Los Angeles Times Cookbook Hot List

1. “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home” by Julia Child and Jacques Pepin (Alfred Knopf, $40). A spirited kitchen conversation between two great cooks.

Last Week: 1

Weeks on List: 20

2. “The Best Recipe” by the Editors of Cook’s Illustrated magazine (Boston Common Press, $29.95). “Ultimate” examples of favorite dishes.

Last Week: 2

Weeks on List: 9

3. “The French Laundry Cookbook” by Thomas Keller (Artisan, $50). The restaurant showpiece cookbook of the season?

Last Week: 3

Weeks on List: 14

4. “The Low-Carb Cookbook” by Fran McCullough (Hyperion, $23.95). Recipes for the diet that’s all the rage.

Last Week: 5

Weeks on List: 17

5. “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook” by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter, $32.50). Recipes from the specialty food store of the same name in the Hamptons.

Last Week: 9

Weeks on List: 39

6. “Essentials of Cooking” by James Peterson (Artisan, $40). A step-by-step cooking manual in full color.

Last Week: --

Weeks on List: 1

7. “Every Day’s a Party” by Emeril Lagasse (William Morrow, $25). From Mardi Gras to New Year’s Eve, Emeril’s one partying dude.

Last Week: 4

Weeks on List: 20

8. “How To Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman (MacMillan, $25). A fresh approach to the cooking encyclopedia, with more than 1,500 recipes.

Last Week: 6

Weeks on List: 64

9. “The New Joy of Cooking” by Irma Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker (Scribner, $30). The updated edition of the American cooking bible.

Last Week: 8

Weeks on List: 20

10. “Lidia’s Italian Table,” by Lidia Bastianich (William Morrow, $26). Recipes from Italy’s great “Mom cook.”

Last Week: --

Weeks on List: 17

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