My fave book used to be one produced by the jr league in one of towns where I lived. With advent of internet, I google what I want to make and pick based on reviews and whether it matches my abilities.

internet made it very easy to get rid of my cookbooks. I have 4-5 that I kept for sentimental reasons, but I don’t even use those.

I know exactly what you mean, but I need a little structure and inspiration if that makes sense?

I was inspired by the photos in this article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/24/dining/australian-breakfast.html

I misunderstood your question. I’m not sure I need inspiration. I’m hungry—I cook or go eat out. My concoctions are usually acceptable but I doubt they’re photo ready. In fact, I can never take pics that look as appetizing as ones posted above. Exception: cakes, they’re very photogenic, ha

I'll list some of my favorites and why:

Anna Pump - classic food -- everything I've made of hers has been outstanding.

Ina Garten - you can never go wrong with Ina. EVERYTHING of hers has been terrific! (My only complaint is that living in a small town there are some things I cannot find or can afford (her seafood dishes for example))

Ree Drummond -- midwestern food for today (think church lady cookbooks updated) and she has a lot of international dishes as well so if you like Mexican or Asian there are dishes to make.

Ina and Ree have shows on television too.

I have a big collection of cookbooks and I'll grab one and cook out of it for several dishes and then find another, etc. Anna and Ina I do keep handy and if I'm looking for something I often go to them first.

I also like older cookbooks because the food is simpler and often it's the flavors of the food in original form rather than a bunch of added flavors.

Visit my blog -- I photo and include recipes on a lot of food I make: lflinderhof.com

The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook. We've enjoyed every recipe we've tried and there's a bunch.

I get emails from Smitten Kitchen, Once Upon a Chef, NYT Cooking, and Epicurious. Every week, I make something new from at least one of these sources. I ususally keep 5-6 recipe tabs open until I make the dish.

I like many of the recipes in the cookbook PlantPure Nation by Kim Campbell, but I don’t stick religiously to the vegan aspect of it.

In an attempt to declutter, I went through my food magazines and tore out recipes that appealed to me. The trouble with that is, on another day something might appeal to me that I passed by but it’s a chance I’m willing to take. I keep those clipped to my cookbook holder until I make them. Then they get tossed or filed in a binder if I might/will make it again.

I also keep a logbook of what I cook, comments about the dish, and where to locate the recipe. Sometimes I flip through that looking for inspiration.

The Joy of Cooking. It's more than a cookbook, it's a bible. Tells me about different cuts of meat, how to select, store, etc, almost anything. The recipes range from quick-and-easy ("just got home from work and want dinner on the table in 35 minutes") to a feast.

My family drop-in center's cookbook. Easy stuff because we were all new moms. Lifesaver.

For years I subscribed to a menu-planning service (from Saving Dinner). Over time I saved some great recipes. My binder of weekly menus is still my go-to.

We're vegetarians, and I have a lot of vegetarian and regular cookbooks. This is my favorite, with really interesting and not too time consuming or complicated recipes. DD1 has this cookbook and made things for us from it when we would visit. I was always copying recipes out of it and then finally just asked for it for Christmas.

My favorite cookbook taught me to cook. It is "The Alice's Restaurant Cookbook" by Alice May Brock. Good for beginners who need encouragement. I don't use it much anymore. "Diet for a Small Planet" and "Laurel's Kitchen" taught me how to cook healthy and vegetarian. I have a file box of clipped recipes, mine and mom's, plus quite a few cookbooks which I use for inspiration, some are collections done by civic groups, some have great photos, and some have a point of view, all fun. I also peruse the Web, but I don't always want to interact with an electronic device when I am home or in the kitchen. I like the old school cookbooks with the stains that indicate the well-loved recipes.

My mom got me Bittman's Vegetarian version of how to cook everything. I should like it but I don't use it that often. I am such a hash cook, everything I make is usually a version of stew, soup or stir fry unless I am making meat, at which point I tend to use the cookbooks. I use the other resources mostly for baking. I have a pretty hefty collection of canning recipe books, although I use the Ball Blue Book the most often.

Edited to add that I have "The Bean Bible," "Moosewood Restaurant Daily Specials" and "Twelve Months of Monastary Soups" for a lot of my inspiration. The "Daily Specials" book is soups and salads. That one has gotten a workout although only a few recipes are ones I make over and over. I find myself gravitating now to "The Best of Jewish Cooking" which was from a congregation in MD and from the 70's so out of print. Now that the balabustas in my family have passed on, I connect with them by making some of their comfort dishes from time to time. Plus they are usually quite frugal which fits our lifestyle now too.

Edited to add that I find the community cookbooks best for baked goods and desserts. And online. There are great baking books out there but at this point I don't have the room or money to buy any of the classics.

Edited to add that I find one book that my mom got at the library's reject book sale, "Redbook's Wise Woman's Diet Cookbook" remarkably useful, since it has recipes and menus for like a year's worth of dieting and healthy meals. My brain is so fried these days I can really use something like that. I can easily adapt but it at least gives me a rough outline of what to fix and shop for. Solves the "what are we having for dinner" question that my fiance likes to pop every night. I don't know why I am in charge of dinner menu planning, but apparently I am! He cooks so I'll not be complaining too much.

Way back when, I really liked the Creative Cooking cookbook for new/impressive ideas. Their Canache (variation on Ganache) is to die for... I made it for my sister for xmas and she ended up not coming home, so I ate the whole batch myself. :O) The Frugal Gourmet (Jeff Smith) has some interesting meal/ideas.

I think now you're better off going with personal recommendations or recipes you hear raved about on the net. For example, have you ever made Chicken Marbella? A lot also depends on what foods you like and have available... and how much time and effort you want to put into a meal! My version of knocking it out of the park would be a full meal of sauerbraten, noodles, german potato salad, red cabbage, etc., involving many days of marinating the meat. There are much quicker/simpler meals that still do it for me though. I like variety!

Browse around over in the Cooking forum if it's inspiration you want, especially in the What's for Dinner threads. There are some very accomplished cooks over there. Lots of photos.

I like this one: https://www.amazon.com/So-Easy-Luscious-Healthy-Recipes/dp/1118386493

Healthy, easy, and the ingredients are generally easy to find.

don't cook much right now but used to love these the most:

-Soup of the Day, by Kate McMillan(so much more than soups! countin stews, etc. amazing book. and 365 recipees-one per day))

-The Best Ever Vegetarian cook book , by Linda Fraser

-Blackbird Bakery Gluten-free

and Jerusalem, by Ottolenghi/Tamimi..I'd say pretty complicated for more basic me, actually bought it for my DH knowing he'd love the recipees to try, as he's very much into foods-from-allover -the world, and it's very Middle Eastern. In terms of illustrations -irresistible just to look at. As it pictures not only dishes, but city itself, its streets, its markets, its people-and captures the spirit perefectly. In terms of preface and background given -filling one with just a bit of hope. Since if anything ever brings people together-it's shared food..:)

In terms of instructions-very precise.

Great book allover.

I also save some recipees from Internet-these are mostly easier ones, or/ and tweaked in a way I can make them for holidays..when should be traditional foods but gluten free, often dairy free, blah blah.

I also have cutouts from magazines-the whole book of them-but it's somehow I used them the less. Still, nice to have them.

I like Melissa Clark at the NYT, Mark Bittman, Ina Garten and Jamie Oliver.

I tend to think anyone can make things tasty by makling them highly caloric; I appreciate chefs who can show how to make healthier food that is tasty.

I have made more than a few dud recipes in my lifetime, and I am pretty good at following instructions, so I don't think it was always me. I was shocked to hear a chef brag that "every recipe" in his cookbook had been tested; i had alwasy assumed that *all* recipes were tested, even multiple times.

This is why I prefer to find recipes with online reviews, comments and ratings. Then I know in advance if it will really work and the possible pitfalls. You just have to shrug off the people who say "my family loves this Moroccan Lamb Stew recipe but I had leftover shrimp so I made it with that instead and I left out the spices since my husband does not like spicy food". etc.

I've been using the epicurious website for years. I like that there are reviews and I can save recipes to my recipe box. I also get a twice weekly email from them with new recipes, etc.

On facebook, I see recipes from epicurious, NYT, America's test kitchen and a few local farmer's markets.

My favorite cookbooks are by Peirre Franey(60 minute gourmet), Ina Gartner, Giada to name a few.

The Best of Bridge series was my go-to cookbooks for years and now it's the internet. What I like about the internet is that I can plug in three main ingredients that I may have in the fridge and all sorts of recipes come up. Most have comments and changes that others have made.

I do have a winter cookbook that I really like that I bought from Costco a number of years ago. It's by Canadian living and is called The Affordable Feasts collection. It has a variety of healthy recipes and they are made with easily accessible ingredients and are difficult to muck up.

Ottolenghi is hard to beat for exciting combinations and bright flavors with a strong accent on vegetables.

If you like Chinese food, Fuchsia Dunlop is great.

You may also want to look at Alice Waters, her vegetables book is great- all of her books are and they are particularly beautiful with illustrations in the Arts and Craft style. Her children's cookbook was a big favorite when my boys were little. Fanny at Chez Panisse. I highly recommend it for Emmett in three or four years.

Aside from those, my favorites are The Way to Cook by Julia Child, The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Ina Garten's books, Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Italian Cooking and Richard Olney's Simple French Food.

Food 52 and NYT are my favorite online resources.

I used to buy cook books, but haven't in years. The last one was Jerusalem, by Ottolenghi/Tamimi. I went to Israel in 2011 and 2013 and fell madly in love with the food. Middle Eastern is the best. I won't make a fraction of what's in the book, but I love revisiting memories of Jerusalem, a place I love deeply.

I only cook for me, so it's not like others expect meal variety that I need to keep up with. Now I find more and more of what I need online, either a great looking and sounding dish pops up in a feed somewhere, or I go looking for something specific. I always find what I'm looking for, usually with a photograph. I either print it out and stick it in my recipe binder, or save as a PDF to a recipe folder for when I get the itch.

It's often the photo of a dish that grabs me. When possible I try to keep that along with the recipe, so I don't forget what drew it to me in the first place.

I've really enjoyed the Home Cooking forum on Chowhound. There're lots of fun topics like Dish of the Month, Cookbook of the Month, the quarterly Baking choice, etc. Most often, I check the book out from the library. If I make 3 things that we want to eat again, I'll buy it. I've been on hiatus from participating while renovating my house and kids home for the summer. I can't wait to get back in the swing and get my books out of storage.

There's an index for Cookbook of the Month and the reports are great for helping you pick a book. It's so nice to know the recipes are successful before you check it out!

Index

The books that I've learned the most from, and will always go back to, are:

The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. The instructions seem long but that's because she is so thorough with her directions. I learned so much about how to enhance the flavors of the food from her. They're recipes that you want to give yourself time to read and prep. Pretty much everything is worthy of serving to guests or have on special occasions.

Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. I also have Marcella's Italian Kitchen but haven't cooked a lot from it. She is so bossy, which makes me think of my maternal grandmother and smile. She's right, though. I've never regretted sticking with her instructions instead of altering it for traditional Italian-American flavors. You'll be tempted but, stay the course and you'll be rewarded. I always marvel at how tasty her dishes are when using simple methods and/or few ingredients.

Ina's books. She tests recipes like no other modern "food celeb" from TV. We've never been disappointed with anything we've tried, though I admit to sticking with Judy Rodgers' roast chicken method instead of Ina's.

Other favorites are:

Fish Without A Doubt by Rick Moonen & Ray Finamore. My favorite section is the broiler/grill because I'm an oven user, not a griller. The recipes always have suggestions for substitutions if your area doesn't have a certain type of fish available. So helpful for one who doesn't have a lot of experience. I don't love the vegetable section. Ina's recipes are much better.

All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking and All About Roasting by Molly Stevens. Wonderful for cool weather. Sometimes you just want to take it easy and her recipes reward you for your sloth!

The Food Lab by Kenji Lopez-Alt. Great instructional book for the "why" of certain methods. Sometimes it's more work so you might not be convinced to do it. Often it's not and the results are palatably better.

Diana Henry has unusual combinations that are lovely. She's a prolific writer so there are a lot of books to choose from. I was a little worried that my kids wouldn't be thrilled with the flavors but they've liked what we've tried. I like Simple: Effortless Foods, Big Flavors

April Bloomfield does wonderful things with vegetables.

Blogs

Smitten Kitchen. Her burst tomato galette is one of my favorite summer recipes. Deb's last book was a hit at our house, too.

Serious Eats

Food52

A Cookbook a Month - friends in England pick a book and report on success/failure. They don't usually post recipes but it's fun to read.

I just wanted to second the recommendation for the blog, Once Upon a Chef. I have made several of her recipes, and every one of them is excellent, and have received raves from several family members.

Thanks for the recommendation for Once Upon a Chef. That's the kind of "cookbook" I'm talking about!

I also love Once Upon a Chef!!! And Ina!!! In fact, when I try something new, my family automatically asks, "Once Upon a Chef or Ina?" However, after reading through these responses, I may find another new favorite!! Thanks for starting this thread, robo!!!

I just looked up that burst tomato galette. Yum! Too bad i didnt plant any cherry tomatoes.

I went to read the cookbook a month blog after remembering it upthread. Their reports got me excited about Dining In. I immediately see if it's at the library. Checked out, so I go to put it on hold and kept getting error messages. Turns out that DH picked it up while we were all at the library this morning! He just showed me some pics and is drooling over the recipes - lol!

Mtn, my kids think that they hate zucchini. They don't feel the same when it's thinly sliced. The galette is great for leftovers or random produce that needs to be used.

Sometimes when I am seeking recipe inspiration, I go to the library and check out a bunch of cookbooks and commit to cooking at least one recipe. I confess I dont have a lot of allegiance to anyone source or chef. I collect favorites.

These days I look to what is ripe in my garden and make a meal around that. I made one of our favorites recently, Ellie Krieger's Garden Vegetable Risotto. I used up my last peas, subbed diced green beans for the asparagus, and chard for the spinach. Yum.

Alex, thank you for introducing me to Diana Henry. Her recipes look wonderful.

Rita, my favorites and made many times recipes in Simple are a version of menemen (like velvet and so flavorful!) and the blackberry, caraway slaw she serves with honey-mustard sausages. That slaw is great on sandwiches and with bbq. I could eat it by itself but the rest of the family want some kind of meat.

Ooh I kinda neglected this thread and look at all these great replies! I need to check out so many authors and blogs and websites now!

i honestly have somewhat little interest in cooking for myself, and my husband is way too picky about my cooking, but I am enjoying preparing food for Emmett. It will be a blow when he turns into a picky toddler. Right now he’s game to try anything.

What a wonderful expression of distaste you captured, Robo, so cute! I'm another who has good luck with Ina Garten's recipes. I always use only half the salt she calls for, though. I usually don't cook by recipes except when I'm having guests. Our day-to-day meals are relatively boring...grilled chicken or fish and a seasonal vegetable or two that are raw, blanched, steamed or roasted.

Uncharacteristically, I made a sweet dish last Thursday...baked blender custard.

That first picture of Emmett is so trusting. The second one says - never again.

Hey, Robo. They don't ALL turn into picky toddlers. My older one would (and will) eat anything, thrived on vegetables; the only thing he didn't like was mashed potatoes, go figure. The younger one lived for a year on Burger King chicken tenders, veggie wheat thins, veggie cream cheese (trying to get trace amounts of veggies into him), Ovaltine, OJ, and homemade juice pops. Now he's 6' tall.

I use NYT, Epicurious, Smitten Kitchen, Nigella Lawson, Fine Cooking, Moosewood Cookbook, the Vegetarian Epicure, and my old Frog/Commissary Cookbook. I signed up for emails from Milk Street, Christopher Kimball's new site, they send out an email with access to a few free recipes every week.

I have a good collection of cookbooks and dip into most of them at one time or another, but my main go-tos are good old Moosewood, Joy of Cooking, and Martha Stewart. I have her old Quick Cook cookbook. I prefer recipes that are not too fussy or time consuming, and of course, delicious.

I adapt most recipes to suit my taste.

P.S. I use epicurious.com a lot too.

I think my first step is going to be to subscribe to some of these cooking emails that you all are getting.

I know this isn’t right, but I really need to be seduced into recipes with pictures. Although I totally trust America’s test kitchen, they’re a little light on the picture thing.

It’s really interesting to me to hear so many of you praise Ina Garten, for example, nobody even mentioned Donna Hay and only one each for Nigella and Jamie! How fascinating. I have never even picked up an Ina Garten cookbook so I will definitely have to check her out. I read her Wikipedia page and she sounds like a really interesting person.

PS, my dairy free days are over for now, Em seems to be over his allergy!!

nobody even mentioned Donna Hay and only one each for Nigella and Jamie!

I know! I feel guilty whenever I pass by their books. I have to admit, I'm influenced when others sing the praises of an author/book and Hay isn't one that's mentioned as often on the forum I frequent. I also don't come across her books. I googled and found a "cooking from" thread on Chowhound that I'm excited to read.

Nigella has a huge following and Jamie's early books seem to, as well. I had new kids when I first looked at Nigella's stuff and they were REALLY limited in what they'd try. I'll have to revisit them now that they're cool with fun combinations. Jamie...I don't know why I'm not interested. The ladies on the cookbook a month blog love both so it may be a case of an embarrassment of riches. There are so many great books.

I made two things from Dining In, this evening. Slow salmon with citrus (forgot the herb salad part) paired with watermelon and cucumber with spicy salt (sumac wasn't available so subbed a lemon pepper blend). The family was over the moon with both. The five of us devoured over 2 lbs of salmon and half a medium-sized watermelon. Fantastic! Oh, and great photos but this isn't one of them ;)

A pic of the galette from Smitten Kitchen

Looks like perfect summer food!

And I forgot to mention good old Betty Crocker is another of my go-tos.

I liked Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Very helpful when time was super short dealing with after crazy after school schedules- taught me a lot of quick and good combinations. I bought it at a fundraiser and did not anticipate liking it- and I loved it.

Foster's Market Cookbook -- by Sara Foster.

She's a local restaurant owner and once worked for Martha Stewart. I walk to her restaurant from my house, but I've owned the cookbook since it came out as I used to go to her other restaurant in the adjoining town.

I often see her, working like an ordinary member of the staff -- cleaning tables, stocking shelves, talking to customers.

Her recipes have never failed me. Because she uses local ingredients, there's nothing so exotic that it's unavailable here.

All of these for different reasons.

Elise Bauer is the original blogger.

Jacques Pepin: Complete Techniques is a wonderful reference.

I don't have a favorite. I like cooking a variety of foods from around the world, so I'll pull down a cookbook specific to a cuisine. I guess a really useful cookbook is The Flavor Bible (Karen Page & Andrew Dornenburg) which gives you ideas of what foods go well with what other foods, and spices.

Online, my favorite destination is Serious Eats. I may not end up using the exact same seasonings they do, but with timing and preparation I have yet to be let down.

Agree on Serious Eats! For basic food, my go-to was always the Better Homes & Gardens red & white check cookbook... if I didn't find a recipe there, I'd check Betty Crocker and Joy of Cooking. I have lots of cookbooks and cannot always remember where to find a recipe I liked.

I think inspiration comes from seeing a photo of a nicely presented 'dish'. I used to subscribe to Creative Cooking, Gourmet, and Bon Appetit, but I don't think cooking magazines are much more than a book of advertisements now. Photos though... you need photos for inspiration. :) Have you tried anything new?

The only cooking I’ve done has been for the baby. We are still in the middle of a heat wave, record breaking summer. It’s 94% humidity here today. It’s only 80 but with humidity feels like 100. I am trapped in my cottage with a baby amongst intermittent thunderstorms and I would kill for AC. Very tired of sticking to every surface when I sit down. Ugh!!

Robo, It's 84 in North Alabama with 73% humidity and a thunderstorm. I couldn't live without air conditioning. I know you probably don't need one most of the time, but I would order one of the portable ones.

Robo, I hope the weather breaks for you, soon! That's miserable and sounds like where I live. I practically hibernate in the summer. Thank goodness for A/C in the south.

When it cools off, I can recommend Dining In by Alison Roman. I cooked out of it several days in a row and we enjoyed the recipes so much, I ordered the book.

Hot and humid here too and also without AC, so I understand! I've been making a lot of different salads. :)

The heat broke this morning!! I feel soooo much better. Yesterday I forced everybody to go to a nearby seaside town for a walk and lunch and it was so great to get out of the house even in the heat.