Eat better for less at home with these great cookbooks

Alright, so you're stuck in self-isolation thanks to Coronavirus. You're working from home. The family is with you. Restaurants are closed. Bars shut down early. But you've still got to eat and still have to feed the family. Have you fully equipped yourself for the job? Maybe you already have a lot of great kitchen appliances but you just don't know how to use them.

I see you looking at the pizza delivery number in your contacts. Stop it. You can do this. Quarantine doesn't have to be expensive. All you need is a little help to guide you along the way. Whether you need a simple recipe book for getting dinner on the table or want something a little fancier for a weekend experiment, we've got a whole bunch of great cookbooks for you to choose from right here.

Before we get started, you should know that Kindle Unlimited gives you access to tons of cookbooks for free. You can even get a 30-day free trial to Kindle Unlimited right now. Then all the cookbooks are free. There are plenty that aren't covered by that amazing service, though, and we're listing a few of those right here.

The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook

Some of us don't need to feed an entire house filled with crazy children and family members that just won't leave. Sometimes all you need is a meal for you and your significant other. That's what this cookbook is all about. It carries 650 recipes designed for two people, not a million. America's Test Kitchen re-engineered larger menu items for a smaller family. The food contained within includes plenty of great tasting basics like Beef Stew, Lasagna, and even desserts. Many of them take only 30 minutes or less to prepare as well.

You Suck at Cooking cookbook

Designed by the creator of the You Suck at Cooking YouTube show, this cookbook is all about designing recipes for people who are recipe inept. A lot of cookbooks claim to be useful for the experienced cook and the novice alike. This one is for beginners and noobs. It has more than sixty recipes that cover a wide variety of foods, including dips and muffins and Jalapeno Chicken.

Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking

You know what's better than cooking your own meals at home? Yelling at yourself while you do it. Weave a few lines like "My gran could do this better!" or "This isn't pizza! This is a mistake!" in there while you're working. You'll feel just like a Master Chef.

Luckily, Ramsay's cookbook is actually filled with super simple recipes you can follow. All of them are designed to add a little something extra, too, so you'll actually be impressed by your own work. Some examples of the food in this book include: Miso braised salmon fillet, pork and bacon sliders with home made BBQ sauce, baked lemon cheesecake with raspberries, and more.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking

This is a very popular cookbook that you'll find on just about any list of the best cookbooks around. It even has its own Netflix series if you're interested. The author is a professional chef who has taught many other professional chefs, and now he's putting his philosophy on the page.

The idea behind this book is using those four elements (salt, fat, acid, heat) to make anything you cook delicious. Understand how each one impacts your food and read some other tips for good cooking. The whole thing occurs through narrative and illustrated walkthroughs, and it comes with 100 essential recipes so you can put your new knowledge into practice.

Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto

This is a New York Times bestseller all about educating the world on smoking meats. And can't we all use a little more smoked meat in our life? Honestly, the cover of this cookbook looks delicious. You're definitely going to want to pick the brain of Aaron Franklin here. Learn how to make great barbecue, which includes everything from customizing your own smoker to finding and curing the right wood to sourcing top-quality meats.