Like a decent pot, a favorite whisk or a worthwhile cast iron skillet, it’s hard to emphasize just how important it is to have a good cookbook lying around in your kitchen.
An essential home necessity capable of providing you with literally hundreds of fantastic meal ideas, a great cookbook can be as valuable any of the pots, pans, spoons or other culinary tools you have in your home.
With that being said, only a few select cookbooks continue to earn the praise and attention of chefs around the world. Fortunately, Food & Wine compiled a helpful list of the best cookbooks to add to your personal library, with a 1938 kitchen staple taking the top spot on the outlet’s list.
According to Food & Wine, Prosper Montagne’s Larousse Gastronomique took the top spot for the greatest cookbook of all time, beating out other well-loved favorites like Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking and Marco Pierre White’s White Heat by a considerable margin.
Spanning over 1,000 pages, the book acts as an exciting deep dive into the world of French cuisine, complete with intimate explorations of the country’s food history, different cooking techniques and recipes with step-by-step photos to help readers along when recreating their own dishes at home.
“It’s so comprehensive … the book itself probably weighs over 15 pounds!” remarked chef Gabriel Kreuther. “My favorite parts, however, are the bios of the most important people from the world of cooking, their stories, and their impact — everyone from Taillevent to Marie Antoine Carême. The depth and knowledge are unsurpassed.”
With over 4,000 recipes, many chefs continue to praise Larousse Gastronomique for its accessibility, with both professional chefs and amateur cooks alike finding plenty of things to be excited about when first flicking through the book’s pages.
This story was originally published by Parade on Apr 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Dining and Cooking