My favorite cookbook

Readers talk about the cookbooks they can't live without.

from the May 7, 2008 edition

Madhur Jaffrey's An Invitation to Indian Cooking because I make two of my wife's favorite recipes (Seekh Kebab and Eggplant Bharta) from it. The recipes remind us of when we dated at a small Indian restaurant in Cambridge, Mass. Love and good food are a powerful combination.

Bradford Hamilton, Hopedale, Mass.

Kitchen Sense: More Than 600 Recipes to Make You a Great Home Cook, by Mitchell Davis. The author tells what can be done in advance in each recipe as well as how long the meal would keep in the refrigerator or freezer. It's my go-to cookbook when I'm unsure of what to make for dinner.

Kara Moore, Chicago

Baking With Julia, by Dorie Greenspan, based on the Julia Child TV series. Includes information that cooks need, whether they're beginning bakers or experienced. The recipes are varied and adaptable. The photos are lovely as well as accurate.

Patricia Dawson, Hurricane, W.Va.

The Cook's Companion, by Stephanie Alexander. She is a great Australian cook and writer. It is not only a recipe book but also an information book about equipment and processes in the kitchen.

Grahame Perkins, Ludwigshafen, Germany

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison. It is a beautiful book and one that proves that vegetarian cooking can be elegant and delicious and appealing to all.

Koren Manning, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Tell us about your favorite cookbook. E-mail food@csmonitor.com.