My Favorite Cookbooks That Make Great Gifts
It’s no secret I love cookbooks. Well, at least I think it’s not a secret. I have quite a few and actually use them. If you’re looking for a gift idea for someone who loves to cook, experiment in the kitchen, or just for yourself - here’s a quick list of my favorites! It’s worth noting that I own each of these cookbooks, have cooked from them, and trust both the authors and their recipes.
Baking By Feel: Recipes to Sort Out Your Emotions (Whatever They Are Today!)
This is one of my favorite cookbooks because instead of organizing recipes by dish or ingredients, she has organized it by five emotional states—happy, sad, mad, anxious, and hopeful. Instead of using the first few pages to discuss conversions, kitchen staples, etc. Becca Rea-Tucker (aka the viral cake sensation, @thesweetfeminist) goes into the importance of using baking as a way understand our own feelings and emotions. She even gives instruction on how to do so with a variation of Psychologist Robert Plutchik’s emotion wheel and grounding techniques to help redirect your mind. It’s a cookbook unlike any other and truly an excellent gift!
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking
I’d call this a kitchen staple. Samin Nosrat explains the hows and whys of good cooking using four elements—salt, (enhancing flavor), fat (delivering flavor), acid (balancing flavor), and heat (ultimately determining the texture of food). It’s a great book to help build confidence and comfort in the kitchen.
The Book On Pie: Everything You Need to Know to Bake Perfect Pies
Written by Erin Jeanne McDowell, this is a pie bible. She takes the intimidation out of homemade pies and crusts. Not even sure if you’re a pie person? You will be after flipping through this!
Fix Me a Plate: Traditional and New School Soul Food Recipes
From Fort Worth’s Scotty Scott of Cook Drank Eat, it’s the perfect book to look through for some hearty classics while also learning about the history of some of the meals. His great-grandmother’s recipe for The World’s Best Sweet Potato Pie alone makes it worth it!
Beautiful Boards: 50 Amazing Snack Boards for Any Occasion
I actually received this book as a gift and love it! Everything from a pancake board, a grilled cheese board, to a night in with friends board - this book has it all. I love this for parents because of the snacking ideas and easy options for little ones and picky eaters! The Baker Mama nailed it with this one!
100 Cookies: The Baking Book for Every Kitchen
Sarah Kieffer created a foolproof “perfect treat” for everyone in this cookie recipe book. I recently busted this out for some Olive Oil Sugar Cookies. There are inventive takes on classics as well as easy recipes to master the basics of any cookie!
