Roots: The Definitive Compendium with more than 225 Recipes by Diane Morgan

Recipe: Rutabaga Hash

“I’m not a big meat-eater, and I’m a huge fan of the root vegetable. They’re healthy, hearty, versatile, sustainable and budget-friendly –- so what’s not to like? This is a beautiful book with about 225 recipes utilizing root veggies that run the gamut from the familiar (potatoes, carrots, beets) to the obscure (cassava, galangal and crosnes). There is fascinating history and lore accompany each, as well as tips for buying, storing, using and cooking. So it’s both a reference book, and a cookbook.” - Jen Russell, Sr. Producer 

Canal House Cooks Every Day

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The Splendid Table: Melissa Hamilton

Recipe: Apple Galette

“This is a stunning book by the creators of Canal House. The book is arranged by season, and then broken into months — which definitely reflects the way a lot of us cook these days. There are about 250 well-written and well-tested recipes, and the book is peppered with stunning photographs throughout. Melissa and Christopher are real home cooks, and I adore their approach to food. This is one of those cookbooks I take to bed with me, and it’s definitely on my list of gifts for cooks this year.” - Jen Russell, Sr. Producer

Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart

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2013 James Beard Award for American Cooking

The Splendid Table: How To Make Southern Biscuits

Recipe: Two Ingredient Biscuits

About every decade it occurs to America that Southern cooking is pretty extraordinary. We’re in one of those moments right now. The Southern biscuit is a separating-the-men-from-the-boys achievement. Nathalie Dupree, one of the queens of Southern cooking and co-author of Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking with Cynthia Graubart, shares her secrets for making biscuits.

Gran Cocina Latina by Maricel Presilla

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2013 James Beard Cookbook of the Year

“My top pick for the cookbook of the year. It’s an epic adventure with recipes. We’ve never seen such a firsthand account of so much of what food in Latin America is about. And her recipes shine.” - Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation by Michael Pollan

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The Splendid Table: Michael Pollon on Cooking for Yourself

Weekend Edition: Fire, Water, Air, Earth: Michael Pollan Gets Elemental in ‘Cooked’

The Daily Circuit: Ten Morsels from Michael Pollan

In Cooked, Michael Pollan explores the previously uncharted territory of his own kitchen. Here, he discovers the enduring power of the four classical elements—fire, water, air, and earth—to transform the stuff of nature into delicious things to eat and drink. Apprenticing himself to a succession of culinary masters, Pollan learns how to grill with fire, cook with liquid, bake bread, and ferment everything from cheese to beer. In the course of his journey, he discovers that the cook occupies a special place in the world, standing squarely between nature and culture. Both realms are transformed by cooking, and so, in the process, is the cook.