7 Essential Cookbooks to Add to Your Wedding Registry

Julia Childs

Cooking is a necessary part of adulting. Whether you and your significant other are seasoned chefs in the kitchen or classify yourselves as novices at best, you gotta eat (and ordering Seamless 24/7 or eating out all of the time isn’t good for your wallet or your waistline)! Turning to the tried-and-true traditional cookbooks our parents and grandparents referenced when whipping up weeknight meals or a last-minute dinner party is always a good place to start. Below are some of the must-have classics as well as a few of the books that have become our favorite new necessities to begin your budding cookbook collection. We suggest adding them to your registry today!

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck
If you’ve watched Julie & Julia, you know the dedication it took to create this masterpiece. It made its way into American homes for the first time in 1961, and more than 50 decades later, it is still a thing of beauty that every person who enjoys French comfort foods should own. Once you’ve made the famous boeuf bourguignon, you’ll understand for yourself just how magnifique these recipes really are. Bon appétit! 

The Taste of Country Cooking

The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis
Speaking of comfort food, what’s more comforting than down-home, southern cooking? Being born and raised in Charleston, I’ve been lucky enough to grow up around it and whether it’s a sweltering hot day or a bitingly cold night, this food soothes the soul. Spend a Sunday in your kitchen making a batch of Edna’s biscuits and put those measuring cups to good use.

The Joy of Cooking

The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer
Another recipe book staple, this how-to ushered in a wave of convenient and delicious recipes that many families keep in constant rotation. When a recipe book has sections on mother sauces and more than one way to make a chocolate mousse, you know it’s keeper.

Momfuku Milk Bar

Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi
Did someone say chocolate? This cookbook is a must-have for anyone with a sweet tooth. Christina Tosi is the maven behind Momofuku Milk Bar and all of those heart-stopping delectables like Crack Pie and Compost Cookie Cake. Though the recipes can become laborious, once you try your hand at it and succeed, you will keep flipping through the pages for more and more goodies.

Momofuku

Momofuku by David Chang
Now we can’t mention Momofuku Milk Bar without including David Chang’s Momofuku on this list. Chang really put his heart and soul into this book, ultimately creating a book that makes its readers feel like they’re game for the challenge and can make something quite impressive. Invite some friends over one night and pick a recipe from this modern classic. They won’t believe you made it on your own.

Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Barefoot Contessa Parties! by Ina Garten
It goes without saying that Ina Garten knows a thing or two about creating a fantastic spread for two or 20. She could probably make the blandest turkey look amazing with a flick of her wooden spoon, and we absolutely love her for it. You likely already have hosting dreams on the brain as newlyweds, and this guide packs a punch with expert tips and must-make party recipes.

Plenty

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
When Plenty hit the shelves in 2010, the world suddenly became enamored with vegetables, especially eating them. Yotam Ottolenghi’s vegetarian cookbook not only offers new faves like shakshuka, it is also a culinary photography dream. If you have sworn meat lovers that won’t touch the leafy green stuff, whip up the mushroom and herb polenta and knock their socks off.

Written by: Jehnel Oboza-Davison