Alton Brown talks cookbooks

Alton Brown knows a thing or two about cooking, and he has written several highly-respected cookbooks. He also has strong opinions about the latter, and he recently shared some cookbook wisdom on Instagram. Brown wagers that most people turn to the “interwebs” for recipes and further wagers that 80 percent of those recipes “are of questionable reliability.” That’s why he prefers cookbooks from reputable publishers, where the recipes have likely been tested and reviewed by a team of people to make sure they work. Also important to note, says Brown, is that you never encounter a popup advertisement in a cookbook.

In the video, which Brown said was the first in a series, he made suggestions for basic cookbooks that have a broad range of recipes to cover many types of dishes. His first recommendation was for Joy of Cooking, preferably the 1979 or 1962 edition, the latter of which is Brown’s favorite. He finds the 2019 edition too big and heavy – although you can note from the screenshot above that the official Joy of Cooking Instagram account commented on the video with a plea for him to reevaluate the 2019 edition because it better reflects modern day tastes.

Brown also recommends the Time Life Good Cook series, which he says “skews French – but in a good way.” The final cookbook that Brown provides for consideration is Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. He still refers to this book for risotto, lasagna, and zabaione. Says Brown, “If you like cooking Italian and you don’t have this book, do you REALLY love cooking Italian?” (I have a copy so I can safely say yes, I REALLY love it.) The next installment will cover Brown’s favorite culinary reference books.