A Chef’s First Recipe, Courtesy of Betty Crocker

Amazon has many used ones.">

This book was originally published in 1957 but updated in multiple editions. Amazon has many used ones. Photo: Michael Kraus/Saveur

“I got this book for Christmas when I was nine years old. The recipes were laid out with pictures of what to do step by step. It was so simple, I could do it, no problem! The peanut butter pudding—Jell-O instant chocolate pudding with peanut butter mixed into it—was my favorite and first recipe. I’d pour it into my mom’s fancy green-glass pudding cups, let it set, and put Cool Whip on top. It was awesome.” — Chef Terence Feury of Fork in Philadelphia providing what is easily our favorite entry in the ’Saveur 100: Chef’s Edition,’ online today. (You might also be interested in Grant Achatz’s beloved evaporator machine, Matt Accarrino’s recipe for nose-to-tail rabbit, or Fergus Henderson’s firm belief in frozen peas.) [Saveur]