Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve loved cooking and baking since I was a little girl. I attempted to bake a chocolate cake when I was nine without a recipe and put the resulting glop in a plastic bowl in the oven. Luckily, I forgot to turn the oven on and my mother discovered it later, no harm done. I was always a foodie but also a tremendous reader with a great love for the English language, so food writing marries my two passions. My published works include The New York Times bestselling The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook (over a million copies sold), and I write a food column for a women’s magazine.


I wrote

Book cover of The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook

What is my book about?

The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook makes dining à la Hogwarts as easy as Banoffi Pie! With over 150 recipes and…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook: Featuring More Than 1,200 Kitchen-Tested Recipes

Dinah Bucholz Why did I love this book?

If you are starting out in life and can only get one cookbook, get this one. It contains recipes for the classics as well as the familiar, basic dishes you must have in your repertoire—and the recipes are foolproof. Because the recipes are thoroughly tested, you can hardly go wrong if you follow the detailed instructions.

By America's Test Kitchen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Like the best treasured cookbooks of the past, The America's Test Kitchen Family cookbook offers more than 1,200 kitchen-tested recipes, more than 1,500 4-color photos and much more. Here are some of the special features of this book: *Test Kitchen Tips Illuminate Key Recipe-Specific Facts *Hundreds of Variations Give Cooks Lots of Recipe Choices *Equipment Ratings Point Out Our Favorite Brands and Explain Why *Ingredient Testings Rate All Manner of Supermarket Ingredients So Cooks Can Make the Best Choices *Fast Recipes are Highlighted Throughout the Book *Prep Times and Total Times Make Clear How Long a Recipe Will Take *A…


Book cover of The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book: The Only Baking Book You'll Ever Need

Dinah Bucholz Why did I love this book?

I know, I know. America’s Test Kitchen again. But seriously, these are the two most used cookbooks in my house, and their tattered condition testifies to that. Nearly everything I have tried from the Baking book has turned out delicious, and I have enough confidence in these recipes to try something new even for company.

By America's Test Kitchen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Featuring more than 700 kitchen-tested recipes, 800 step-by-step photos, opinionated product ratings, and at-a-glance tutorials that guarantee success every time you bake.

A companion to the bestselling America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (with more than 550,000 copies sold), this comprehensive cookbook delivers the foolproof recipes, step-by-step instructions, and troubleshooting guides that have become the hallmark of every book published by America's most trusted test kitchen. For anyone who has made pie dough that seemed impossible to roll out, bread that failed to rise, or a birthday cake that couldn't be served, this book will be a lifesaver as well as…


Book cover of Pillsbury's Best 1000 Recipes: Best of the Bake-Off Collection

Dinah Bucholz Why did I love this book?

This was my favorite childhood cookbook (my mom wanted it back recently but I begged). As a kid, I made quite a few dishes from that book for my family and was even allowed to make the Butter Cream Orange Cups for my brother’s bar mitzvah. I got loads of compliments for them and walked around in a happy glow for the rest of the day. The cookbook is chock full of unusual recipes, so I love revisiting them for inspiration for my food columns. Though out of print, it’s worth a search on eBay or used book stores.

Book cover of Death by Chocolate: The Last Word on a Consuming Passion

Dinah Bucholz Why did I love this book?

This is the kind of cookbook that is so beautiful that it can serve as a decorative item to keep on your coffee table. The downside is that it can set unrealistic expectations in the minds of your guests. Or give them crazy chocolate cravings. (I am actually eating chocolate as I write these words.) The book is filled with whimsical and fanciful recipe titles, like “Chocolate Phantasmagoria” and, of course, the star of the show, “Death by Chocolate.”

By Marcel Desaulniers,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Death by Chocolate as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Gathers recipes for chocolate desserts, including cookies, candies, cakes, parfaits, mousses, ice creams, sorbets, fudge, brownies, fritters, tarts, souffles, and pies.


Book cover of Chocolate and Confections at Home with the Culinary Institute of America

Dinah Bucholz Why did I love this book?

I’m a confirmed chocoholic, so I can’t help it that this is the second chocolate cookbook on the list. This cookbook is great for chocolate lovers who want to learn how to make handmade chocolates at home. The skills needed for some of these recipes take time to develop, so if you are new to the art, arm yourself with patience and a sense of adventure before rolling up your sleeves and melting the chocolate. The time invested is well worth the effort.

By The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Peter P. Greweling,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Chocolate and Confections at Home with the Culinary Institute of America as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The home candy maker's guide to creating stunning chocolates and confections Chocolates and Confections at Home offers detailed expertise for anyone who wants to make truly amazing homemade confections and candies. The Culinary Institute of America and baking and pastry arts professor Peter Greweling provide recipes and step-by-step techniques that make even the most ambitious treats simple for any home cook. In addition, Chocolates and Confections at Home includes ingredient and equipment information, packaging and storage practices, and troubleshooting tips for common preparation issues. * Richly illustrated with more than 150 full-color photos that illustrate key techniques as well as…


Explore my book 😀

Book cover of The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook

What is my book about?

The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook makes dining à la Hogwarts as easy as Banoffi Pie! With over 150 recipes and a guide to where the foods can be found in the series, you can create perfect Potter meals drawn straight from the pages of your favorite stories. With a dash of mystery and a dollop of creativity, you’ll conjure up the entrées, desserts, snacks, and drinks you need to transform ordinary meals into culinary masterpieces sure to make even Mrs. Weasley proud.

Book cover of The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook: Featuring More Than 1,200 Kitchen-Tested Recipes
Book cover of The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book: The Only Baking Book You'll Ever Need
Book cover of Pillsbury's Best 1000 Recipes: Best of the Bake-Off Collection

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,501

readers submitted
so far, will you?

You might also like...

Empire's Daughter

By Marian L Thorpe,

Book cover of Empire's Daughter

Ad
Marian L Thorpe Author Of Empress & Soldier

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Birder Traveller Amateur landscape historian Reader

Marian's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Lena thinks she knows her future: in her small village, nothing much has changed for two hundred years. Women farm and fish, plant and harvest: a cooperative, productive, peaceful life. Until the day a soldier rides in, to ask the unthinkable of the women: learn to fight. Invasion is imminent, and the men alone cannot defeat them.

Maya, Lena’s partner, refuses. Going against the collective decision of the village means banishment. Will Lena decide to defend her home, or go with her love?

Journey with Lena as she makes this terrible choice, setting her feet on a path towards a…

Empire's Daughter

By Marian L Thorpe,

What is this book about?

"Fans of Guy Gavriel Kay will love Thorpe's work." Anya Pavelle

A B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree; Eric Hoffer Finalist, 2021; BBNYA 2021 Semi-Finalist

An Emperor's request. A lover's refusal. And a young woman who must choose between them.

Many generations past, the great empire from the east left Lena's country to its own defences. Now invasion threatens...and to save their land, women must learn the skills of war. But in a world reminiscent of Britain after the fall of Rome, only men fight; women farm and fish. Lena's choice to answer her leader's call to arms separates her from her lover…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in American cuisine, cooking, and monsters?

American Cuisine 24 books
Cooking 107 books
Monsters 170 books