12 Days of Cookbooks (!!!) — Chatting About The Season’s New Books with Margaret Roach
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♬♬♬ It’s the most wonderful time of the year… ♬♬♬
I hum this to myself a lot: When my first CSA arrives in June. When the first good tomatoes all but fall of the vine in early September. When snowflakes the size of golf balls drop from the sky. AND, most of all, when it’s time to talk about cookbooks with my friend Margaret Roach, the master gardener behind A Way to Garden
Last year, we talked about all-time favorites, the first books we ever owned, and the ones with the most besmirched pages. This year, we’ve kept our chat to the latest crop: the fall and winter 2018 cookbooks, and we hope our chat might give you some ideas for gift giving this season. Rest assured, there is something for everyone — the bakers, the boozers, the pie lovers, the pizza lovers, the Ina fans, the Dorie fans, the gadget collectors, and more.
Read the transcript or listen here.
I have not had a chance to cook from all of the books we discussed, and there are many others I haven’t even had a chance to page through yet, namely Emily: The Cookbook, which is #1 on my Christmas wishlist—Santa, hope you’re reading. That said, I have cooked from a number of the season’s new books, and I’ve included some notes below.
ALSO, Margaret and I are each giving away 12 cookbooks (!!!). To enter, leave a comment below: tell me what your favorite cookbook is for gifting (or just your favorite) and a little bit about why. Now, go double your chances to win by copying your comment into the comment box over at Margaret’s website.
Starting Monday Dec. 3, 2018, we’ll each draw one random winner a day through Dec. 14th. Here’s the order of the 12 Days of giveaways. The list will be updated daily to reflect the winner.
- Season: UPDATE: Winner is Cara Priddy
- Everyday Dorie UPDATE: Winner is Frank Wilk
- Israeli Soul: UPDATE: Winner is KARA P.
- Cooking with Scraps: UPDATE: Winner is Katherine Hubbard
- Sister Pie: UPDATE: Winner is Renee D
- Cook Like a Pro: UPDATE: Winner is Jo Kurdzeil
- Genius Desserts: UPDATE: Winner is Susan Rode
- Skinny Taste One and Done: UPDATE: Winner is Amy Olmsted
- All About Cake: UPDATE: Winner is Marie Guiles
- Milk Street Tuesday Nights: UPDATE: Winner is Sarah Bach
- Comfort in an Instant: UPDATE: WINNER is Michelle Swift
- Now and Again: UPDATE: WINNER is Paulina Muratore
One entry per person. Entries end at midnight Thursday, Dec. 13, before the final drawing. U.S. only. Good luck to all.
Category #1: Weeknight-ish/Everyday Cooking
Cook90: On January 1st 2016, David Tamarkin of Epicurious resolved to cook more — to cook 3 meals a day for an entire month — an experiment he called “Cook90”. In the end, he emerged a better, faster, and healthier cook, and he has since inspired hundreds of thousands of others to take the challenge. His cookbook, Cook90, outlines exactly how to do it: recipes, strategies, meal plans, and more.
Category #2: Global Flavors
Category #3: Baking
Category #4: Nose-to-Tail
Waste Not: Learned about this one through Margaret and her podcast with Top Chef star Tiffany Derry. Waste Not is a new cookbook from the James Beard Foundation and a campaign of anti-food waste advocacy spearheaded by that organization.
Now and Again: The latest from Julia Turshen, who believes a complete meal doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive, that leftovers can lead to inventive/fun cooking, and that gathering people around the table for a meal is a good thing. Organize both by season and menu — a brunch or an easy Thanksgiving. Helpful tips about what can be made ahead of time. Each menu is followed by a section called “It’s Me Again,” which offers a few recipes for using the leftovers.
And last but not least:
Rebekah Peppler’s Apéritif: For Francophiles and beyond, Apèritif offers recipes for both classic and modern French cocktails, along with French-inspired bites and hors d’oeuvres.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
740 Comments on “12 Days of Cookbooks (!!!) — Chatting About The Season’s New Books with Margaret Roach”
My favorite book to give and cook out of , for 19 years running…the (first 1999) Barefoot Contessa cookbook. As a young woman, Ina taught me how to cook. There is a chocolate cake recipe that she has made me locally famous for! We have it multiple times throughout the year for family celebrations, even Thanksgiving! Through her book, I was introduced to Sara Foster and many inspiring chefs that have taught me the foundations of cooking.
Count me in.
Lately I’ve been going back to Small Victories or Tartine. Love simple but beautiful food with maybe one or two interesting notes.
My fav for gifting this year is Ina Garten “cook like a pro”. My girlfiends and sons are all getting copies. My cookbook wish is “cook 90” and “everyday Dorie”. I own and manage a cooking school and am always on the lookout for inspiration!
Cook90! The cover itself is enough to drool over. Is that not reason enough? 😉 What a fun experiment and a great way encourage people to improve their diet.
Julia Child’s “The Way to Cook” is a classic book to gift. It was my first cookbook I’ve received as a birthday present from my sister. I’ve been a big fan of Julia Child for years. All the recipes in this book produce delicious, mouthwatering meals. Everything is written out in detail, from the measurements to the step-by-step instructions. I think that if you have a willingness and passion to learn this book is for for you. I’ve gifted this book to many friends, also makes a great coffee table book! Bon Appetit!
My favorite anytime is Ina Garten and especially her new cookbook Cook like a Pro!
Right now I’m loving, “Once Upon A Chef” by Jenn Segal. Great, down-to-earth tasty recipes.
When I give cookbooks, I try to match the recipient with a book which will motivate them to cook or bake. I have given the following books within the past two years. Silver Palate; Thug Kitchen; Laurel’s Kitchen (out of print, so used); Love Soup; Super Food Soups; and Larissa’s bread Book.
Ina does it for me; she (like most, but ironically not all) tests and retests her recipes, and frankly she is cooking in a ‘regular’ kitchen (okay, beautiful, who can ever have one like her — but pretty regular). I pass on recipes that expect me to have $40 worth of the absolute best chocolate to make a birthday cake or fudge — the silliness and elitism of that rankles me. Both Ina and Genius Desserts consider that we are just ordinary folk, but with some guidance and selection we too can cook extraordinary meals and special occasions. At this stage of my life I also want that ONE chocolate cake recipe, that ONE casserole dish that just does it for my family – every time. I also admire that Ina learned by doing — what all of us are doing! And besides, anyone who has an orange couch in a cookbook library has my attention and applause! Thanks, Alexandra and Margaret for sharing your holiday spirit!!
Any of Ina’s books are my personal favorites and go to for gifts. Her down to earth sophisticated classy style is outstanding.
Currently I’m enjoying Half Baked Harvest by Tieghan Gerard whose big bears the same name. She offers fresh creative ideas.
That should be her blog, not her big. Gotta love spellcheck. ????
I apologize if this appears twice… I lost the internet connection when I hit Post Comment the first time… hopefully this will be submitted smoothly. When I give cookbooks, I try to match the recipient with a book which will motivate them to cook or bake. I have given the following books within the past two years. Silver Palate; Thug Kitchen; Laurel’s Kitchen (out of print, so used); Love Soup; Super Food Soups; and Larissa’s bread Book.
These books each look like a person could get lost in them, looking, reading, cooking. My current favorite cookbook is Dishing Up The Dirt. I like simplicity & nutrition combined, and it fits the bill. This is an awesome giveaway. Thank you, and happy holidays to you.
I’m very interested in the Red Truck Bakery book.We have a very old apple orchard with lovely apples. I’m always looking for new apple ideas and old apple histories.
Thank you.
Even before this article, I’d decided to gift Bread Toast Crumbs and two Pyrex bowls this year. I got it last year for Christmas, and everything I’ve tried, including hamburger buns and gluten-free bread, have been great. If I can have success with yeast bread, so can the kids I’m giving the book to!
I don’t really have a favorite cookbook, but I do love Ina and anything I’ve ever made by her has been delicious! In love with your website and finally made your peasant bread which was a huge hit! My son and husband devoured one of the loaves in one night and I gave the other to a sick friend with some homemade soup. She could not stop raving about the bread and immediately wanted the recipe. It’s so easy that I will definitely be making it often now so thank you!
My favorite cookbook to gift has to be Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking! Because who doesn’t love Italian food? Every recipe I’ve made from the book personally is flawless, and there are so many simple, easy-to-make recipes.
I received Magnolia Table by Joanna Gaines and love this book. Also Emily: The Cookbook is on my Christmas wish list. Happy Cooking in the New Year! <3
I’m giving some Sister Pie cookbooks away this year and I’m also giving Julia Turshen’s Now and Again to my daughter. Thanks!
From Julia Child’s Kitchen. It was the first cook book I was given as a teen. It inspired me. To this day I still go back to it. I learned a great deal about cooking techniques from making many of the recipes.
Deborah Madison is my favorite inspiring cook. So simple and good for you eats.
I love Green Kitchen at Home and just recently purchased Flour Water Salt Yeast as i’m getting into bread making. Yay!
Other than my great-grandmother’s handwritten cookbook, my favorite is Joy of Cooking. It was the first cookbook I purchased and it’s still a “go to”.
I am currently waiting for Ina Garten’s new cookbook that I have on hold at the library. I am always inspired by her shows and books.
Otherwise, I have so many favorites it is impossible to choose!
SWEET by Valerie Gordon. We originally bought it as a gift but ended up keeping it for ourselves because the recipes looked so wonderful! Every recipe we’ve tried has been truly blissful~!
My favorite cookbook is usually whatever I’m currently cooking from. So many good cookbooks out there, so little time!
I love to cook, I love to eat, and I love to read cookbooks. It’s so difficult to choose just one, but if my kitchen were a ship, and the ship was sinking, this is what I’d grab: Elisabeth Luard’s European Peasant Cookery. The reason: sustenance for the mind and soul as well as the palate.
Count me in PLEASE!
For the past couple of years I have used “Flour Water Salt Yeast” by Ken Forkish to make many, many delicious breads. I do have many favorite cookbooks, but I started making bread after being intimidated by yeast for most of my life. I actually called his bakery to tell him how much I enjoy this method of making bread and how successful it is. Calling him made me realize what this book has done for me in the baking area. These books you are highlighting, look sooo interesting. I just put a few in my Amazon cart!
When gifting cookbooks, I try to think of places I’ve been with the person and go with a cookbook with dishes from that area. For instance, my friend and I took a trip to Nashville once and so the next gift-giving holiday, she got the Nashville Eats cookbook. I think it’s a nice way to inject some memories into a gift and make it something they’ll keep forever.