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French cuisine can be intimidating. It's often technique-focused, heavy on cooking terminology, and can use ingredients that we're not always familiar with. But get a good cookbook, and you'll soon realize that a lot of it sounds harder than it actually is and that most French dishes are easily adaptable for the American home cook.
We put together a list of 10 French cookbooks that will help you master the cuisine, whether you're a total beginner or more comfortable in the kitchen. For pared-down French classics, we highly recommend the late Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook. Full of simple, tasty recipes and stories told with Bourdain's signature wit, it's sure to keep you entertained and engaged in the kitchen. See the rest of the list below and check out our buying guide reviewed by a chef for tips on how to choose a cookbook to suit your tastes.
Jim Quast (JQ) is a lifelong professional restaurant and corporate R&D chef who loves everything food-related and the tools, both big and small, to make those great food memories. He's a super huge BBQ, grill, and kitchen gadget fanatic. JQ has spent the last 30+ years trying to figure out what works to make your kitchen life easier and fun. If you can use it to slice it, dice it, cook it, smoke it, or store it, he's been there checking it out. Food = Life!
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To ensure that you get a cookbook you'll actually use, find one that inspires you and makes you want to cook. If that sounds daunting, here are some specific factors to consider and things to look for.
Cookbooks are written with different audiences in mind. Some are aimed at the beginner cook, some at the proficient home cook, and others at professionally-trained chefs.
If you consider yourself a kitchen newbie, look for a book that describes its recipes as “easy” or “simple” and is aimed at home cooks. If you can find an online preview of the book, glance through a few of the recipes. In general, recipes with fewer ingredients will be easier than recipes with long ingredient lists.
Also, take a look at how detailed the instructions are and what kind of cues they provide. In addition to information about timing, a detailed cookbook can tell you how things look, smell, sound, and feel while you’re cooking. Books that include photos or references to YouTube videos can also be super helpful.
French cooking is heavy on technique, so beginners should look for books that teach these skills one at a time. If you’re unfamiliar with cooking lingo, look for a book with a reference section that defines commonly used terms.
If you’re comfortable with the basics of French cooking, try expanding your skillset. Maybe there’s a dish you’ve always wanted to try or a technique you’re curious about.
Cookbooks aimed at intermediate chefs contain less detailed explanations and will assume that you know how to make the basic building blocks of French cuisine, like roux and mirepoix. Ingredient lists may include other items you need to make, like dough, dressing, or sauce.
For advanced chefs, or anyone looking for a challenge, a cookbook that focuses on a specific niche within French cooking can help you hone your skills and knowledge even further.
Delve deep into the science behind cooking through molecular gastronomy or pick up a cookbook on pastry to learn how to create intricate confectionery towers. Niche books are more likely to contain less common ingredients, like escargot, offal, and truffles.
French food has a long history dating back to medieval times. As it has evolved over the centuries, chefs have taken it in different directions with new techniques and flavors.
A classic French cookbook contains staple dishes that you’ll often find in French restaurants. Learning to cook these dishes is a great way to work on your techniques and create something delicious to eat!
Classic French cooking typically incorporates hearty vegetables, a variety of meats, poultry, herbs, wine, and dairy; and of course, desserts! You’re probably already familiar with some classic French dishes, as many of them have made their way into American cuisine.
Some savory dishes are quiche, ratatouille, coq au vin, and French onion soup. On the sweeter side there are croissants, crème brûlée, and macarons.
If you love French flavors but want to change it up a little, look for a cookbook that goes beyond the classics. These cookbooks will often combine traditional techniques with new flavors, or traditional flavors with new techniques. You might find a recipe for a croque monsieur casserole, gruyere latkes, or seaweed sablés.
Recipes can be very personal, and a cookbook will often be influenced by the author’s background and experiences. Take a look at their bio; the author could be a celebrity with a love for French food, a cook who spent a year in Paris, or a chef who trained in professional French kitchens.
Whatever their background is, it will affect the story they tell in their cookbook, the type of recipes they include, and the difficulty level. Look for an author who resonates with you and whose style you find interesting.
When choosing a French cookbook, consider your own cooking style and habits. You want to pick a book that you’ll reach for over and over again, not one that will gather dust on your bookshelf.
Maybe you love soups and stews or can’t stop using your slow cooker. Or perhaps you’re a fan of quick sears and sautés. If washing a pile of dishes sounds daunting, stay away from cookbooks that involve lots of specialized kitchen tools, like mandoline slicers, blenders, or multiple types of whisks.
If you tend to follow recipes to a T, look for a book with lots of details and instructions. If you’re more of an improviser, a book that focuses on techniques and flavors can teach you skills that you can use in any way you want.
If you’re shopping on Amazon, there’s usually a “Look inside” feature that allows you to view pages from the book. This can really help you get a sense of what the book is like and whether or not you’ll like it.
Check out the table of contents for an overview of everything in the cookbook. This will give you a sense of what kind of recipes are in the book as well as how they’re organized.
Recipes are usually split into groups by meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner), course (appetizer, entree, dessert), season, or ingredient (chicken, vegetables, and so on). Think about how you usually decide what to cook and pick a book that matches your method.
Aside from the recipes, how much text does the book contain? Some cookbooks are collections of recipes; others are more like memoirs.
If you just want to get straight to cooking, look for a book that contains only recipes. On the other hand, if you’re interested in the story behind each dish, pick a book with more writing. It can also be fascinating to hear about the author’s experiences.
Food engages all five senses, not just taste, so don’t underestimate the power of a good picture. A cookbook that’s full of photos may be be more interesting and inspiring than a book that’s just text.
If you’re cooking a dish you’ve never had before, a picture also provides a guide for what it should look like. Some cookbooks even include pictures of the cooking process, which can be super helpful for beginners.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Price | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Anthony Bourdain Les Halles Cookbook | $29.99 Mid | French Bistro Fare for the Home Cook | ||
2 | Melissa Clark Dinner in French | $24.15 Low Mid | A Modern Twist on the Classics | ||
3 | Julia Child Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1 | $36.00 Mid | A Classic Cookbook That's More Than Just Recipes | ||
4 | Jacques Pépin Quick & Simple | $24.47 Low Mid | No-Fuss Recipes for Beginners | ||
5 | Ferrandi Culinary Arts School French Pâtisserie | $54.00 High Mid | Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth | ||
6 | Mimi Thorisson A Kitchen in France | $30.46 Mid | Rustic Dishes According to the Seasons | ||
7 | Clotilde Dusoulier The French Market Cookbook | $22.50 Low Mid | Vegetarian Recipes With Full French Flavor | ||
8 | Natalie Wong French Macarons for Beginners | $13.93 Low | Make the Macarons of Your Dreams | ||
9 | Thomas Keller The French Laundry Cookbook | $36.78 Mid | Replicate High-End Food at Home | ||
10 | Librairie Larousse Larousse Gastronomique | $65.15 High | Everything You Ever Wanted to Know and More |
The late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain went back to basics with this cookbook, filled with recipes from Les Halles, a French bistro in New York City. From the outset, he tells the reader his goal: to walk you through strategies and techniques to become a better cook. He assumes only that you know how to use a knife.
The book that follows is both practical and entertaining, full of classic recipes like steak frites, escargot aux noix, and beef bourguignon, pared down for the home chef. Bourdain's candid humor and irreverent attitude shine through, making it a joy to read as well as cook from.
A few reviewers warned that some of the ingredients are things that aren't easily found everywhere in America. Still, the majority of the reviewers loved Bourdain's unpretentious, no-nonsense style and appreciated the simplicity of the recipes. They said this book helped demystify cooking and many of them read it cover to cover.
New York Times food writer Melissa Clark combines her childhood memories of summers in France with her experience living as an adult in Brooklyn to create Dinner in French. Full of modern twists on classic dishes, she brings traditional flavors and techniques into the twenty-first century.
In this book, you'll find recipes for things like Ratatouille Sheet Pan Chicken, Apricot Tarte Tartin, and Cornmeal and Harissa Soufflé. Clark is acutely aware of the pressures of modern life and how they have affected our cooking, shopping, and eating habits; each recipe has a "thinking ahead" section to help you prep and plan.
Reviewers said this book was a joy to read and cook with. They loved Clark's stories and the stunning photography. When it came time to cook, they found the recipes to be easy to follow and were pleased by the accessible ingredient lists. And they said the food itself was consistently delicious!
This classic cookbook has been going strong for 60 years with no signs of stopping! Written by Julia Child, it aims to make French cooking accessible to everyone by breaking it down into a logical sequence of techniques, told through stories and recipes.
Child focuses on essential recipes that form the backbone of French cuisine. Once you master these you can then improvise and elaborate to your heart's content. The book also includes information on ingredients tailored to an American audience, as well as suggestions for wines or sides to accompany the dish.
Some reviewers found the recipes to be too wordy or time-intensive. Others didn't like that there were no photos, only illustrations. However, most reviewers called this book rightfully a classic. They praised the well-written, detailed instructions and said this is a book about cooking for people who love to cook.
If you've heard of French food, you've probably heard of Jacques Pépin. In Quick & Simple, the world renowned chef shows you how to make French dishes that are both achievable and impressive. Aimed at the home cook, the recipes require minimal prep and cleanup.
The book also contains tips for kitchen tools and equipment as well as techniques to help simplify and streamline your cooking routine. Pépin guides you through salads and soups, meat and seafood, desserts, and more. Throw together a fresh salade niçoise or make the Braised Short Ribs in Red Wine Sauce - it'll only take an hour!
Reviewers were pleased by this book's simplicity, saying that they appreciated the short ingredient lists that contained many things they already had on hand. They liked the variety of unique, tasty recipes. And they found the illustrations to be lovely.
For bakers and aspiring pastry chefs, French Pâtisserie is a book you'll return to again and again. Written by teachers at Ferrandi, the French School of Culinary Arts in Paris, it's a comprehensive reference book full of techniques and recipes to help you learn how to make desserts the French way.
It walks you through how to equip your kitchen and how to make essential doughs, fillings, and decorations. The recipes are graded for difficulty, so you can start out easy and work your way up. Try your hand at traditional buttery croissants, a sweet and sour lemon tart, crackly crème brûlée, and more.
Some reviewers warned that the recipes may require special equipment and think a few are missing steps. Still, most reviewers appreciated this book's level of detail. They said that it explains the whys of baking in addition to the hows and was fairly easy to follow. And they loved the mouthwatering photography.
If you've ever dreamed of living in a rustic farmhouse in the French countryside, you can live vicariously through Mimi Thorisson in A Kitchen in France. The cookbook chronicles her family's life in a rural town, where they cook seasonally, sourcing fresh ingredients from local farmers and the nearby woods.
The book is divided into seasons, with starters, main courses, and dessert recipes for each. In spring, try the Roast Chicken with Crème Fraîche and Herbs for dinner. For dessert, make the enchanting Garden Cake, decorated with handfuls of fresh berries, flowers, and greenery.
Some reviewers said they didn't relate to the author. Others said that some of the ingredients were hard to find in America. However, most reviewers loved the book's stories and recipes, saying that while they may seem complicated at first, the steps are laid out clearly. And they said the pictures were beyond gorgeous.
French food blogger Clotilde Dusoulier draws inspiration from her local farmer's market, cooking dishes that are heavy on the produce and light on the cheese and cream. Her cookbook is full of stories, tips, and vegetarian recipes that are often gluten- and dairy-free as well.
There are soups and salads, like the Poor Man's Bouillabaise or the Crunchy Lentil and Watercress Salad, and a variety of savory tarts, like the Curried Leek Tarte Tatin. She also includes main courses, sides, and a handful of pastas. Finish up with fruit-forward desserts like the Apple Sugar Tart or Yogurt Mousse with Raspberries.
Some reviewers complained that not all of the ingredients were easy to find. Others found the recipes to be too involved. On the other hand, many reviewers said this book was inspiring, with fresh, whole foods and easy-to-follow instructions. They liked its seasonal organization and said the photography was beautiful.
Who needs a French bakery when you can make your own macarons at home? French Macarons for Beginners will walk you through how to make and master these delicate treats, from whipping up the meringue to folding and piping the batter. And if yours don't quite turn out, there's even a chapter on troubleshooting.
The cookbook contains information on how to equip your kitchen, as well as some fun facts about macarons. There are 30 shell recipes and 30 filling recipes, including blueberry, cookies and cream, espresso, and matcha. Mix and match to your liking or follow the recommended flavor pairings.
Some reviewers complained that the ratios in the recipes were off. They recommended weighing the ingredients instead. Still, many reviewers said this book was great for beginners, with detailed instructions that were easy to follow. And they said the flavor combinations were delightful.
If you want to learn from the very best, The French Laundry Cookbook is a good place to start. Written by Thomas Keller, it contains exact recipes from his three-starred Michelin restaurant, all tested in the home kitchen. Essays, profiles, and photographs provide a well-rounded view into the world of haute cuisine.
While many of the recipes are labor-intensive, they'll also teach you transferable skills, like the proper way to cook green vegetables and the secrets of cooking fish. The book is organized by course into canapés, first course, fish, meat, cheese, and dessert.
Some reviewers warned that these recipes take a lot of time and work. Others found them to be more suited to gourmands than average tastes. However, most reviewers said this book was gorgeous and inspirational. They loved the behind-the-scenes peek into the restaurant and said the recipes were exquisitely delicious.
The Larousse Gastronomique has a long history. Initially published in 1938, it has since made its way onto the shelves of numerous professional chefs and serious home cooks. More than just a cookbook, it's an extensive encyclopedia of all things food, arranged in alphabetical order and updated for modern sensibilities.
The book has definitions of cooking techniques and equipment, pictures of ingredients, food histories, and culinary biographies. And there are plenty of recipes too, though they range in specificity and level of difficulty. While the book is heavy on French cooking, it does include information about other cuisines too.
Overall, reviewers said this book is an incredibly comprehensive reference that helped them become a better cook. For those who want more than to just follow a recipe, this book provided context and insight into the art of cooking.
Focusing on a specific type of cuisine can help build your knowledge of flavor profiles and cooking techniques. Here are some of our other favorite cookbooks featuring food from around the world.
This expert reviewed the contents of the buying guide for accuracy and provided factual corrections when necessary, as well as extra tips and advice. They did not participate in the product selection process, nor are they affiliated with any of our choices unless explicitly stated so.
No. 1: Anthony Bourdain|Les Halles Cookbook
No. 2: Melissa Clark|Dinner in French
No. 3: Julia Child|Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1
No. 4: Jacques Pépin|Quick & Simple
No. 5: Ferrandi Culinary Arts School|French Pâtisserie
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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