The Year in Review – 2017

December 31, 2017 by
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The sun is fading outside my window as the minutes tick away what is left of 2017.  Our friends on the other side of the world have already welcomed 2018, while we are making plans to celebrate New Years Eve. To be honest, I don't believe I've ushered in a new year since the birth of my youngest child in… read more

Best of the Best Cookbook List 2017

December 21, 2017 by
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Each year, Jane collects the "best cookbooks" 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 815 books, Jane compiled the winners into EYB's "Best of the Best" cookbooks of 2017. This year Yotam Ottolenghi is back in the top cookbook spot for… read more

The best cookbooks of 2017 by the experts

December 19, 2017 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

How to choose the ‘keeper’ cookbooks

December 13, 2017 by
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  Whenever you face cookbook overload - the shelves are bulging, and there is hardly any room left for even one volume - naturally, that means you will see several new 'must have' books. How do you decide which books are worth buying and taking up that precious real estate, or which of your current collection can be passed on… read more

Australia’s best bakers weigh in on their favorite baking books

November 23, 2017 by
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When you walk into a bakery and see the rows of glistening pastries or perfectly browned breads, you might not think that the master bakers who created these lovely treats might have pored over the same baking books that sit on your cookbook shelves. But everyone has to start somewhere, and for many pastry chefs, that start came in the… read more

The lasting legacy of Joy of Cooking

November 21, 2017 by
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  We have frequently posted about legacy items on the EYB blog: things like cherished hand-me-down cookbooks, recipes, and kitchen tools we have inherited from family and dear friends. In these posts, Joy of Cooking frequently comes up in conversation. It is difficult to overstate the lasting legacy of this work. Recently Charles Roberts, owner of the used bookstore WonderBook,… read more

Blog ‘Great British Chefs’ is publishing a cookbook

November 12, 2017 by
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  Indexed blog Great British Chefs has only been around for a few years, but it has made a big impact. Now the popular website is putting together cookbook featuring recipes from the blog as well as new recipes. There is one catch - it is only available via Kickstarter, and the campaign ends in just 21 days.  The website… read more

600 years of cookbook history

October 29, 2017 by
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We are living in a golden age of cookbooks, one where almost everyone can find a book filled with recipes for a reasonable price. It wasn't always like this - centuries ago, only the wealthiest people had cookbooks, which were seen as a status symbol. Henry Notaker traces the history of cookbooks for seven centuries in his book A History of… read more

What do you do when you have 30,000 cookbooks?

October 21, 2017 by
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  Many EYB Members have impressive cookbook collections numbering in the hundreds and a few have thousands of cookbooks on their shelves. One man in Berlin puts us all to shame. He has collected over 30,000 cookbooks and did what anyone with that many books would do: he opened a cookbook store.   In the article, we only learn the collector's… read more

These cookbooks stand the test of time

October 12, 2017 by
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Cookbooks that sell into the hundreds of thousands are not as rare today as they once were. Fewer cookbooks were published years ago, and there were no Instagram feeds or food blogs saturated with gorgeous photographs to spark a sensation. Nevertheless, a handful of books managed to become huge hits, selling millions of copies over the years. How well have… read more

Modernist Bread aims to change the way we think about baking

October 6, 2017 by
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Dr. Nathan Myhrvold is known as one of the world's foremost authorities on modernist cooking. The former Microsoft chief technology officer studied cooking under renowned chef Anne Willan at the Ecole De La Varenne. He has con­tributed orig­i­nal research on cook­ing sous vide to online culi­nary forums, and his sous vide tech­niques have been cov­ered in magazines and on television. Myhrvold's… read more

A new book by Diana Henry is in the works

October 5, 2017 by
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Diana Henry remains one of the most beloved authors in the EYB Library. Her books reside on thousands of Member Bookshelves, and those who have participated in the "Cooking along with Diana Henry" forum rave about her approachable, exceedingly delicious recipes - and about her stellar writing ability. Her 2015 book A Bird in the Hand  and her most recent Simple:… read more

‘Fixer Upper’ cookbook on the way

October 4, 2017 by
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If you are a fan of HGTV's show 'Fixer Upper' starring Chip and Joanna Gaines, this post is for you. Many viewers were saddened to learn that the show, in which the couple applies their signature style to remodel homes and businesses, was ending after the next season (Season 5). Now fans - and cookbook lovers - have something to… read more

Chefs share their favorite books

September 26, 2017 by
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  Many chefs are avid readers, eagerly devouring cookbooks as well as other food-related books. Have you ever wondered which books rise to the tops of their reading lists? Tasting Table did, and asked several top chefs and restaurateurs to name their favorites, and the chefs responded with several book recommendations.  The responses were varied, with a few classic cookbooks like… read more

Gabriele Corcos’ Cookbook Collection

September 15, 2017 by
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Earlier this month, I shared a post on how our cookbook collections stack up sharing some friends' photos and other information. Today, Gabriele Corcos was the subject of my Friday Flashback featuring his books Extra Virgin and Super Tuscan written with his actress wife, Debi Mazar.  Below is a photo of Gabriele's office/cookbook library which he is graciously sharing with us today.   … read more

How do our Cookbook Collections Stack Up?

September 6, 2017 by
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In the August/September issue of Garden & Gun Magazine, Rick Ellis and his magnificent collection of Southern cookbooks were featured in an article by Monte Burke. Bookcases which brought an envious tear to my eye housed 5,000 cookbooks. Jessica B. Harris, a prominent culinary historian and author, stated that to her knowledge, "there is no private collection of Southern cookbooks… read more

Celia Sack of Omnivore Books shares her favorite cookbooks

August 29, 2017 by
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 Celia Sack, owner of Omnivore Books in San Francisco, first became interested in cookbooks, especially antique ones, while working at an auction house. She parlayed that interest into one of the finest cookbook stores in the United States. In an interview with indexed magazine Saveur, she tells us which cookbooks are her favorites, and what subjects she would like to see covered… read more

Joan Nathan’s list of the best Jewish cookbooks

August 14, 2017 by
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  Joan Nathan knows a thing or two about Jewish cooking. She is the author of over a dozen cookbooks in the genre, including Jewish Cooking in America, which won both the James Beard Award and the IACP / Julia Child Cookbook of the Year Award in 1994. (Learn more about Joan in her EYB author story.) Recently she spoke with… read more

Are these the best cookbooks of the 21st century?

August 3, 2017 by
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  While almost every 'best-of' cookbook list is dominated by the heavyweights published before the turn of the last century like Mastering the Art of French Cooking, there is no doubt that the 21st century has been good for cookbook lovers. In fact, there is an entire generation of cooks that have never cooked a single recipe from the 20th… read more

Why are there so many technique-driven cookbooks today?

July 26, 2017 by
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  While gorgeously-illustrated, recipe-based cookbooks still dominate the market, another category of books has been quietly experiencing a rennaissance. As Sarah Whitman-Salkin of Food52 explains, technique-driven, back-to-basics cookbooks have been on the rise in the last few years.  There have always been general cookbooks, but the new crop sets themselves apart from older works that were straightforward in their descriptions… read more

Celebrating independent cookbook stores

July 13, 2017 by
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  One of the comments on our Amazon Prime Day reminder post was a suggestion to shop at your local independent bookseller instead of buying online. Here at EYB we do promote specialty cookbook stores in several ways. First, we have a listing of our favorite shops worldwide, plus we list bookstore events on our Worldwide Calendar of Cookbook Events.… read more

Saveur Blog Awards

July 5, 2017 by
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Last week, Darcie wrote "Cookbooks are my Friends", a lovely article about what cookbooks mean to her. I've written a fair number of pieces about my love of cookbooks including The Making of a Cookbook Collector,  Managing Your Collection to Make it Work for You and What Makes a Good Cookbook being my favorites. While I agree with Darcie about the comfort I derive from… read more

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
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