Cookbooks are my friends

July 3, 2017 by
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  Cookbooks are my friends. Before you fret about the state of my mental health, rest assured that not all of my friends reside on bookshelves. However, cookbooks perform many of the same roles that my "real-life" friends do. They comfort me when I am not feeling well. Reading about chicken soup eases my soul just as eating soup made… read more

The cookbooks that shaped a career

June 30, 2017 by
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  When chef and author Samin Nosrat first approached Chez Panisse restaurant in California for an internship, she was turned down. The chef did, however, give her a list of books that she should read and cook through, telling her to come back after she was finished. She did just that, and launched her cooking career at the restaurant after… read more

Many editions of joy

May 16, 2017 by
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  Of the tens of thousands of cookbooks published in the US in the last century, only a handful have attained icon status. Foremost among these is Joy of Cooking. The book, in its various forms, has taught generations of cooks everything from how to make souffles to how to skin a squirrel. Older versions, including the rare 1931 self-published edition,… read more

Grant Achatz is working on a new cookbook

May 3, 2017 by
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  Over 500 EYB Members have a copy of Alinea by Grant Achatz on their Bookshelves. Alinea  was one of the first books to bring molecular gastronomy to the masses, written by a groundbreaking chef who continues to push boundaries in the restaurant world. Now Achatz is working on another cookbook, although this one isn't based on the restaurant, but rather… read more

Cookbook culling: easier said than done

May 1, 2017 by
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  People in the Northern Hemisphere must be doing a lot of spring cleaning. That is the best explanation I have for the recent rash of articles and posts about paring down cookbook collections; the latest is from San Francisco, where Elaine Corn discusses the pros and cons of culling her 1,000+ cookbook library.  Corn, a former news editor turned food… read more

The case for not clearing out your cookbooks

April 27, 2017 by
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  By now most everyone is familiar with Marie Kondo's 'KonMari' method of cleaning and organizing. It is a great way to reduce clutter and relieve the stress that can accumulate along with one's possessions. Some people have items that are off limits to this method, however, as Maria Spiedel explains to indexed blog The Kitchn. Maria explains why she… read more

JBF announces 2017 media award winners

April 25, 2017 by
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  At a gala held this evening, the James Beard Foundation announced its 2017 James Beard Media Award winners. This year will definitely go down as the Year of the South in American cookbooks. While Deep Run Roots was the runaway winner in the IACP awards, Ronni Lundy swept the JBF, winning in the American Cooking category as well as… read more

Explore Chinese cuisine with excellent teaching cookbooks

April 21, 2017 by
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  Browsing the EYB Library, it is easy to become overwhelmed. If you are looking for a cookbook to use as a springboard for learning a particular cuisine, you probably have hundreds from which to choose. Finding one that strikes the correct balance between history, instruction, and authenticity can be a challenge. For someone learning Chinese cuisines, a recent article… read more

Browse cookbooks in a hotel lobby

April 18, 2017 by
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  If you are planning to visit New York City, we found a hotel that you may never want to leave if you love cookbooks. Matt Sartwell, the managing partner of Kitchen Arts & Letters has opened a branch of the culinary bookstore in the lobby library of the Park South Hotel in NoMad. The site will feature a wide variety of… read more

Food52 announces a baking club

March 27, 2017 by
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  Although we may not be in the majority, many of us cookbook lovers like baking more than cooking. Although we find cookbook clubs intriguing, we would rather choose recipes from our favorite baking books. If you have thought about joining a cookbook club but prefer flour, sugar, butter, and eggs to meat, vegetables, and side dishes, you are in… read more

2017 IACP Cookbook Award winners announced

March 6, 2017 by
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The IACP announced the winners of its cookbook awards at a ceremony held last night in Louisville, Kentucky. Vivian Howard's Deep Run Roots was the evening's biggest winner, notching up wins in three categories (Chefs & Restaurants, General, and Julia Child First Book), plus it was named Cookbook of the Year.  Other EYB Member favorites snagged a few awards as… read more

Chef Jeremy Lee expounds on his favorite cookbooks

February 23, 2017 by
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There are cookbooks and then there are cookbooks. The former operate as an instructional manual, providing the outline you need to make a particular dish. The latter, on the other hand, transport you through time and space, allowing you to better understand a culture and inspiring you to create. Chef Jeremy Lee talks about the books that he places in… read more

Food52’s Piglet 2017 lineup

February 14, 2017 by
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While the official tournament doesn't begin until next Wednesday, Food52 gave us a head start on its 2017 Piglet cookbook contest by announcing the contenders via Twitter. They haven't announced which books will be going head-to-head, only which books are in the contest. For those who aren't familiar with The Piglet, we'll provide you with a quick refresher. The contest… read more

IACP announces 2017 Cookbook Award nominees

February 9, 2017 by
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Yesterday, the International Association of Culinary Professionals (more commonly known by its acronym IACP) announced its 2017 Food Writing Awards. The awards cover a large spectrum of food writing, from regular food columns to social media accounts (two awards for best food Instragram accounts!), blogs, websites, videos, and our favorite, cookbooks. The sixteen categories remain unchanged from last year with… read more

Cookbook literacy

February 4, 2017 by
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  Whenever someone asks me if I've read any good books lately, I always hesitate slightly before responding "Well, I've been reading some great cookbooks." I'm afraid that the person might not think that cookbooks count toward the activity of reading. But when I think about it more, I wonder 'why shouldn't they'? Cookbooks are so much more than just… read more

Food52 creates a cookbook club

February 1, 2017 by
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Just a couple of weeks ago we discussed the rise of cookbook clubs here on the EYB blog. Today indexed blog Food52 added to the trend by announcing its inaugural community cookbook club. Those who were paying close attention may recall that the site hinted at starting a club last fall, and now they are following through on that. The first… read more

Why cookbooks still matter (plus a giveaway)

January 20, 2017 by
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  When you're planning what to cook for dinner, you might begin your search for the perfect dish on the internet (hopefully using EYB!) instead of your bookshelf. With the ever-increasing volume of quality online recipes, your search might end on the internet too. Yet even though you may reach for your cookbooks less frequently, they remain important, says Julie Thomson of… read more

Best of the best cookbooks list 2016

December 22, 2016 by
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  Each year, Jane collects the "best cookbooks of 2016" lists from a wide variety of sources, ranging from television to radio to bloggers to newspapers - over 300 lists in total. After aggregating and ranking nearly one thousand books, Jane compiles the winners into  EYB's "Best of the Best" cookbooks of 2016. After a few years of crushing the… read more

The best cookbooks of 2016 by the experts

December 21, 2016 by
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Who knows cookbooks better than the owners of specialist cookbook stores? They stock and sell thousands of cookbooks and because their stores are focused on food and drink books, they are true experts.  They read the books, cook from them and then share their knowledge with their customers.  When shopping for cookbook gifts this holiday season, think about supporting your… read more

Dianne Jacob on the future of cookbooks

December 15, 2016 by
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  Despite the popularity of food television shows, Instagram posts involving food, and the continued strength of cookbook sales, Americans are cooking less.  Food writer and former editor Dianne Jacob takes a look at this trend, and asks an important question: what does this mean for the cookbook industry? Jacob notes that 2015 was the first year that Americans spent… read more

Cookbook Gift Guide for New to Advanced Cooks

December 8, 2016 by
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This is the final gift guide for this year. Prior posts covered the Forty Best Cookbooks of 2016, cookbook suggestions for art and music lovers, cookbooks for entertainers and cookbooks for bakers. I hope these guides were helpful for your shopping or your collection endeavors. All gift guides can be found at this #hashtag link. A few final reminders: be sure to enter all… read more

Cookbook Gift Guide for Bakers

December 7, 2016 by
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The fall and winter are synonymous with baking more so than any other time of the year. What would Thanksgiving be without pie, or Christmas without cookies, or Hanukkah without rugelach or snow days without brownies and hot chocolate? Pretty sad - that's what it would be. Pretty sad. Today, I've put together a baker's dozen of great baking books… read more

The Forty Best Cookbooks of 2016

December 4, 2016 by
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How do I decide which books are the best in any particular year? It's a long, arduous process that leaves me feeling as if I'm choosing between children. Don't get me wrong - there are plenty of books published that aren't worthy of that comparison - but the books that I write about - truly must be special. I would… read more

A cookbook ‘starter library’

December 1, 2016 by
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  Cookbook lovers not only read, collect, and cook from cookbooks, they also love to share their passion with others by giving cookbook gifts. Whether the gift is for a holiday, wedding, graduation, or other important life event, a cookbook is not only useful and thoughtful, it can become a cherished reminder of someone's love. Over at indexed blog The… read more

The cookbook market defies predictions

November 9, 2016 by
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Just a few years ago, cookbook industry professionals predicted a doom and gloom scenario for the genre. Lorena Jones, vice president and imprint publisher at Ten Speed Press, called it "a prevailing sense of doom." With the rise of iPads and eBooks, publishers thought hardcover books sales would plummet. A few holdouts weren't convinced the end of cookbooks was nigh,… read more
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