If you're running short of weeknight dinner inspiration, are feeling a bit out of your depth ahead of a big dinner party, or just fancy taking some time to refine and improve your cooking skills, investing in one of the best cookbooks is definitely a sensible decision. The American chef and food writer Deborah Madison features multiple times, such is the breadth and depth of her work on vegetable cookery (14 books and counting). Everyone has their favorite thing on the Thanksgiving table. For some, it's the green bean casserole. For others, it's the cranberry sauce. For me, it's the wine. For many, many reasons, wine is an absolute necessity on Thanksgiving. Whether your intentions are pure and you're looking for the perfect pairing that complements and highlights each and every rich and savory note and flavor in your Thanksgiving dishes, or you just need a few glasses to get you through dinner with your in-laws — whatever the reason, wine is important. Selecting the perfect varietal for such a high-pressure dinner such as Thanksgiving, though, can be quite intimidating. Red or white? Light or robust? Fruity or earthy? Wine is a complicated language, and the pressure to understand it when you're already stressed about cooking and hosting is not an easy task to take on. That's why we're here with a few simple guidelines to help you select the perfect bottles to impress and please everyone around your holiday table.

Vegetables are all too often considered a mere side dish, but vegetarians and omnivores alike who are looking to expand their repertoire of veg-based dishes can find plenty of inspiration in the highly recommended cookbooks featured here.

What's the best cookbook?

Figuring out how to build muscle can be terribly confusing. Between the madness of the latest trends in health, fad diets, the newest "must-have" workout gear, and toxic weight-loss culture, it's easy to want to throw in the towel and reach for a box of Twinkies. But hidden in all of this confusion, there are some things about fitness and muscle growth that are just always true. The biggest truth of them all is that abs really are made in the kitchen. You can work yourself into a frenzy with a fancy gym membership, but without proper nutrition, your body is just running on toxic fumes. This list includes contemporary entrants (such as Anna Jones's A Modern Way to Eat and two popular titles by chef and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi), alongside the well-thumbed classics that have truly stood the test of time (such as Jane Grigson's Vegetable Book). With this simple mashed potato recipe and method, though, perfect, Michelin-quality mashed potatoes can be easily achieved every single time. The best part? It's extremely simple to remember, so there's no need to bring out the crowded recipe box for this one. The ratio for perfect mashed potatoes is 4 parts Yukon Gold potatoes, 1 part heavy cream, and 1 part European butter. We love this simple 4:1:1 ratio because it's also easily scaled up or down, depending on the size of your gathering. For example, if you have 500 grams of potatoes, you'll use 125 grams of both cream and butter.