New Delhi, April 1 -- What would it be like to peek into the bookshelves of food authors? Who are their beloved writers? Which are their well-thumbed copies? Lounge spoke to two authors-Archana Pidathala and Shivesh Bhatia-who talk about old favourites and new cookbooks that reflect their diverse culinary interests.Edited excerpts:

Archana PidathalaAuthor of Why Cook and Five Morsels of Love

Even before I started cooking about 13 years ago, I began collecting cookbooks. My go-to books keep changing. Recently, I was referring to The Everlasting Meal Cookbook by Tamar Adler. It's like a dictionary of leftovers. I had some beetroot greens, and the book had a recipe using them. It just helps me be more mindful and respectful of ingredients ...