Do You Collect Anything?

For me, it's cookbooks. It's always been cookbooks. 📚

Buckle up, kids; this deep dive is going deep.

Since I was a child, I've been drawn to the kitchen. Several family members love to dabble in the kitchen, but none more than my great-grandmother, grandad, and dad. They were and are all (in my opinion) excellent home cooks, and I was lucky enough to learn from them. I loved watching them compose family suppers, chop vegetables, stir sauce, and season dishes to perfection. As I grew older, my love for cooking took off, especially when I finally had my own kitchen. To this day, I love spending my free time experimenting with new recipes and remaking my favorite dishes.

Over the years, I've collected close to 100 cookbooks, with another handful coming soon that I have on pre-order. I love how each book has its unique style and food perspective. Some focus on healthy, whole ingredients, while others dive deep into the flavors and techniques of a specific cuisine.

My cookbook collection is a source of inspiration and comfort for me. Whenever I'm feeling a leeeeettle stressed, I turn to the pages of my favorite books for a pick-me-up (usually in the form of a baked good. Read: banana bread). And when I'm feeling creative, I can experiment with new flavor combinations and techniques. Thanks to this collection, my love for cooking continues to grow and evolve all the live long day.

After a lot of consideration, I narrowed down my (current) five favorite cookbooks (this list evolves year over year). This was tough! But these are the ones I’m reaching for over and over and over again. I hope you add them to your kitchen shelves, too.

1. Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly: This is the ultimate guide to cooking quite literally everything, whether you’re a novice home cook or a skilled chef. I guarantee this incredible book answers any question you have about cooking.

2. Dinner Tonight by Alex Snodgrass: To know me is to know my love for all things The Defined Dish. Her newest cookbook is her best one yet - seriously, I'd recommend every recipe I’ve made from it so far (which is about 20?).

3. Let’s Eat by Dan Pelosi: Be still my Italian heart. Dan is one of the brightest corners of the internet, bringing joy to his Instagram followers day after day. If you’re in the mood for delicious classic Italian food with heartwarming family stories attached, look no further.

4. I Dream of Dinner (so You Don't Have To) by Ali Slagle: This is the perfect book to reach for when you have no idea what to have for dinner, you didn’t make it to the grocery store, but you have odds and ends in your pantry and fridge. There’s absolutely a recipe for you in this book.

5. Cooking in Real Life by Lidey Heuck: One of my newest additions to my collection, and one I shared in a previous Quick Five, is already a regular fixture in my kitchen. These recipes are so lovely and special without being overly complicated.

There are so many other cookbooks I want to discuss. My gosh, how did my girls Molly Baz and Gaby Dalkin not make this list?! I would be remiss not to send you to their cookbook libraries (click on their names respectively to see the lineup).

I could go on and on, but for now, I need to know:

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