The ones I keep going back to, for very different reasons.
- Both the older and newer "joy of cooking". The older one (have to buy them used, most printed in the 70's and 80's) is good for 'old time' recipes and lots of euro ethnic foods. A good example is this is the book I go to when I want a recipe for chopped liver. There are also pictures of how to skin a squirrel
The newer one has lots of Mediterranean and asian recipes, a little more 'new age'...no squirrel skinning stuff. These are the books I pull out when I want to see how to make something, or make sure I havent forgotten an ingredient. Obviously well tested recipes.
- Justin Wilsons "homegrown louisiana cooking". I have fished this book way more than I ever thought I would. Lots of GREAT and easy to make recipes, and not limited to gumbo type stuff at all. One of the best spaghetti sauce recipes in there.
- Americas test kitchen family cookbook. This is by no means a replacement for the joy of cooking or the betty crocker type family cookbooks as it drastically lacks breadth. But it has fabulous depth and extremely well tested recipes. You dont pull this out to find out how to make something, you pull this out to find something to make.
- Dean Ornish's "Eat More, Weigh Less". Fantastic low/zero fat vegetarian dishes. Very creative, some require some work although you can shortcut some of the steps to save time and lose a little flavor, like using a prepared stock rather than making one. Some surprisingly tasty foods that I've served to people where they ate half of it making yummy noises before they said "hey...there isnt any meat in this...is there?"
- Legal Seafoods cookbook. Lots of great seafood recipes in here from fish and clam chowders, smoked bluefish pate, etc.
- The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. Pretty much self explanatory. Big thick book with all the tips, tricks and recipes to make almost anything from traditional chinese food to the more americanized stuff.
I have three shelves full. These are the only ones I go back to time and again.