Best of the Best 2024

6 Comments

• johnsonbeck  on  January 31, 2025

  i will proudly say SIFT is my best book

• johnsonbeck  on  January 31, 2025

  I have not ordered from them yet. I’m not sure what I would do with 50 pounds of beef bones………………

• Jenny  on  January 31, 2025

  I am not sure SIFT calls for beef bones – it is a baking book. I see suet as an ingredient.

• gamulholland  on  February 1, 2025

  In Paula Forbes’s Stained Page Newsletter early last year, she mentioned that there was a book coming out that apparently had no testing and loads of mistakes and yet, lots of buzz—so I was kind of on the lookout for reviews before buying any books to make sure I didn’t buy one that fit that description. And at least one definitely did, but it made it to loads of “best cookbooks of Spring 2024” lists—despite people giving disappointed and very specific reviews on Amazon saying that there were major errors in multiple recipes. These were people who had obviously cooked from it, so I took that a lot more seriously than the “best of” lists and didn’t get the book. It’s not in any of these Best of 2024 lists, though, so I think the lesson is to take the seasonal ones with a grain of salt—they’re likely untested and probably more like clickbait than journalism.

• WallaceGrover  on  February 5, 2025

  @gamulholland I love Paula Forbes blind items!

  She did one earlier this year: “I think one much-celebrated cookbook author has expanded their empire a bit too much and is in big danger of watering down the secret sauce.” which I am almost certain is referring to Ottolenghi. I have mixed feelings about it, I somewhat agree but also don’t think we can hold huge cultural icons (in the cookbook sphere) to the standard of constantly pumping out mega-hits. Ottolenghi was emblematic of the late 2000s/early 2010s where Middle Eastern/Med flavors were spotlighted. He made his mark on history no doubt, even if from a critical perspective the content may become repetitive or formulaic.

  I do wish there was more in the way of cookbook criticism and reviewing beyond Amazon reviews that often times are things like “I flipped through and the recipes look good, can’t wait to try!” I fear although cookbooks saw a nice spike in the pandemic (and we now are seeing the tail end of publishing deals made during this spike from the pandemic) that cookbooks will become a dying art.

• gamulholland  on  February 6, 2025

  @WallaceGrover — Ottolenghi would make sense, and he’s definitely celebrated, but the reason I don’t think it’s him is because his cookbooks are still good. Maybe she could be referring to the two OTK books as the expansion of his empire? But again, well-regarded, as were Flavor and now Comfort. If “watering down the secret sauce” means expanding to more recipes beyond the Middle East, then yes. But I guess I interpreted this comment at the time as someone maybe opening too many restaurants to make sure the quality is good, or selling stuff with their name on it at the local grocery or cookware at Target or Williams-Sonoma etc.? But I’m not sure who I actually think it is, TBH.