The Top 5 Cookbooks Anthony Bourdain Personally Recommended

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Anthony Bourdain is one of the most famous chefs of all time. Bourdain shared his wisdom and knowledge about food and cooking through his TV shows like "No Reservations" and "Parts Unknown" — and, while filming these shows, Bourdain had some of the best dishes he tried during his life. Bourdain also wrote books, such as his memoir, "Kitchen Confidential," and his cookbook, "Appetites." In fact, if you want to learn more about what Bourdain liked to make, reading "Appetites" is a good place to start. But, beyond that, you can also read the cookbooks, written by other people, that Bourdain has recommended.

In a 2000 article for The Guardian, Bourdain revealed his favorite 10 books about food — including some high-quality cookbooks that you may be able to buy and try out for yourself. Daily Meal has compiled a list of Bourdain's top six cookbooks from his rankings. An honorable mention would be "The Whole Beast: Nose To Tail Eating" by Fergus Henderson, which he ranked lowest on the list of his top 10 books. Henderson, the chef of a renowned restaurant called St. John, includes recipes featuring parts of animals that aren't often used in cuisine (but can be just as tasty). "The Whole Beast" can be bought on Amazon — as can most of the cookbooks that are higher up on Bourdain's ranking.

So, this means that you can start your Bourdain-inspired cookbook journey at any time. Read on to see which of Bourdain's recommendations you want to add to your cart first.

Le Bernardin is a popular, four-star seafood restaurant in New York, led by chef Eric Ripert — and has been considered one of the top 10 restaurants in North America, according to World's 50 Best. Writer Maguy Le Coze is the sister of Gilbert Le Coze, the restaurant's co-founder and first chef. This 1998 book explores the history of the restaurant and provides recipes to recreate at home. These recipes include grilled salmon with mushroom vinaigrette and poached halibut with marinated vegetables.

Buy "Le Bernardin Cookbook" on Amazon for $50.

This cookbook by chef Thomas Keller is about The French Laundry, a renowned French-cuisine restaurant in Napa Valley. The book was published in 1999, five years after Keller took over the restaurant in 1994 (it originally opened in 1974). This book is full of insight and techniques from Keller, as well as 150 mouth-watering recipes. There's everything from canapés to appetizers, fish to chicken dishes, and sweet desserts. For example, there's the salmon tartare with sweet red onion crème fraîche and white truffle oil-infused custards.

Buy "The French Laundry Cookbook" on Amazon for $60.

This book from 1976 — which Anthony Bourdain says is still useful even decades after its publication — is the only one on this list that isn't readily available to buy on Amazon (the one used listing is a French edition). But if you can manage to get your hands on it, this cookbook by chef Paul Bocuse — a Michelin-starred chef known for Restaurant Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France — is likely full of valuable insight on French cuisine, as well as delicious recipes.

"White Heat" is written by Marco Pierre White, a British chef known as the "enfant terrible" ("terrifying child" in French) who was the youngest chef to ever obtain three Michelin stars. This book contains stories from White's kitchen, as well as 73 recipes. There are recipes for first courses, fish dishes, meat dishes, desserts, and basics. The recipes include everything from a gratin of red fruits to crispy fried leeks to basic mashed potatoes. There are also instructions for clarified butter, vegetable stock, and more.

Buy the 25th anniversary edition of the book, "White Heat 25," on Amazon for $55.

Bourdain loves "The Ivy" — about the Los Angeles-based restaurant that's been around since 1980 — because it details the behind-the-scenes of a fancy restaurant and has delectable recipes. Written by English journalist A.A. Gill, it reads like a history of the restaurant while keeping track of which recipes you want to try for yourself. Some recipes you'll find in the book include its famous salmon fishcakes, Lobster Thermidor, and Farmhouse Cheddar with Crumpets and Onion Chutney.

Buy a used copy of "The Ivy" on Amazon for $12.59.