Los Angeles Times Cookbook Hot List

1. “Kitchen Confidential” by Anthony Bourdain (Bloomsbury Publishing, $24.95). Life in the culinary trenches.

Last WeeK: 1

Weekson List: 5

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

Last WeeK: 2

Weekson List: 18

3. “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: 3

Weekson List: 39

4. “The Carbohydrate Addict’s Cookbook” by Richard F. Heller (John Wiley & Sons, $24.95). Yet another spin on the popular diet.

Last WeeK: 6

Weekson List: 8

5. “The French Laundry Cookbook” by Thomas Keller, Michael Ruhlman and Susie Heller (Artisan, $50). Recipes and inspiration from the famous Napa Valley restaurant.

Last WeeK: 4

Weekson List: 32

6. “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: 7

Weekson List: 47

7. “This Can’t Be Tofu!” by Deborah Madison (Bantam Doubleday Dell, $15). America’s favorite vegetarian cook may change your mind about soy.

Last WeeK: 5

Weekson List: 9

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: 10

Weekson List: 81

9. “Weber’s Art of the Grill” by Jamie Purviance (Chronicle Books, $35). If they don’t know grilling, who does?

Last WeeK: 8

Weekson List: 12

10. “Zone Perfect Meals in Minutes” by Barry Sears (HarperCollins, $21). Recipes for the popular diet.

Last WeeK: 9

Weekson List: 2

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