Top 5 Cookbooks for Herb & Spice Lovers

Award-winning chef Jerry Traunfeld penned The Herbfarm Cookbook during his tenure as chef at the renowned restaurant of the same name. He masterfully composed restaurant-quality recipes for ambitious home cooks, and simpler preparations for those new to the kitchen, to herbs, or both. Beautiful photographs illustrate the volume, and Traunfeld includes wonderful information about growing one's own herbs, whether in pots or a garden.

Fans of The Herbfarm Cookbook might not have believed it possible, but chef Jerry Traunfeld outdid himself with his sophomore cookbook effort, The Herbal Kitchen. In it, he lays out fantastic, herb-finessed recipes that are remarkably simple to execute -- even on a weeknight. Traunfeld discusses substitutions for hard-to-find herbs, and outlines tips for herb cultivation, handling and storage. John Granen's beautiful photos truly represent the look of finished dishes.

Featuring 750 color photographs and over 185 simple international recipes, author Elizabeth Lambert Ortiz's book helps demystify the world of herbs and spices. The smart layout is easy on the eye, and highlights concise information about each herb and spice, including origins, available forms, use and storage. Little boxes let readers know which foods taste good with a particular herb or spice, and which herbs and spices have an affinity for each other. The book's "Flavors of the World" section discusses the predominant herbs and spices in traditional cuisines, and outlines typical menus.

A vast array of the spices used around the world today originated in India, and were first integrated into other cuisines during the ancient spice trades. Yet few Western cooks are familiar with their use in India's regional cuisines. Suvir Saran, co-owner and chef of New York's lauded Devi restaurant, makes Indian food accessible to home cooks with Indian Home Cooking. The recipes are simple, straightforward, and enticingly photographed. None hinge success on a laundry list of difficult-to-obtain spices. Saran and co-author Stephanie Lyness do a great job of walking readers through techniques, and familiarizing them with unfamiliar spices. Saran's anecdotes are a joy to read, but best of all, the recipes work.

James Beard Award-winning chef Ana Sortun reverentially explores Mediterranean spices in this intriguing cookbook. Sortun's book is unusually but effectively organized by spice groupings, and features recipes from her renowned Cambridge, Massachusetts restaurant, Oleana. She discusses the spices, their traditional uses, and tips for handling in great detail, and conveniently lists vendors and resources throughout the book. Be aware that a few recipes involve raw eggs or meat, and shouldn't be consumed by children, the elderly, pregnant women, or those with certain medical conditions. However, most of the recipes are utterly safe, and quite accessible to the home cook. Sortun's travel anecdotes are as delightful as the recipes.