Nicola Twilley

This was the first cookbook I loved (I think I bought it while I was still at uni!). Everything I have made from it works and many have entered my regular rotation. I really like Lawson's writing style and her taste.

A gift from my Mum, and the source of my first real "dinner party" dish (Caramel Salmon and Lime). All the pages are spattered and stuck together.

Arranged seasonally (at least for Californians), which is helpful, and it has some great store cupboard dishes too. Much more than just a cookbook: lots of helpful advice on how to choose fish and store cheese, etc.

A relatively new acquisition, but everything I've made has been delicious and different. I'm saving up for their baking book now.

I'm a fan of Kenji's Serious Eats column of the same name, but this book is amazing: it is a bible, filled with tips and tricks and things you didn't even know you had been doing wrong. I am cooking my way through all 800 pages, and becoming a much better cook in the process.

I bought this after travelling to China to report on their refrigeration boom for The New York Times Magazine. I missed the flavours I had tasted while in China, and Dunlop's recipes are simple enough for me to make without too much palaver, but the results still taste authentic.

A gift from my lovely husband, who knows my fondness for British cakes and baking (the Great British Bake-Off is my favourite thing on TV). It's not just sweet stuff, but it's all delicious and unfussy. The savoury muffins have entered my regular repertoire already.

This is the first Ottolenghi cookbook I owned (in the UK edition) and it's the best, I think.

I discovered this while making an episode of my podcast, Gastropod, all about bitter. I'm not a bitter fan, usually, but Jennifer made me realise what I was missing out on — and gave me great ideas for how to add bitter flavours into my cooking. A bit of bitter melon in a Thai curry makes everything else taste sweeter and richer, for example.

I went on one of Lesley's street food tours of Mexico City years ago. Lots of great recipes for making food that tastes like you're on the streets of DF, even at home in Brooklyn (or Queens, in her case).