Best Cooking Encyclopedias Books of 2025

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Samin Nosrat is a James Beard Award-winning and New York Times bestseller cookbook that teaches readers how to cook with just four simple elements - salt, fat, acid, and heat. With over 100 recipes and 150 illustrations, Samin demystifies the four elements of cooking and inspires a new generation of cooks to make better decisions in the kitchen. This cookbook is a must-have for anyone looking to transform their cooking skills and elevate their dishes to the next level.

Joshua Weissman: An Unapologetic Cookbook, a #1 New York Times Bestseller, is an invitation to elevate your cooking game. Weissman challenges the notion that fast and easy meals are the only option for busy people. Instead, he encourages readers to take the time to craft their meals from scratch and make them truly their own. The book features over 100 delectable recipes, from simple staples to gourmet dishes, all with Weissman's irreverent humor and light razzing. If you're looking to take control of your food, impress your guests, or simply indulge in some delicious cooking, this is the ideal kitchen companion.

The Flavor Bible is a must-have book for any kitchen. It's an essential guide to creating deliciousness in any dish, with thousands of ingredient entries that provide a treasure trove of spectacular flavor combinations. The book is organized alphabetically and cross-referenced, making it easy to work more intuitively and effectively with ingredients. It's seasoned with tips, anecdotes, and signature dishes from America's most imaginative chefs. The book won the 2009 James Beard Book Award for Best Book: Reference and Scholarship. Overall, it's an outstanding reference for anyone looking to elevate their cooking skills to the next level.

The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving is a must-have guide for home cooks who want to preserve their garden-fresh produce. With over 350 recipes ranging from classic favorites to new flavors such as Smoked Maple-Juniper Bacon and homemade Kombucha, this book covers all the techniques of canning, pickling, fermenting, freezing, dehydrating, and smoking. The book is thoroughly tested for safety and quality, making it a reliable guide for beginners and advanced home canners alike. The All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving is an excellent addition to any kitchen and a classic in the making for a new generation of home cooks.

The Perfect Loaf is a comprehensive guide to sourdough baking that covers everything from the fundamental techniques to advanced recipes. Written by renowned blogger and bread baker Maurizio Leo, this book offers a range of foolproof recipes for bread, pizza, sweets, and more. The book is perfect for beginner bakers, with troubleshooting sections and sidebars that answer almost every question they may have. Experienced bakers can also benefit from the deep dives into the science behind baking processes and expert information on how to level up their skills. Overall, The Perfect Loaf is an indispensable guide for anyone interested in sourdough baking.

Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods is a comprehensive guide for outdoor enthusiasts looking to identify and harvest edible plants. The book is organized by season and region, making it easy for readers to locate and identify the plants they need. The guide features nearly 400 color photos and detailed information on more than 200 species of edible plants across North America. Each entry includes images, facts on the plant's habitat, physical properties, harvesting, preparation, and poisonous look-alikes. With tempting recipes and a quick-reference seasonal key for each plant, this book is an essential resource for anyone interested in foraging for food in the wild.

Wine Folly: Magnum Edition is an expanded hardcover guidebook that offers an inventive and easy-to-digest approach to learning about wine. It includes more than 100 grapes and wines, a wine region explorer with detailed maps, wine labeling and classification 101, an expanded food and wine pairing section, and more essential tips to help you become an expert. Written by Madeline Puckette, a certified sommelier, and Justin Hammack, a founding partner of Wine Folly, the book is a must-have for both newbies and devotees looking to take their wine knowledge to the next level. Overall, Wine Folly: Magnum Edition is a practical and fun guidebook that offers a unique and comprehensive approach to wine education.

This two-volume set of the acclaimed cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is a must-have for any fan of Julia Child and lover of French cuisine. The first volume contains over 500 savory recipes, while the second volume presents an additional 250 recipes that take the home cook's skills to the next level. The precise instructions and detailed line drawings make even the most daunting recipes approachable. Julia Child's impact on American cuisine is immeasurable, and this cookbook is a testament to her immense talent and passion for French cooking.

Bake It Better by Matt Adlard is a must-have for anyone who wants to take their baking skills to the next level. With 70 show-stopping recipes for cakes, pastries, breads, cookies, ice creams, and more, this book is perfect for intermediate-level bakers who want to become master bakers. Each recipe comes in a pair, starting with a “Tier 1” version and followed by an elevated “Tier 2” version for when you’re ready to take your skills to the next level. Adlard’s expert advice and techniques for mastering essential skills make this book an excellent reference for anyone looking to deepen their abilities. Highly recommended for anyone who loves to bake and wants to improve their skills.

The "Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I: 50th Anniversary Edition: A Cookbook" is a classic cookbook that has been the definitive guide on French cuisine for American readers for over sixty years. The book features 524 delicious recipes and over 100 instructive illustrations to guide readers every step of the way. Julia Child, Simone Beck, and Louisette Bertholle break down the classic foods of France into a logical sequence of themes and variations, making it accessible to seasoned experts and beginners alike. This book is a must-have in every kitchen and is packed with sumptuous recipes, detailed instructions, and precise line drawings.