As the committee chairwoman, Kathleen Purvis, puts it: "We tried to make the list both broad and deep by including various types of cooking, major international cuisines, and reference. We've included several general cookbooks, too, which could be considered 'the core of the core.' That group of books contains answers and inspiration for just about any cook, any day, in any kitchen."
(You may recall a complementary Top 10 foodie books list, not including cookbooks, right here on Epi-Log.)
Want to see the James Beard list?
First, a little more discussion.
Because you should always know who came up with any Top Whatever list before you take it seriously, here's who came up with the James Beard's magnificent 20: Pat Adrian, formerly editor-in-chief of The Good Cook; Pat Brown, former editor of Bon Appetit and Cuisine Magazine; Lee Svitak Dean, food editor of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune; Doralece Lipoli Dullaghan, director of strategic partnerships for Sur La Table; Jan Turner Hazard, former food editor of Ladies Home Journal; Martha Holmberg, food editor of The Oregonian; Kathleen Purvis, food editor of The Charlotte Observer; Irene Sax, food writing instructor for New York University and a reviewer for The New York Daily News and Epicurious (I've heard of them); Nach Waxman, owner of Kitchen Arts & Letters; and Rita Wolfson, a former editor with Doubleday & Co.
You just want to see the list now, huh?
American Cookery (BBS
Publishing Corporation, 1996), James Beard
Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico
(William Morrow Cookbooks, 2007), Rick Bayless
Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (Better Homes and
Gardens, 2004)
Classic Indian Cooking (William Morrow Cookbooks, 1980),
Julie Sahni
Complete Techniques (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers,
2001), Jacques Pepin and Leon Pererr
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (Macmillan, 1995),
Marcella Hazan
How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food (Wiley,
2006), Mark Bittman
The Joy of Cooking (Scribner, 2006), Irma S. Rombauer and
Marion Rombauer Becker
The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook
(Countryman Press, 2003)
Maida Heatter's Book of Great Desserts (Andrews
McMeel Publishing, 1999), Maida Heatter
Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook (Clarkson Potter,
1999), Martha Stewart
Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume One (Knopf, 2001),
Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck
The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking: Techniques and Recipes (William
Morrow Cookbooks, 1996) Barbara Tropp
The New Food Lover's Companion (Barron's Educational
Series, 2007), Sharon Tyler Herbst
The Oxford Companion to Wine (Oxford University Press, 2007),
Jancis Robinson
Rick Stein's Complete Seafood (Ten Speed Press, 2004),
Rick Stein
The Silver Palate Cookbook (Workman Publishing Company, 2007),
Sheila Lukins and Julie Rosso
The Thrill of the Grill: Techniques,
Recipes, and Down-Home Barbecue (William Morrow Cookbooks, 2002),
Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby
Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (Broadway, 2007), Deborah Madison
The Way to Cook (Knopf, 1993), Julia Child
So. What did the James Beard Books Awards Committee get wrong? What did it get right?
RELATED LINKS
- Recipe Slideshows
Assorted galleries featuring pictures and recipes from Epicurious.com
- The
Epicurious Editors’ Blog
Food News and Views From All Over
- Everyday Cooking
Delicious menu guides for the busy work week
- Epicurious Technique Videos
See better approaches to preparing your meals
- Fire It Up
Conquer the coals with our complete guide to grilling and barbecue
