Not all cookbooks are created equally. Some inspire generations, and others just confuse, mislead, or horrify. With bizarre recipes no one should attempt, health claims with no science behind them, or just plain terrible taste, these books earned a spot on our shelf of shame.

Maybe the people who made them assumed no one would actually read them, because let’s be honest, cookbooks often live more on coffee tables than in kitchens. 

From blenders gone rogue to celebrities playing chef, and from honest mistakes to full-on frauds. This is not about minor kitchen crimes, it’s about culinary catastrophes hidden between pages.

Here are 15 of the worst cookbooks ever published (and yes, someone actually tried making the recipes).