a zen master’s calm.

2018 james beard award winner: best american cookbook named one of the best cookbooks of 2017 by npr, the village voice, smithsonian magazine, uproxx, new york magazine, san francisco chronicle, mpls. st. paulmagazine and others here is real food–our indigenous american fruits and vegetables, the wild and foraged ingredients, game and fish. locally sourced, seasonal, "clean" ingredients and nose-to-tail cooking are nothing new to sean sherman, the oglala lakota chef and founder of the sioux chef. in his breakout book, the sioux chef's indigenous kitchen, sherman shares his approach to creating boldly seasoned foods that are vibrant, healthful, at once elegant and easy. sherman dispels outdated notions of native american fare–no fry bread or indian tacos here–and no european staples such as wheat flour, dairy products, sugar, and domestic pork and beef. the sioux chef's healthful plates embrace venison and rabbit, river and lake trout, duck and quail, wild turkey, blueberries, sage, sumac, timpsula or wild turnip, plums, purslane, and abundant wildflowers. contemporary and authentic, his dishes feature cedar braised bison, griddled wild rice cakes, amaranth crackers with smoked white bean paste, three sisters salad, deviled duck eggs, smoked turkey soup, dried meats, roasted corn sorbet, and hazelnut-maple bites. the sioux chef's indigenous kitchen is a rich education and a delectable introduction to modern indigenous cuisine of the dakota and minnesota territories, with a vision and approach to food that travels well beyond those borders.

New york times bestseller from the beloved, best-selling author of all over but the shoutin', a delectable, rollicking food memoir, cookbook, and loving tribute to a region, a vanishing history, a family, and, especially, to his mother. including seventy-four mouthwatering bragg family recipes for classic southern dishes passed down through generations. margaret bragg does not own a single cookbook. she measures in "dabs" and "smidgens" and "tads" and "you know, hon, just some." she cannot be pinned down on how long to bake corn bread ("about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the mysteries of your oven"). her notion of farm-to-table is a flatbed truck. but she can tell you the secrets to perfect mashed potatoes, corn pudding, redeye gravy, pinto beans and hambone, stewed cabbage, short ribs, chicken and dressing, biscuits and butter rolls. many of her recipes, recorded here for the first time, pre-date the civil war, handed down skillet by skillet, from one generation of braggs to the next. in the best cook in the world, rick bragg finally preserves his heritage by telling the stories that framed his mother's cooking and education, from childhood into old age. because good food always has a good story, and a recipe, writes bragg, is a story like anything else.

In the companion book to his final pbs series, the world-renowned chef shows his close relationship to the land and sea as he cooks for close friends and family.jacques p pin heart & soul in the kitchen is an intimate look at the celebrity chef and the food he cooks at home with family and friends–200 recipes in all. there are the simple dinners jacques prepares for his wife, like the world's best burgers (the secret is ground brisket). there are elegant dinners for small gatherings, with tantalizing starters like camembert cheese with a pistachio crust and desserts like little foolproof chocolate souffl s. and there are the dishes for backyard parties, including grilled chicken tenderloin in an argentinean chimichurri sauce. spiced with reminiscences and stories, this book reveals the unorthodox philosophy of the man who taught millions how to cook, revealing his frank views on molecular gastronomy, the locovore movement, julia child and james beard, on how to raise a child who will eat almost anything, and much, much more. for both longtime fans of jacques and those who are discovering him for the first time, this is a must-have cookbook.

James beard award nominee – named one of the ten best books of the year by vogue – new york times bestseller“one of the great culinary stories of our time.”—dwight garner, the new york times it begins with a simple ritual: every saturday afternoon, a boy who loves to cook walks to his grandmother’s house and helps her prepare a roast chicken for dinner. the grandmother is swedish, a retired domestic. the boy is ethiopian and adopted, and he will grow up to become the world-renowned chef marcus samuelsson. this book is his love letter to food and family in all its manifestations. yes, chef chronicles samuelsson’s journey, from his grandmother’s kitchen to his arrival in new york city, where his outsize talent and ambition finally come together at aquavit, earning him a new york times three-star rating at the age of twenty-four. but samuelsson’s career of chasing flavors had only just begun—in the intervening years, there have been white house state dinners, career crises, reality show triumphs, and, most important, the opening of red rooster in harlem. at red rooster, samuelsson has fulfilled his dream of creating a truly diverse, multiracial dining room—a place where presidents rub elbows with jazz musicians, aspiring artists, and bus drivers. it is a place where an orphan from ethiopia, raised in sweden, living in america, can feel at home.praise for yes, chef “such an interesting life, told with touching modesty and remarkable candor.”—ruth reichl “marcus samuelsson has an incomparable story, a quiet bravery, and a lyrical and discreetly glittering style—in the kitchen and on the page. i liked this book so very, very much.”—gabrielle hamilton “plenty of celebrity chefs have a compelling story to tell, but none of them can top [this] one.”—the wall street journal “elegantly written . . . samuelsson has the flavors of many countries in his blood.”—the boston globe “red rooster’s arrival in harlem brought with it a chef who has reinvigorated and reimagined what it means to be american. in his famed dishes, and now in this memoir, marcus samuelsson tells a story that reaches past racial and national divides to the foundations of family, hope, and downright good food.”—president bill clinton

A kitchen classic for over 35 years, and hailed by time magazine as "a minor masterpiece" when it first appeared in 1984, on food and cooking is the bible which food lovers and professional chefs worldwide turn to for an understanding of where our foods come from, what exactly they're made of, and how cooking transforms them into something new and delicious.for its twentieth anniversary, harold mcgee prepared a new, fully revised and updated edition of on food and cooking. he has rewritten the text almost completely, expanded it by two-thirds, and commissioned more than 100 new illustrations. as compulsively readable and engaging as ever, the new on food and cooking provides countless eye-opening insights into food, its preparation, and its enjoyment. on food and cooking pioneered the translation of technical food science into cook-friendly kitchen science and helped birth the inventive culinary movement known as "molecular gastronomy." though other books have been written about kitchen science, on food and cooking remains unmatched in the accuracy, clarity, and thoroughness of its explanations, and the intriguing way in which it blends science with the historical evolution of foods and cooking techniques. among the major themes addressed throughout the new edition are: · traditional and modern methods of food production and their influences on food quality · the great diversity of methods by which people in different places and times have prepared the same ingredients · tips for selecting the best ingredients and preparing them successfully · the particular substances that give foods their flavors, and that give us pleasure · our evolving knowledge of the health benefits and risks of foods on food and cooking is an invaluable and monumental compendium of basic information about ingredients, cooking methods, and the pleasures of eating. it will delight and fascinate anyone who has ever cooked, savored, or wondered about food.

In the first cookbook from graham elliot, cohost of the popular fox series masterchef and masterchef junior, 100 deliciously creative recipes show home cooks the basics of cooking and combining flavors—and then urge them to break the rules and put their own spin on great meals.graham elliot wants everyone to cook. to push up their sleeves and get some good food on the table. it’s graham’s simple philosophy that, while there is no right or wrong when it comes to creativity in the kitchen, you will benefit from knowing some time-honored methods that enable you to serve tasty meals to your family day after day, week after week. so, to teach you his methods and infuse some fun into the process, he’s written cooking like a master chef, an easygoing, accessible guide for the home cook to create delicious, beautiful food for every occasion. grouped by season (without being a strictly seasonal cooking book), graham’s 100 recipes are illustrated with gorgeous, full-color photographs and accompanied by simple, straightforward instructions—with great twists for every palate. that’s because being a top-notch chef or a talented home cook means being a free thinker, spontaneous, like a jazz musician. cooks need to change the music every so often—once they’re comfortable with the basics—to stay on their toes and infuse their routine with new excitement and energy. here you’ll find recipes for pork chops with root beer bbq sauce, halibut blts, buffalo chicken with roquefort cream, corn bisque with red pepper jam and lime crema, smoked salmon with a dill schmear and bagel chips, truffled popcorn, and much more. kids will love whipped yams with roasted turkey, potato gnocchi with brown butter, pbj beignets, and classic banana splits. it’s no wonder so many people love graham and his energetic creativity in the kitchen. with cooking like a master chef, now you can learn to be a skilled, resourceful, and endlessly inventive cook who makes food everyone, adults and kids alike, will absolutely relish.

#1 new york times bestseller – a collection of all-new soul-satisfying dishes from america’s favorite home cook! one of the best cookbooks of the year: the new york times book review, food network, the washington post, the atlanta journal-constitution, town & countryin modern comfort food, ina garten shares 85 new recipes that will feed your deepest cravings. many of these dishes are inspired by childhood favorites—but with the volume turned way up, such as cheddar and chutney grilled cheese sandwiches (the perfect match for ina’s creamy tomato bisque), smashed hamburgers with caramelized onions, and the crispiest hash browns that are actually made in a waffle iron! there are few things more comforting than gathering for a meal with the ones you love, especially when dishes like cheesy chicken enchiladas are at the center of the table. old-fashioned crowd pleasers like roasted sausages, peppers, and onions are even more delicious and streamlined for quick cleanup. for dessert? you'll find the best boston cream pie, banana rum trifle, and black and white cookies you’ll ever make. home cooks can always count on ina’s dependable, easy-to-follow instructions, with lots of side notes for cooking and entertaining—it’s like having ina right there beside you, helping you all the way.from cocktails to dessert, from special weekend breakfasts to quick weeknight dinners, you’ll find yourself making these cozy and delicious recipes over and over again.

Top chef presents the official companion cookbook to the no. 1 rated food show on cable television! featuring 100 fabulous recipes from the first three seasons of the show, including dishes from the elimination rounds and the quick-fire challenges, top chef: the cookbook invites fans into the hottest kitchen on prime time. in-depth discussions with contestants, judges, and crew reveal the inner workings of the show, and lavish photographs take readers behind-the-scenes into the top chef pantry and the competition sites. handsomely packaged with a canvas cover inspired by the chef's jacket worn by each of the top chef contestants, this cookbook will have aspiring culinary contenders reliving classic show moments and relishing new recipes just in time to obsess over padma's outfits in season 4.

“kwame onwuachi’s story shines a light on food and culture not just in american restaurants or african american communities but around the world.” —questlove by the time he was twenty-seven years old, kwame onwuachi (winner of the 2019 james beard foundation award for rising star chef of the year) had opened—and closed—one of the most talked about restaurants in america. he had launched his own catering company with twenty thousand dollars that he made from selling candy on the subway, yet he’d been told he would never make it on television because his cooking wasn’t “southern” enough. in this inspiring memoir about the intersection of race, fame, and food, he shares the remarkable story of his culinary coming-of-age. growing up in the bronx, as a boy onwuachi was sent to rural nigeria by his mother to “learn respect.” however, the hard-won knowledge gained in africa was not enough to keep him from the temptation and easy money of the streets when he returned home. onwuachi’s love of food and cooking remained a constant throughout, even when he found the road to success riddled with potholes. as a young chef, he was forced to grapple with just how unwelcoming the world of fine dining can be for people of color, and his first restaurant, the culmination of years of planning, shuttered just months after opening. a powerful, heartfelt, and shockingly honest story of chasing your dreams—even when they don’t turn out as you expected—notes from a young black chef is one man’s pursuit of his passions, despite the odds.“ this is an astonishing and open-hearted story from one of the next generation’s stars of the culinary world. i am so excited to see what the future holds for chef kwame—he is a phoenix, rising into better and better things and showing us all what it means to be humble, hungry, and daring.” —josé andrés

"from erin french, owner and chef of the critically acclaimed the lost kitchen, comes a life-affirming memoir about survival, renewal and the pleasure of bringing joy to people through food. erin french grew up barefoot on a 25-acre farm in maine, fell in love with food as a teenager working the line at her dad's diner and found her calling as a professional chef at her tiny restaurant the lost kitchen, tucked into a 19th century mill-now a world-renowned dining destination. and of her son who became her guiding light as she slowly rebuilt her personal and culinary life around the solace she found in food-as a source of comfort, a sense of place, as a way of creating community and making something of herself, despite seemingly impossible odds. set against the backdrop of rural maine and its lushly intense, bountiful seasons, erin french's rollercoaster memoir reveals struggles that have taken every ounce of her strength to overcome, and the passion and courage behind the fairy-tale success of the lost kitchen"–publisher's description

New york times bestseller *one of food & wine's essential new cookbooks for fall* *one of eater's best fall cookbooks 2019* *one of amazon's best cookbooks for fall 2020* "antoni has a love of food equal to my own. from his johnny's queso blanco (you can never go wrong with melted cheese) to his polish hangover soup (i'm sure this will come in very handy) and all of his desserts, i can't wait to explore the mind and creativity of this extremely hot chef."–chrissy teigen antoni porowski, the food and wine guru on netflix's sensation queer eye, meets people where they live–literally. with appealing vulnerability, he shows cooks of all levels how to become more confident and casual in the kitchen. the verve and naturalness of his approach earned raves from food & wine and bon app tit to gq and the new york times, which noted his dishes prove that "sometimes simple is anything but simplistic." some of the recipes in this book are weeknight healthyish meals, while others are perfect for off-the-cuff entertaining. visual stunners, they're often composed of fewer than five ingredients. whether bastardized easy ramen; malaysian chili shrimp; roasted carrots with carrot-top pesto; or salty lemon squares, all are visual stunners and can be carried off with panache, even by beginners.

The next best thing to having mark bittman in the kitchen with you – mark bittman's highly acclaimed, bestselling book how to cook everything is an indispensable guide for any modern cook. with how to cook everything the basics he reveals how truly easy it is to learn fundamental techniques and recipes. from dicing vegetables and roasting meat, to cooking building-block meals that include salads, soups, poultry, meats, fish, sides, and desserts, bittman explains what every home cook, particularly novices, should know.1,000 beautiful and instructive photographs throughout the book reveal key preparation details that make every dish inviting and accessible. with clear and straightforward directions, bittman's practical tips and variation ideas, and visual cues that accompany each of the 185 recipes, cooking with how to cook everything the basics is like having bittman in the kitchen with you. – this is the essential teaching cookbook, with 1,000 photos illustrating every technique and recipe; the result is a comprehensive reference that’s both visually stunning and utterly practical. – special basics features scattered throughout simplify broad subjects with sections like “think of vegetables in groups,” “how to cook any grain,” and “5 rules for buying and storing seafood.”600 demonstration photos each build on a step from the recipe to teach a core lesson, like “cracking an egg,” “using pasta water,” “recognizing doneness,” and “crimping the pie shut.” detailed notes appear in blue type near selected images. here mark highlights what to look for during a particular step and offers handy advice and other helpful asides. – tips and variations let cooks hone their skills and be creative.

New pampered chef cookbook #2214 the pampered chef all the best #2214 the pampered chef all the best an exclusive collection of over 65 time-honored appetizer, main dish and dessert favorites from our kitchen to yours. recipes feature unique techniques for preparing braids, rings, wreaths and more. spiral bound. english only. new no packaging

New pampered chef cookbook #2214 the pampered chef all the best #2214 the pampered chef all the best an exclusive collection of over 65 time-honored appetizer, main dish and dessert favorites from our kitchen to yours. recipes feature unique techniques for preparing braids, rings, wreaths and more. spiral bound. english only. new no packaging

Part troubleshooter, part culinary encyclopedia, "kitchen companion" is the home cook's guide to the mysteries of the kitchen. always a fascinating read, this a-to-z reference is packed with useful definitions, step-by-step instructions, and hundreds of helpful illustrations, charts, and topics. lay-flat binding.

Part troubleshooter, part culinary encyclopedia, "kitchen companion" is the home cook's guide to the mysteries of the kitchen. always a fascinating read, this a-to-z reference is packed with useful definitions, step-by-step instructions, and hundreds of helpful illustrations, charts, and topics. lay-flat binding.

A collection of more than three hundred favorite recipes is organized thematically and complemented by illustrated food-preparation techniques, in a volume that features such options as satays with spicy peanut sauce, beer can chicken, and baja-style fish tacos.