julia's kitchen
Essential Cookbooks
As much as I love and rely on food blogs (such as this) for source of inspiration when cooking, I firmly believe that everyone should have a cookbook or two they rely on for some basics. There's going to be recipes you want to go back to constantly, and write notes about in the margins. Plus, cookbooks look great on a bookshelf in the kitchen, and make great gifts. Your friend loves cooking? Grab them a glossy new release. Your friend can't cook for the life of them? Grab them a glossy new release. Foolproof.
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I've listed some of the cookbooks I have on my bookshelf below, at times with notes on why I reach for them as often as I do, or notes about why I enjoy them really.
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Italian Cooking Class Cookbook, by Maryanna Blacker
Published by Australian Women's Weekly, 1998
Notes: This can only be found second hand really. My mother has a ridiculously worn out copy on her bookshelf in the kitchen, full of some great foolproof Italian recipes. They're easy to follow, generally use easily accessible ingredients, and as a cookbook takes little to no space. Along with this cookbook, Australian Women's Weekly published some other amazing titles in the same format and with the same concept. Children's Birthday Cake Book (1990) was the source of inspiration for many a birthday cake growing up, and The Barbecue Cookbook (1990) is great for potluck dinner inspiration.
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Magnolia Kitchen: Inspired Baking with Personality, by Bernadette Gee
Published by Murdoch Books, 2019
Notes: This has become my holy grail for baking. It's great for both the novice and your more advanced baker. It also has the best French Macaron recipe I've ever used in there, and the only one that's actually ever worked for me. The 'baking with personality' line in the subtitle is extremely true too.
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The Roasting Tin (series), by Rukmini Iyer
Published by Square Peg, (various)
Notes: This is a constantly growing series, and it really is wonderful. It does what it says on the tin - one dish dinners, and they genuinely never disappoint. I personally love that the cookbooks give you a list of substitutes for things such as protein, along with the adjustments needed on your end when you make said substitutions. I personally love following a recipe for inspiration, throwing everything in a dish and being able to forget it for an hour in the oven whilst I go about other chores.
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Other Great Cookbooks
The below are less essential cookbooks, but are pretty damn great. They are at times slightly more specialised, so ingredients might be slightly less readily available at your nearest grocery store, or the recipes may be more time consuming, but if you're into the experimental vibe, do check the below out. They're well worth it.
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Breakfast, by Emily Elyse Miller
Published by Phaidon, 2019
Notes: I just really love breakfast food. I think it's the only meal of the day that truly matters. If I've skipped breakfast, or had a less than fulfilling breakfast, I'm probably crabby for the rest of the day. This cookbook is great, as it's got breakfast dishes from all over the world, which I find to be so interesting.
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Teatime Baking Book, by Jane Pettigrew
Published by National Trust Books, 2013
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The Lazy Weekend Cookbook, by Matt Williamson
Published by National Trust Books, 2018
Notes: I'll be entirely honest, many of the recipes in this cookbook are entirely aspirational to me. They are extremely labour intensive for the most part, requiring tonnes of preparation. However, it does include quite a few recipes that are very impressive. So if you're hosting, and wanting to impress, you may want to give this book a try.
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Mug Cakes, by Mima Sinclair
Published by Kyle Books, 2014
Notes: I was gifted this book for Secret Santa and genuinely, it's great, and I will never be ashamed of saying that whilst also running a food blog. Sometimes you just need a quick cake at 11pm on a Thursday night, and you can't spend 40 minutes waiting for it to bake. You need it within five minutes and this book gives endless inspiration to satisfy that craving (or trigger it).
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Orange Blooms and Honey: Magical Moroccan Recipes from the Souks to the Sahara, by John Gregory-Smith
Published by Kyle Books, 2017
Notes: I am just obsessed with Morocco. That's it. That's the note. Moroccan cuisine is wonderful and I'm in love with it.
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I would love to know what books make the cut for your essential cookbook list, or less essential but equally great cookbook list. Drop me suggestions on any of my social media accounts!