Become a Master Italian Chef with These Top 10 Italian Cookbooks

With the cookbooks from some chefs, we get the idea that they are bossing us around in print form, not here. Here you have the idea that the instructions are relatively low-key. This book has some of the most characteristic and best recipes from Le Marche. 

Whether you are a vegetarian or not does not matter with this book, there are so many incredible ideas here to deliver perfect results with a minimum of effort. The book includes serving suggestions for each recipe, making it easier to plan your next meal.

The author (Jessica Theroux) spent more than a year traveling throughout Italy. As a chef herself, she spent time talking and cooking with Italian grandmothers. She has listened to their stories and learned their secrets. The result is an authentic and charming collection of photographs, anecdotes, techniques, and recipes. As part cookbook, part photo essay, and part travel dairy, this is a great collection.

Many people know Giada De Laurentiis from Everyday Italian – her hit Food Network show. Just like in the show, she demonstrates how to make beautiful and delicious food without too much work. Put dinner on the table with a maximum of flavor and a minimum of fuss. The title is not boasting, the easy recipes are incredibly accessible and quick to make.

With heavily illustrated techniques and exhaustively tested recipes, this series has been around for a long time. It makes it easy for even a novice chef to create a successful dish the first time around. This could very well be the single best Italian cookbook to own as a novice chef. The book does not cover obscure dishes, instead it focuses on the traditional favorites.

The focus of this cookbook is on Sicilian style home cooking. Most people know that Sicilians are known for their generous hospitality. When reading this book, you truly feel like a member of an inner circle. If you’re looking for a more ‘traditional’ classic Italian cookbook it may not be ideal. But, for someone who wants to learn how to cook Sicilian specialties, it is a great book. 

Shopping is made simple in this book because of the clear suggestions on which wine to pair with the food and where to get the perfect ingredients. You will find many of the Italian favorites, regional specialties, comfort foods, easy Italian, and delicious desserts.

This is a truly beautifully illustrated and authoritative celebration of Tuscan cooking and food that incorporates are great selection of authentic Tuscan recipes. Again, like some of the other ‘regional books’, this obviously focuses on the very specific Tuscan region, but it does provide some amazing suggestions.

Rao’s is a legendary Italian restaurant, where tables are booked months in advance. While it may not be easy to get a table at that legendary restaurant in Manhattan, you are able to create some of their exquisite dishes in your own kitchen. Without exaggerating, these are some of the most wonderful recipes you are going to find anywhere. 

Perhaps even more than any other chef, Marcella Hazan is responsible for introducing Italian food into the American household. This is not just typical fare either, sautéed Swiss chard with garlic and olive oil, squid braised with white wine and tomatoes, risotto, and polenta. The book has been out for more than two decades and remains a classic. Regardless of the skill level of the cook, this book is simply a must-have.