Best Cooking Books to Read

Reading is an immensely important task for a chef, not only to learn and stay up to date with new techniques, but also as a source of inspiration and creativity. The list below is a collection of books that I believe bring value to chefs and would recommend to anyone in the industry. We’ll break this into two sections: one for foundational and educational books, and another for cookbooks and recipe-based titles.

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Fundamental / Learning Books

1. Letters to a Young Chef — Daniel Boulud
A great book to learn a bit about one of the best chefs in modern cuisine. Chef Boulud talks about his life, relates it to young chefs entering the industry, and offers sound, practical cooking advice.

2. On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen — Harold McGee
This is probably the densest, and coolest, book on the list. Almost anything you could want to know about food is in here. McGee breaks things down to a scientific level, mixing food history with tips, techniques, and insights. A phenomenal reference book to keep around.

3. Culinary Artistry — Andrew Dornenburg & Karen Page
This book dives into the creative process of different chefs. The authors interviewed 30 of the top chefs of the time, asking what “art” means in relation to food, how they get there, and which ingredients or approaches they lean on. It also includes some fantastic recipe frameworks.

4. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat — Samin Nosrat
A great starting point for new cooks, and a helpful refresher for seasoned ones. It touches on many of the concepts explored in On Food and Cooking but with a more approachable and visual format. Chef Nosrat explains it all in a fun and accessible way, making the fundamentals feel fresh again.

5. Kitchen Confidential — Anthony Bourdain
The quintessential kitchen memoir. One of the few books that really captures the spirit of the back of house. It’s borderline cliché in the industry, but for good reason. It’s an entertaining, raw look at the life of a cook. Bourdain narrates the audiobook himself, which we highly recommend.

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Cookbooks / Recipe-Based Resources

1. The Art and Science of Food Pairing
A visually rich book that uses flavor and compatibility charts to explore ingredient pairings. It’s a great resource for getting creative with flavor combinations. Reading it feels like decoding the DNA of ingredients.

2. Fish Butchery — Josh Niland
Featured in our Kitchen Reflection series. Chef Niland is a sustainability-minded butcher who details his process for sourcing and breaking down seafood. His approach is meticulous, aiming to treat fish with the same respect given to land animals, emphasizing quality, utilization, and nose-to-tail philosophy.

3. Art Culinaire (Quarterly Publication)
More art book than magazine, these hardcover issues are a fantastic way to stay in touch with what’s happening in the industry. They showcase top restaurants, emerging chefs, and include full recipes from featured kitchens. Great for inspiration and professional insight.

4. Deep Nutrition — Dr. Catherine Shanahan
A technical but compelling read. This book examines the dietary habits of Blue Zone cultures and merges traditional food wisdom with modern nutritional science. It’s dense, but the big ideas can be grasped without diving too deep into the science if that’s not your thing.

This is by no means an end all be all list the best kitchen books. These are simply some of the better ones I have read and enjoyed.