"The Food Lab," J.Kenji Lopez-Alt

Supaksorn “Ice”  Jongsiri of Sorn

“I really enjoy 'The Food Lab’ by J.Kenji Lopez-Alt because he seems thorough—kind of like me—and he’s very knowledgeable and well organized. I like that the book explores the science behind all the cooking techniques, too.”

"Polpo: A Venetian Cookbook Of Sorts," Russell Norman

Choti Leenutaphong and Debby Tang of Foodie Collection (80/20, Vesper, Il Fumo, La Dotta, 1919)

“Our favorite cookbook is ‘Polpo: A Venetian Cookbook Of Sorts’ by London-based restaurateur Russell Norman. It offers easy-to-make, homey northern Italian/Venetian recipes. We used this book as inspiration for our first outlet, Vesper, when it opened as a bar and restaurant in 2014.”

“Larousse Gastronomique," Prosper Montagne

Tim Butler of Eat Me

“‘Larousse Gastronomique’ by Prosper Montagne is the granddaddy of all French cookbooks. It contains recipes and origins for almost every dish in history. It’s a classic among the rest.”

"Bouchon Bakery" by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel

Saki Hoshino of 80/20

“At the moment I’m re-reading ‘Kitchen Confidential’ I’m also revisiting classic cookbooks like 'Bouchon Bakery' by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel. It’s quite nice having some quiet time to read and spend time with loved ones, but I hope this situation doesn’t go on for too long!”

"Traditional Portuguese Cooking," Maria de Lourdes Modesto

Austin Bush, author of “The Food of Northern Thailand”

“My go-to cookbook might have to be ‘Traditional Portuguese Cooking’ by Maria de Lourdes Modesto. On the one hand, it's not a very good cookbook: it's poorly translated and the instructions are often unclear, ingredients are sometimes forgotten, the amounts are vague or simply omitted, and it's got some wacky '70s-era food photography. But I love Portuguese food, and as a capable cook, I can use it as a rough guide to the dishes I want to make (often supplemented with online recipes or Youtube videos). It was probably researched and written in the 1970s, and the author clearly traveled to every corner of Portugal, recording real dishes made by real fishermen, housewives, bakers, market vendors and a few chefs. The regionality of the recipes, and the author's journalistic approach surely had an influence on my own book.”

"The Whole Beast: Nose To Tail Eating," Fergus Henderson

Jarrett Wrisley, founder of Soul Food Mahanakorn

"I usually read cookbooks for ideas rather than recipes. My absolute favorite cookbook of all time is Fergus Henderson's ‘The Whole Beast: Nose To Tail Eating’—mostly because of the words (and certainly, not for the pictures). Fergus Henderson's voice bounces joyfully around the recipes; reading it is a delight. For people learning how to cook, or cook with more proficiency, I recently dipped into an old favorite, ‘Charcuterie,’ by Michael Ruhlman. This one is pretty technical but great for slow-moving projects, which is perfect in this catastrophe. So, yeah, a pancetta is now aging in my wine fridge. During this suspension of everyday life, I've also been keeping pretty busy proofreading my own cookbook, ‘Roads to Rome.’ Paolo Vitaletti [of Appia] and I have been working on it for about five years now and it's in the final stages of production; Jua's Jason Lang is the photographer."