Cookbooks Recommended by Professional Chefs

"Alice Waters's most accessible and well-written book... I've cooked a lot from it and find myself turning to it easily and happily for informal meals with my family." —Rick Bayless in Saveur

"After reading it, I knew I needed to work for Thomas Keller. The inspiration, detail, technique, and beauty were like things I had not experienced before, and it profoundly inspired me." — Joe Papach in Food & Wine

"This woman was the real deal. She paved the way for Leah Chase during the ’50s and ’60s, and she paved the way for women in restaurants today. The amazing female chefs in my own restaurants look up to these strong women of the early 20th century. Her recipes are nothing but good old-fashioned comfort food, which I use a lot of in Red Rooster and Streetbird, my Harlem restaurants." - Marcus Samuelsson in The New York Times

"True to theme, the design is hyper-maximalist – but the recipes are just warmly inviting, do-able, and de-luscious!" -Nigella Lawson on Instagram

"It’s not completely vegan, but what it offers is quite smart and there’s a lot of vegetable-forward and plant-forward dishes. It’s a very educational book for folks who are learning how to cook or trying to get the basics down." — Priyanka Naik in The Guardian

"The book was a source of inspiration and motivation in my career that led me to eventually work for him for four years in two continents, largely shaping me into the chef I am today." — Emily Yuen in TimeOut

"My favorite cookbook is The Silver Palate Cookbook (Workman) by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. Sheila was a friend, and her recipes revolutionized home cooking. Her Chicken Marbella is one of my go-to recipes for entertaining." — Katherine Lee on the Food Network

"I’m lucky to call [Assil] a friend, and so many of the recipes and stories she shares in this book remind me of the Palestinian flavors of my own childhood. It’s nostalgic for those who grew up around this cuisine and a perfect intro for those who didn’t." — Michael Rafidi in The Guardian

"They completely rethink how vegetables can be turned into amazing dishes with incredible flavor and that aligns nicely with the thinking around our restaurant." — Michael Mina in Food & Wine

"I find myself returning to [this book] all the time – I think because it's unapologetically cheffy. The recipes are not tweaked to be easy at home, they are the same as would be in a professional kitchen." — Brodie Meah in TimeOut