Books for the cook
LOVED ONES WHO LOVE THE KITCHEN ARE EASY TO SHOP FOR DURING THE HOLIDAYS
Everyone’s gotta eat. We might not all eat the same thing or in the same way or at the same time but, at some point, we all have to do it. The universal need to feed is part of what makes cookbooks an ideal holiday gift. There are so many cookbooks on the market, catering to so many different diets and tastes, that it’s nearly impossible not to find the perfect fit with the people on your list.
To help find the best holiday cookbook for your loved one (Or coworker! Or casual acquaintance! We don’t know your life!), we asked some local independent booksellers to tell us the best culinary literature for seasonal giftgiving.
For the classic cook: Look, some people just love a big, fat cooking bible filled with cornerstone recipes for things like apple pie and fried chicken. Thankfully, two of the most timehonored and iconic cookbooks out there have published new editions — “The Joy of Cooking” and Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything.”
Both reboots contain a plethora of new material, says Fran Keilty, owner of the Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington Depot. The Bittman book, for example, has added color photos, updated and added recipes and made other revisions. Meanwhile, the new “Joy of Cooking” has 600 new recipes.
“It’s perfect for both seasoned cooks and newbies,” Keilty says of the latter.
Those looking for a new cookbook with a classic feel have at least one option as well, “The Joys of Baking: Recipes and Stories for a Sweet Life,” by Samantha Seneviratne. Seneviratne is scheduled to appear Byrd’s Books in Bethel, Dec. 15, so it’s no surprise that