Cookbooks
May 12, 2022
COOK-BOOKS FOR BOOKLOVERS
One of my favorite things about working in a bookshop is that I can enjoy seeing, handling, and admiring a great number of books I would never meet if I were only a book collector and didn’t do this as my career. Cookbooks are one of the biggest culprits here - I don’t collect them (I’m a competent home cook but not a chef), buy them, or read them. But I love to look at them!
I’ve noticed over the past decade or so (maybe longer, I don’t have a specific date in mind) that the quality of the entire genre has really gone up; it’s common now for a cookbook to be just as beautiful as an art book, with incredible photography and top shelf graphic design. Gone are the days of typeset notecards spiral bound together; gone are the plain tomes packed with as many recipes as possible in the smallest font still legible. (Gone are the microwave cookbooks, thankfully.)
When recipes first became available online, the naysayers talked about how “no one would need cookbooks at all anymore.” Granted, being able to look up recipes is super convenient (especially for people like me who lose the notecards constantly). But instead of the internet replacing cookbooks, the internet has freed up home cooks to become book collectors.
Your cookbook collection used to be a crucial reference library - a place you kept the information you need to do the task of cooking. If you lost a recipe it was actually a pretty big deal to replace it (I remember calling my mom in a panic around the holidays for this exact reason). With the vast availability of recipes online, a personal collection of cookbooks is less crucial than it once was.
With this change, cookbook collectors have gradually become more likely to keep a cookbook for its own intrinsic beauty than for its practical use. As a result, publishers have shifted from focusing on providing All The Information to providing A Really Cool Collectible.
As both a bookseller and as a book collector, I’m here for this. Cookbooks with colored page edges, heavy paper, and gilded spines? Yes please! Cookbooks themed around nerdy world building like Final Fantasy or Hero’s Feast ? Keep ‘em coming! Volumes of recipes from Hunger Games and Game of Thrones? Okay, that’s a little weird… but I still like paging through them.
With this in mind I've rounded up some staff favorites for you to browse:
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very Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking was recommended by Rachael, who says that "every single recipe I've made has turned out, the food is cheap and delicious and veggie heavy but very tasty." I can't wait to try this one out...
I have a friend who's a chef, and he recommends Alton Brown (an easy read with a tv show tie in) as well as James Peterson (intermediate, with good tips and tricks for when you're ready to move beyond the basics).
My personal favorite is Hello Cupcake, a guide to decorating desserts without fancy baking equipment. I'm not much of a baker, so it is really fun to be able to follow these beginner friendly recipes for decorating cute cupcakes using common items that aren't hard to come by (you don't even need a frosting bag!).
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Root to Bloom equips readers with the knowledge and tools to grow, eat, and celebrate every edible part of the plant. The book explores the lesser-used parts of a plant that are often snubbed in favor of the produce we've come to expect.
From Erika Kubick—lauded cheesemonger and creator of the popular blog Cheese Sex Death—a bible for everything you need to know about cheese.
For many people, the world of artisan cheese is an intriguing but intimidating place. There are so many strange smells, unusual textures, exotic names, and rules for serving.
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In Kricket, Will Bowlby shares over 80 mouth-watering recipes, combining the essential spicing of Indian food with modern, seasonal ingredients. Drawing on inspiration from all over India – Goa, Bombay, Hyderabad – Will cleverly and expertly reinvents this classic and historic cuisine into accessible and elegant meals that are perfect for sharing with friends and family.
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In Catalonia, Jose Pizarro shows readers how to create some of the best-loved dishes from the Catalonian region at home. Dispelling the myth that creating tapas and traditional Spanish fare is scary, he shows us how to take the experience of eating in the little bars of Barcelona to your own kitchen.
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This brand-new series focuses on creating a collection of must-have books filled with 50 of the most on-trend dishes from around the world. The series will kick off with S is for Sri Lankan and K is for Korean, which will introduce the ultimate recipes from each cuisine, all in a highly desirable and on-trend gift package.
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Winner of the Art of Eating Prize 2020
Winner of the Guild of Food Writers' Best Food Book Award 2019
Winner of the Edward Stanford Travel Food and Drink Book Award 2019
Winner of the John Avery Award at the André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards for 2018
Shortlisted for the James Beard International Cookbook Award
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A James Beard Award Winner
One of Food & Wine's 35 Best Cookbooks of All Time, According to Chefs
"A must-have for anyone who wants to cook Chinese food at home, home cooks and professionals alike." —David Chang, Momofuku
Travel through the exciting culinary world of FINAL FANTASY XIV.
Journey through the rich culinary landscape of FINAL FANTASY XIV. Featuring favorite flavors from across Hydaelyn and Norvrandt and easy-to-follow instructions, this tome provides numerous tips on how to make the most of your ingredients.
The acclaimed authority on sauce making, completely updated and, for the first time, featuring invaluable step-by-step color photographs.
Every good cook knows that a great sauce is one of the easiest ways to make an exemplary dish.
Witty, one-of-a-kind, imaginative cupcake designs using candies from the local convenience store, no baking skills or fancy pastry equipment required. Spotting the familiar items in the hundreds of brilliant photos is at least half the fun.
An instant New York Times bestseller, Good Eats: The Final Years collects must-have recipes and surprising food facts from Peabody Award winner Alton Brown, drawn from the return of the beloved Good Eats television series, including never-before-aired material.
This fourth and final volume in the bestselling Good Eats series of cookbooks draws on two reboots of
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"Here's some advice. Stay alive." --Haymitch Abernathy
When it comes to The Hunger Games, staying alive means finding food any way possible.
An Epic Culinary Journey to the Heart of Westeros!
Eat like a Lannister. Brew spirits to warm you in the coming winter. Treat guests to exotic sweets and alchemy-inspired cocktails. With this collection of hearty meals inspired by George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, it's all possible!
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Disco Cube Cocktails is a '70s-inspired cocktail book based on the magical properties of ice.
With 100+ recipes for artful ice and the drinks that go with them, home bartenders can learn new icy creations to elevate any classic drink, infuse new flavor into a sipper as the ice melts, or impress friends at a party with a frosty punch bowl.
