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: 25

2. “The Cake Mix Doctor” by Anne Byrn (Workman, $14.95). How to turn a box cake into something special.

Last Week: 3

Weeks on List: 5

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

Last Week: 2

Weeks on List: 23

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

Last Week: 4

Weeks on List: 15

5. “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: 6

Weeks on List: 26

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

Last Week: 7

Weeks on List: 70

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

Last Week: 5

Weeks on List: 5

8. “Crazy Plates” by Janet and Greta Podleski (Perigee $19.95). More diet fun from the “Looneyspoons Sisters.”

Last Week: 9

Weeks on List: 2

9. “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: 8

Weeks on List: 26

10. “The Oxford Companion to Food” by Alan Davidson (Oxford University Press, $60). This year’s must-have for the serious foodie.

Last Week: --

Weeks on List: 4

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