On Wednesday, I wrote about how I ended up getting more cookbooks than I have any previous year because of how many awesome ones that were released in 2012. So many, in fact, that I had to break my list into two, one for food bloggers and one for the rest of the cookbook world. It’s an arbitrary break, and in fact, some of the people on part two of my cookbook list actually have food blogs but I chose to include them on this list because I view them as authors who have a food blog as opposed to food bloggers turned authors. As I alluded to before, I also have another giveaway for you all (I know I’m going giveaway crazy here on Eat the Love. It’s just that I love to give presents to people in December). Three publishers have generously allowed me to do a cookbook giveaway for one lucky reader – details at the end of this post!
The book that seems to be on everyone else’s best of 2012 list is Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. It’s no wonder, as it’s not only a gorgeous book, but the recipe are easy to understand and the measurements are in volume as well as US and metric weights, which I whole heartedly approve of. It also happens to have my new go-to recipe for basic hummus. Every time I show it to my friends, even those that don’t cook, they get utterly absorbed in the book, which is saying something.
Cook’s Illustrated is one of the gold standards of rock solid fail proof recipes. Exhaustively researched and tested over and over again, I know that any recipe that I use from them will flat out work. So when they told me they were releasing a book called The Science of Good Cooking, I knew it was going to be a classic. I participated in a Google+ Hangout with Associate editors Dan Souza and Molly Birnbaum from America’s Test Kitchen, the people behind Cook’s Illustrated (or is it the other way ‘round? I can’t remember which one came first). Along with a few other food bloggers, we chatted about how the book came about, and what prompted them to write it as well as a few cooking demos. Not only does The Science of Good Cooking have over 400 recipes but it breaks down and explains the reason why certain things happen in the kitchen and what you can do to better control your ingredients while cooking and baking with 50 simple concepts. A definitely must have book if you are interested in becoming a better cook in the kitchen, or if you are just interested in the why behind the delicious.
Alice Medrich is the queen of chocolate so when I found out she was releasing a cookbook on easy and quick recipes, I knew it had to find it’s way onto my shelf. Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts lives up to its name with dead simple and fast recipes that are still company worthy. I found myself flipping through the cookbook wondering why I bother with creating my ridiculously long and complex recipes when Alice is creating equally beautiful dishes with basic ingredients and simple instructions. It’s also helps my friend Sang An did the photography for the book. I love it when I personally know talented people! Alice, by the way, happens to have a food blog, though she posts rather sporadically. Alice you gotta post more!
Nancy Baggett’s Simply Sensational Cookies is a fine companion to Alice Medrich’s book. As the title says, the cookie recipes in the book are not only streamlined and simplified for contemporary tastes but they really are vibrant and punched full of flavor. I own a lot of cookie cookbooks, but this one that I’ll be consulting with a lot. I especially love how each recipe is also labeled in terms of difficulty (super easy, extra easy, easy, fairly easy, fairly complicated). Brilliant! Nancy, by the way, has a wonderful food blog called Kitchen Lane, and I considered putting her book in my part 1 list of food bloggers, but ultimately put here on this list instead because of her training and background as a journalist. Simply Sensational Cookies was also photographed by the fabulous photo team Todd and Diane of White on Rice Couple.
The Bouchon Bakery cookbook by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel isn’t quite the diametric opposite of Alice’s or Nancy’s book, though you might expect that by the man behind The French Laundry and its cookbook. Gorgeously photographed, with step-by-step instructions, the book borders on coffee table food porn, but as I dove into it more, I realized that a chunk of the recipes are doable. Of course I’m not scared of rolling up my sleeves so I’ll leave it up to you on whether you would actually bring the tome into the kitchen and accidentally get flour or butter on it. Some people can be rather precious about their cookbooks but I’m not one of them. One thing to keep in mind, because of who wrote the book, the measurements are all in weights, though there are some volume measurements equivalents as well. The addition of volume measurements is nice, as most home cooks don’t have a scale that will measure out 3.6 grams of baking soda (it’s 3/4 teaspoon by the way). However you’ll notice that the eggs are only listed by weighed, not listed as “1 large egg” – something that people might find offputting. For me, it just means that the authors want you to start out with the exact ingredient amounts so that you can replicate at home the recipe as close as possible to the Bouchon Bakery version; something I wholeheartedly approve of.
In the three times that I have visited Seattle I have never made it to the Dahlia Bakery and after getting The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook I sorely regret it. The recipes not only seem approachable and comforting, but they also seem to elevate basic desserts with a contemporary twist. Simple silk chocolate pie gets a pecan crust, traditional apple pie gets a hot buttered rum filling, old fashioned molasses cookies gets updated with fresh ginger. Every turn of the page reveals a familiar dessert slightly updated for a contemporary palate. No wonder celebrity chefs seemed to flock to the bakery. Next time I’m up in Seattle it’s on my go-to list!
I have a giant food crush on Nigel Slater, so when Ten Speed Press finally released part two of his magnum opus cookbook under the title Ripe, I was thrilled. A beautiful companion to his book on vegetables, Tender, Ripe focuses on fruit and what to do with them and what ingredients pair well with each other. Like Tender, Ripe is focuses on Nigel’s garden and often the varieties that he mentions are specifically British and occasionally not available in the US. Thankfully the US editors highlighted the ones that are available in the US but it still saddens me when I read about all the produce that I can’t get ahold of. Apparently I just need to take a trip over to England soon. In the meanwhile, I’ll just flip through Ripe, stare at the sumptuous photographs and pretend I’m having tea with Mr. Slater.
Third in their series of classic American baked goods cookbooks is Baked Elements from the Brooklyn based bakery Baked. This time Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito break down their recipes into ten different classic ingredients (chocolate, pumpkin, peanut butter) while coming up with fantastic classic recipes, each with their own updated twists. A hipster masculine take on baking, the photography, by Tina Rupp who has photographed their previous two books, is both charmingly graphic and color coded for fun.
The term “whole grain” used to signify crunchy granola twigs and sticks that hippie ate. But with the slow food movement and the new approach to finding superfoods, whole grains are having their moment in the spotlight. Whole Grains for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff not only makes whole grains easy to understand, but makes them actually sound like something you would want to eat. There’s nothing hippy about shredded pork with smoky fruit sauce on min corn cakes (which also happens to be naturally gluten free) or wild rice soup with kabocha squash, kale and coconut milk (gluten free AND vegan). For those looking to expand their culinary palette with whole grains, this book is perfect for you.
Peter Reinhart is the bread baking expert so I was thrilled to hear that he was tackling the difficult task of baking both gluten free and sugar free. His new book with Denene Wallace, The Joy of Gluten Free, Sugar Free Baking is perfect for those who are looking for low carb treats that are gluten free or diabetic friendly. The recipes do rely heavily on nut and seed flours so if you are allergic to those, you may want to steer clear of the book. However, for those who are diabetic, the low carb, low sugar recipes are pretty awesome, and for anyone avoiding grains it’s worth checking out.
I was initially skeptical of a book about root vegetables, but when I took a look at Roots by Diane Morgan, I was sold. Not just sold, but I was in love! Gorgeously photographed by Antonis Achilleos, the book not only acts as a reference for pretty much every root vegetable out there ranging from the common (carrots, potatoes) to the lesser known (malanga, crosnes) it also provides beautiful recipes for all levels (some 225 of them!). Apparently root vegetables are also a viable sustainable farming crop as they pack more nutrition than other produce per unit of land. Who knew? I didn’t.
I’m a sucker for pretty much any dessert or baking book out there but I especially love books that focus particular ethnic desserts that I’m not super familiar with. Take for instance My Sweet Mexico by Fany Gerson. Sure I know churros (I do live in San Francisco) and I’ve wandered into the occasional panaderia in my neighborhood to pick up the conchas blancas (those rolls encrusted with the lined white sugar topping). But to make those at home? I wouldn’t know where to start. My Sweet Mexico not only authentic recipes for those familiar Mexican sweets, but a whole slew of other desserts that I didn’t even know existed. I can’t wait to start baking!
I’ve written before about Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones, the Bi-Rite Creamery cookbook by Kris Hoogerhyde, Anne Walker and Dabney Gough when I made an olive oil orange chocolate chip ice cream. The scoop shop holds a special place in my heart. Sure we live a block away from it and I pretty much take any visitors I meet up with to San Francisco to get a scoop of salted caramel (or if they are feeling adventurous, honey lavender). But my dedication to the store goes beyond convenient location. AJ and I once dressed up as Bi-Rite cartons for Halloween and subsequently ended up in the cookbook. That’s how much we love that place, and how much they love us. Oh yeah, and the recipes, they’re totally worth every dairy calorie. Trust me on this one.
This list, of course, isn’t exhaustive. There are a number of books that I never got, but hope to appear on Christmas day via the fat man with the red suit. These include:
Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
Burma: River of Flavor by Naomi Duguid
Pie it Forward by Gesine Bullock-Prado
Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book by Jake Godby and Sean Vahey
Canal House Cooks Every Day by Christopher Hirscheimer and Melissa Hamilton
Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Stevens Graubart
Vietnamese Home Cooking by Charles Phan
The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook by Cheryl and Griffith Day
A Girl and her Pig by April Bloomfield
Faviken by Magnus Nilsson
In Season: More than 150 Fresh and Simple Recipes from New York Magazine by Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld
Hubert Keller’s Souvenirs by Hubert Keller and Penelope Wisner
Now for the giveaway! Ten Speed Press, America’s Test Kitchen, and Artisan have all generously agreed to let me run a giveaway to accompany this post. I’m giving away a copy of Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi, a copy of Cook’s Illustrated The Science of Good Cooking and a copy of Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich to one lucky reader! It’s a triple cookbook giveaway for you! All you have to do is leave a comment below and tell me your favorite cookbook of this year. It could be one I listed above, or (better yet) one that I didn’t list but I should have! I know there have to be a bunch that I didn’t even know about, and I’d love to find out about them.
To get bonus entries, follow me on Facebook or tweet about this contest with a “Win all 3 cookbooks: Jerusalem, Science of Good Cooking, & Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts at @eatthelove’s blog. http://bitly.com/winCookBook2” and then come back here and leave a comment telling me you followed me on Facebook or tweeted out about the contest. If you don’t leave a comment below about Facebook or the tweet, I won’t know so be sure to come back and leave separate comments about what you did.
The fine print – PLEASE READ
By leaving a comment below to enter, you are agreeing to the Official Rules.
▪ NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
▪ VOID WHERE PROHIBITED
▪ You must be over the age of 18.
▪ This contest is only open to U.S. Citizens. Sorry non-US people!
▪ The contest starts as of today, and will run until Friday, December 28th, 9am PST.
▪ The retail value of the 3 books combined is $100.95.
▪ The winner will be chosen by a randomly selected comment. All comments will be numbered and I will use Random.org to pick a random number.
▪ The number of eligible comments below determines the odds of winning.
▪ If there’s a problem with contacting the winner, I reserve the right to award the 3 books to someone else randomly chosen. So in other words, make sure you type in your correct email address if you want the membership and respond within a week to me when I contact you or I’ll give the books to someone else.
▪ The books will come directly from the publisher, so if you win, let me know when it arrives or if it doesn’t, and I’ll be sure to hassle the appropriate people.
This giveaway is closed. Thank you all who entered!
Good luck! Special thanks goes to America’s Test Kitchen, Artisan, Chronicle Books, Stewart Tabori & Chang, Ten Speed Press, Wiley and William Morrow for sending me review copies of their books. Though I received review copies of their books, I received no monetary compensation from them and was under no obligation to write about them. All opinions stated above are my own.
And extra special thanks goes to Ten Speed Press, America’s Test Kitchen, and Artisan for providing books for this giveaway. You guys are awesome!
[This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.]
Dave M. says
I love these cookbook posts, but I keep having to buy more bookshelves to accommodate my growing collection. My favorite cookbook this year is Modernist Cuisine at Home, a more affordable and approachable version of the Modernist Cuisine set.
Katherine says
The one I used the most this year was probably David Lebovitz’s Ready for Dessert! The one I’m most looking forward to using is The Smitten Kitchen cookbook.
Culinary Collage says
I’m not sure if this is my favorite or not yet, because I just bought this for my boyfriend for Christmas. He’s a huge Sopranos fan so I bought him “The Sopranos Family Cookbook: As Compiled by Artie Bucco”. I can’t wait to try some of the recipes…..we both love Italian food……Terry
penny says
Plum Gorgeous. I bought it in the wrong season though so I haven’t managed to use it yet, but the pictures are so pretty!
Gail says
Right now I’d have to say ‘Jerusalem’ is top on my list. The blending of cultures is what captivates me with this beautiful book. And, my #2 is “The Smitten Kitchen” cookbook. Just the mere mention of both of them has made my heart beat a little faster.
Evelyn R says
Ruhlman’s Twenty is my most recent favorite cookbook
Evelyn R says
I follow Eat the Love on Facebook
jac says
my favorite one released this year is Vegan Eat World by Terry Hope Romero..Lots of new and unusual (at least to me) recipes!
Chelsea says
Sounds so great! My favorite of the year has to be The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, which you featured last time. Everything in there looks so beautiful.
Chelsea says
And here’s my tweet: https://twitter.com/blackberryeater
Janyce says
I know this is an older book, but I really love Alice Mendrich’s Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies book.
jaime @ sweet road says
I really do think the past 5-10 years has brought about a new era of cookbooks. Food photography is taking on a whole new style of rich, raw and rustic, and it seems like there is so much more of a focus on simplicity of ingredients and the atmosphere that food creates. I love it!
The Suzzzz says
I haven’t had a chance to browse or buy cookbooks this year, but I love everything that Cook’s Illustrated puts out, so I’m going with that one.
Megan O'Connor says
I need to get my hands on that “Jerusalem’ book, like you said it is everywhere this year! I really like the “The Sprouted Kitchen”‘s book this year.
Belinda @zomppa says
I can only imagine your bookshelf!!
melissa says
favorite cookbook of the year is jeni’s splendid ice creams. i’ve made ice cream many times but her method is unique and definitely worth trying.
melissa says
i tweeted about the contest. thank you and merry christmas.
Linda | The Urban Mrs says
Yes, posted on Twitter
https://twitter.com/TheUrbanMrs/status/282182297623613441
Linda | The Urban Mrs says
Current favorite: Keys to the kitchen by Aida Mollenkamp
Erika says
I’ve got Dinner, A Love Story and the Japanese Farm Food on my table–both waiting to be read once the business of the next few days is done! Can’t wait!
Lawyer Loves Lunch says
I am currently loving on Barefoot Contessa’s foolproof but would love to love on Jerusalem 🙂
Lawyer Loves Lunch says
Following on FB.
Ryan says
My partner has been seriously flirting with vegetarianism, and is generally trying to eat healthy, so I’ve found myself consistently coming back to The Sprouted Kitchen for ideas and recipes.
StoryScott says
I am soup crazy this time of the year. Here is a good old favorite: http://amzn.to/12uyyM2
S.O.U.P.S.: Seattle’s Own Undeniably Perfect Soups
Next time you are in Seattle – I want to take you to Dahlia… and a few other favorite places. There are so many great bakeries here! http://columbiacitybakery.com
Cheers!
Marla says
my favorite book this year is smitten kitchen! love it!
Anita says
I absolutely love the Bouchon Bakery cookbook. The bookshelves are so full that this book currently rests on my coffee table along with Ad Hoc at Home.
Anita says
I am following on facebook as well!
Jeff says
Irvin–great write-up! So many cookbooks, so little time–the My Sweet Mexico sounds especially intriguing.
Beth says
I really like Jose Garces’ The Latin Road Home.
Stephanie says
My fave cookbook this year was Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo. However, I may have just added all of your listed cookbooks to my amazon wishlist! So many awesome books to explore!!
Beth says
I follow on Facebook.
Stephanie says
I am a follower of yours on facebook too!
Lynn says
When I was young, my mom used to love to “read” cookbooks. Now I get it! I’m a passionate baker, who cooks but would much prefer to be covered in flour and butter than foul or farm animals. I will only buy a cookbook if it has photos. Oh yeah….I love to take photos too….and my new passion is taking photos of my baked goods. I think at 50 I’m really starting to come alive and have fun! One of my favorite cookbook purchases in 2012 was the Pioneer Woman Cookbook “food from my frontier”. It’s full of simple yet yummy recipes. A favorite is the Fig & Prosciutto pizza on page 148! YUM!
Zoi says
My fav cook book for this year is an old one but I bought it recenlty- Vefa’s Kitchen by Vefa
Zoi says
I am a facebook fan!
Lisa says
My favorite cookbook of the year is The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. I bought a LOT of other ones, including plenty of the other titles appearing above, but Deb P’s SK was the best. I’m really looking forward to seeing who can top her in 2013–let the games begin :)!
Lauren says
Two of my favorites of the year were actually Ripe and Roots! And if you’re ever in SoCal in the Spring, we have been known to see the occasional fresh gooseberry and there are tons of elderflower trees that produce loads of great flowers and berries every year! 🙂
Arlene T. says
My favorite cookbook for 2012:
Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book by Jake Godby and Sean Vahey
Arlene T. says
I am following on facebook as well!
Renee Cook says
The Art of Fermentation is this years favorite for me.
stylefriendly says
Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones.
Lauren says
My favorite cookbook bought this year has been Not Afraid of Flavor by Ben and Karen Barker of the Magnolia Grill. This institution of food culture closed this year, but I have celebrated it with their cookbooks.
Lauren says
Facebook Like!
Katie says
Jerusalem is probably my favourite this year – I visited the city in the spring, and browsing this cookbook in the bookstore took me immediately back to the smells, sounds, tastes and atmosphere of Jerusalem.
Elin says
Jerusalem has probably been my favorite. It’s gorgeously done and introduced me to a cuisine that I’m not totally familiar with myself but now want to occupy a great deal of my time to.
Zan says
I liked Eat the Love on Facebook.
Zan says
I like Muy Bueno’s cookbook.
Amanda Thompson says
My favorite cookbook this year is definitely Smitten Kitchen by Deb Perelman!
Tery says
I always get cookbooks from the library first, test a few recipes and then decide if I really need it. (I have no room for more cookbooks.) I tried Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen cookbook, and there are so many recipes I have to try, I know this will be one of my holiday gifts.
Rian N. says
The Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook looks so lovely~ But for better or worst, I only bought one cookbook (my first!) this year: Modernist Cuisine at Home. Definitely looking forward to building up a library.
Kimberly says
Joy the Baker is a great baking/storybook. Her stories about each recipe are funny, and you feel like you are her longtime friend.
Yas N. says
I say Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller would be my top cookbook for the year. Thanks for the giveaway!
N. N. says
Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller.
Sofie T says
I follow you on Facebook.
Sofie T says
I’m a big fan of Cook’s Illustrated and Baked.
edward ang says
It has to be Roots!! Love anything dirty and from the ground. 🙂
Erin R. says
I borrow cookbooks from the library like crazy but rarely buy them as I just don’t have room. This year I did buy a copy of Tart and Sweet and I think Smitten Kitchen may be worth buying, too!
Louis says
Sarabeth’s Kitchen.
Meryl says
The “Baked” cookbook!
Leanne says
I am following you on facebook now too. Yum!
Torry says
Great roundup! I’ve been using the Leiths Baking Bible nonstop this holiday season and love it. Another excellent cookie resource – Miada Heatter’s ‘Cookies’ (the Banana Rocks are sensational).
Rebecca says
I’m way behind on my cookbook reading, but my friend recently gave my Martha’s Cooking School (old, I know), and I do like that. I also won a copy of Faith Gorsky’s An Edible Mosaic. That’s a lovely book with some great, authentic Middle Eastern dishes that I can’t wait to try.
Rebecca says
I follow you on facebook. :o)
Brook says
The Bouchon Bakery cookbook. Every recipe I have tried has turned out great. Just found your blog while searching for a review of the Dahlia Bakery cookbook. Thanks for the great recommendations and giveaway!
Charlotte Romain says
Sprinkle Bakes!!! My favorite, hands down!
Corisa says
I love the Bouchon Bakery one also!
Lacey says
I LOVED Josh Ploeg’s “So Raw It’s Downright Filthy” raw cookbook.
Nick @ Bakingbeardy says
I’m really loving the Flour bakery book (maybe because I’m a sucker for homemade Oreos!)
Nick @ Bakingbeardy says
I tweeted about the contest!
Thomas says
Oh my, three amazing books! Surely they will be mine :-p
Elle says
Fave-o cookbook of 2012? Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan. I’ve taken a slew, a SLEW, of new cookbooks outta the library, but FIJ is the only one I’ve purchased. Alas. Love the books in the giveaway! So cool.
Elle says
PS: “Like” you on FB.
Steph says
My face of this list is definitely the Canal House. 🙂
Steph says
Additional entries because I tweeted and shared on FB?
Steph says
Just saw – here’s the separate comment for the FB post.
rachel says
I love this site!!! Merry Christmas 🙂
Alice says
Susan Feniger’s Street Food: Irresistibly Crispy, Creamy, Crunchy, Spicy, Sticky, Sweet Recipes!!
This has been on my wishlist for awhile and I love her attitude and passion towards cooking!
Alice says
I follow you on Facebook
Alice says
I tweeted this giveaway!
Lisa D. says
My favorite cookbook this year is Bouchon Bakery. Thanks for more great suggestions to add to my collection!
Lisa D. says
Tweet at: https://twitter.com/LisaSaysLook2/status/284098946232627200
Kennedy says
My favorite cookbook this year is the Bouchon Bakery which was mentioned above. All the recipes I have made from this have been loved not only by me but also my entire family. It is defiantly my go to dessert cookbook.
Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen says
Baked Elements, for sure! Thanks to you, I just added to my never-ending wish list!
Loretta | A Finn In The Kitchen says
I now like you on Facebook.
Jan says
The only cookbook I bought this year was the Pioneer Woman. I usually buy the magazines instead, but the one I really would like is Baked Elements.