The selections are the opinions of the James Beard Foundation Book Awards Committee, a group of seasoned culinary publishing professionals who have been writing, editing, reviewing, buying and selling cookbooks for decades.

The books were chosen by committee members Naomi Duguid, cookbook author; Carol Mighton Haddix, food editor of the Chicago Tribune; Martha Holmberg, cookbook author and editorial director of Watershed Communications; Kathleen Purvis, food editor of The Charlotte Observer; Ellen Rose, former owner of the Los Angeles cookbook store The Cook's Library; Matt Sartwell, manager of Kitchen Arts & Letters in New York; Irene Sax, food writer and food-writing instructor for New York University; Tara Q. Thomas, senior editor, Wine & Spirits; and Grace Young, cookbook author.

The James Beard Book Awards Committee Essential Book List: The Baker’s Dozen:

1. Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006).

2. Beard on Bread, by James Beard (originally published 1973; reprinted by Knopf, 1995).

3. The Book of Great Desserts, by Maida Heatter (Andrews McMeel, 1999).

4. The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, by Peter Reinhart (Ten Speed, 2001).

5. “The Cake Bible,” by Rose Levy Beranbaum (William Morrow, 1988).

6. Classic Home Desserts, by Richard Sax (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000). 7. Cocolat by Alice Medrich (Warner Books, 1990). 8. The Fannie Farmer Baking Book, by Marion Cunningham (Gramercy, 1996). 9. Great Pies and Tarts, by Carole Walter (Clarkson Potter, 1998).

10. The Italian Baker, by Carol Field (William Morrow, 1985). 11. Martha Stewart’s Cookies, by Martha Stewart (Clarkson Potter, 2008).

12.My Bread, by Jim Lahey (W.W. Norton, 2009). 13.The Simple Art of Perfect Baking, by Flo Braker (Chronicle, 2003).

This baking list follows the original "Core Collection: 20 Essential Books to Build Your Culinary Library" released in 2007: American Cookery (BBS Publishing Corporation, 1996), James Beard Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico (William Morrow Cookbooks, 2007), Rick Bayless Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (Better Homes and Gardens, 2004) Classic Indian Cooking (William Morrow Cookbooks, 1980), Julie Sahni Complete Techniques (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2001), Jacques Pépin and Léon Pererr Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking (Macmillan, 1995), Marcella Hazan How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food (Wiley, 2006), Mark Bittman The Joy of Cooking (Scribner, 2006), Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion: The All-Purpose Baking Cookbook (Countryman Press, 2003) Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Desserts (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1999), Maida Heatter Martha Stewart's Hors d'Oeuvres Handbook (Clarkson Potter, 1999), Martha Stewart Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume One (Knopf, 2001), Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking: Techniques and Recipes (William Morrow Cookbooks, 1996) Barbara Tropp The New Food Lover’s Companion (Barron's Educational Series, 2007), Sharon Tyler Herbst The Oxford Companion to Wine (Oxford University Press, 2007), Jancis Robinson Rick Stein’s Complete Seafood (Ten Speed Press, 2004), Rick Stein The Silver Palate Cookbook (Workman Publishing Company, 2007), Sheila Lukins and Julie Rosso The Thrill of the Grill: Techniques, Recipes, and Down-Home Barbecue (William Morrow Cookbooks, 2002), Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (Broadway, 2007), Deborah Madison The Way to Cook (Knopf, 1993), Julia Child