We love the smell of a new book, the crispy sound of “fresh” paper, the beautiful white color of the pages, the shining photos – it’s hard to explain but if you ended up reading this post you probably can relate to that.

Of course, loving books and food, passing the obsession point, makes me an avid consumer of cookbooks but in a time where the information can be so easily found on internet, what drives you to actually buy a cookbook?    What defines the best cookbooks?

I find that I favor cooking technique books over the ones that only have recipes.    That includes gastronomy history, encyclopedia and food science books like the Larousse Gastronomique, Le Cordon Bleu'sComplete Cooking Techniques and What Einstein Told His Cook.

Completely falling into the “satisfaction by possession” category are the classics!  Recipes might be a bit old fashioned, many tools and techniques might have changed but still, How to Cook by Delia Smith sounds to me more like “How not to love” and Masteringthe Art of French Cooking by all mighty Julia Child is a must have in any cook’s bookshelf.     New classics like The Naked Chef (Jamie Oliver) and How to be a Domestic Goddess (Nigella Lawson) are as much appreciated as Dona Benta (best Brazilian cookbook ever) and The Silver Spoon (best Italian cookbook).

At last, beautiful photos and 100% from scratch food also make me buy books.   Examples of those in my bookshelf are Ottolenghi's book Plenty and delicious to read, Homemade by Yvette van Boven.

What about you?  What does it take to be on your cookbook shelf?   What are your favorite cookbooks?