The Hot List

LOS ANGELES TIMES LIST FOR MARCH 2, 2005

1 On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee (Scribner, $35) The revised and updated edition of the kitchen classic that delves into the hows and whys of topics as varied as digestion and the smell of fish.

2 Barefoot in Paris: Easy French Food You Can Make at Home by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter, $35) The Contessa “translates” French recipes for the American home cook.

3 Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light by Mort Rosenblum (North Point Press, $24) The author of “A Goose in Toulouse” pens dispatches from the world of chocolate, from cacao farms in Africa, to kitchens in Latin America and confectionery shops in Europe.

4 Mexico: The Beautiful Cookbook by Susanna Palazuelos (Beautiful Cookbooks, $55) Local retail promotion of the new edition of the popular 1990s series has propelled some individual titles onto this list.

5 30-Minute Meals 2 by Rachael Ray (Lake Isle Press, $14.95) Still going strong.

6 Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes by Giada De Laurentiis (Clarkson Potter, $30) Food Network star and Roman-born granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis offers the kinds of recipes she features on her show.

7 I’m Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, $33) A 60-recipe primer by TV’s “Good Eats” guru, this cookbook is themed around that kitchen basic, heat, explaining techniques such as braising, frying and boiling.

8 Seriously Simple: Easy Recipes for Creative Cooks by Diane Rossen Worthington (Chronicle, $35) A popular general cookbook from a respected author.

9 Italy: The Beautiful Cookbook by Lorenza De’Medici (Beautiful Cookbooks, $55) Another in the ‘Beautiful’ series.

10 30-Minute Meals by Rachael Ray (Lake Isle Press, $14.95) The original compilation of the Food Network star’s favorites.

Rankings are based on a Times poll of national and independent booksellers.