Over 15,000 books indexed and other EYB/CookShelf tips

We are pleased to announce that over 15,000 books have been indexed - one thousand plus in less than nine months! Our Library has a great mix of new releases, classic cookbooks and even Member Indexed non-English titles! In addition to these titles, we have connected the EYB database to ckbk’s library of digital cookbooks. ckbk is a cookbook subscription site where you can… read more

Behold the ‘Gastronaut’

Grocery store chains do not often try advertising campaigns that are 'out there', sticking to common formats like weekly ads stuffed into mailboxes or inserted into newspapers. However, Waitrose recently took a giant leap for mankind by launching a new brand campaign that reaches for the stars - literally. It features advertisements centered around an astronaut named Michael who is… read more

Gloagburn: Recipes from a Scottish Farm – Giveaway

Enter our US/UK giveaway to win one of two copies of Gloagburn: Recipes from a Scottish Farm by Alison Niven. The Nivens have farmed the land at Gloagburn in Perth for over 100 years, rearing cattle and growing oats and barley. During that time the world of agriculture has immensely changed, and the family business has diversified along with it.… read more

Café Cùil Cook Book – Recipes from the Isle of Skye – Giveaway

Enter our US/UK giveaway to win one of two copies of Café Cùil Cook Book: Recipes from the Isle of Skye by Clare Coghill. Cùil: Scots Gaelic n. Nook, nest or corner Cafe Cùil faces the sea just outside Carbost on the Isle of Skye. In this stunning setting, award-winning chef Clare Coghill celebrates Highland produce, reimagines traditional Scottish dishes… read more

Food news antipasto

Rancho Gordo announced it has new digs for its Napa, California store. Located in the former Shackford building on Napa's Main Street, the store noted that the "symbolism of beans going Main Street is not lost on us." If you are planning a Napa Valley trips, this might be worth a detour. I missed this when it was first published… read more

Does it matter which side of aluminum foil goes where?

Aluminum foil gets a workout in our house, from covering and lining pans to zhushing up cake boards. For the cake boards, it is obvious that the shiny goes on the outside, but when you are using it in the oven or on the grill, does it matter which side goes where? The short answer is, not really. You might… read more

Is cooking an art or a craft?

When does something move from being a finely honed craft into a work of art? That's the question being asked in Denmark, after its culture minister, Jakob Engel-Schmidt announced a new initiative to classify gastronomy as a fine art. If this goes forward, it would be the first time a country has made such a move. The initiative is still… read more

Best of the Best 2025

We have assembled 358 lists from around the world to create our 17th annual Best of the Best. The top book of 2025 is Good Things by Samin Nosrat. No other book came close to the votes this book collected. As well as the top 10 books of the year plus seven runners up, we have charts showing the votes… read more

How is your cooking goal challenge going?

Like many EYB members, I have vowed that this year I will cook more new recipes from my cookbooks. The new 2026 Cooking Goal on the CookShelf app is helping a lot for tracking my progress. Though I haven't cooked as much as I'd like this month as I'm moving house next week and packing is taking up all my… read more

Chefs share their favorite condiments

My refrigerator doors are stuffed full of sauces and condiments. Although I have my favorites, I am always on the lookout for new things to try, which is why I had to check out the article from The New York Times Style Magazine on which spice blends and condiments chefs always keep on hand (gift link). Now I am going… read more

Best Selling Books of 2025

Last month our friends at cookbook stores around the world gave us their picks for their favorite books of 2025 which we then included in our Best of the Best of 2025. Now we asked them for their top sellers of 2025 (published in any year). It would be interesting to compare these charts to non-specialist store/online retailer book sales but it is… read more

January 2026 New Cookbook Review

One month nearly passed of this new year! My 2026 Cookbook Preview Post is growing every day with great titles to covet. The preview post will be updated with additions and revisions as the months go by and I have a load of new books to add after this month's cookbook review. Don’t forget that you can create a wishlist and share it with… read more

Healthy Rituals with Kombucha on Tap (and a Giveaway!)

As we move into a season of lighter meals, cleaner routines, and more mindful choices, what we’re drinking matters just as much as what we’re cooking. For many, kombucha fits perfectly: refreshing, complex, and a satisfying alternative to sugary soft drinks or alcohol. But instead of bottles, imagine kombucha brewed fresh at home and poured straight from the tap. You… read more

Learning how to cook again

Cooking columnist Yewande Komolafe has been writing recipes for The New York Times since 2018. Her impressive career spans 20 years, working in restaurants and test kitchens, developing recipes, and writing cookbooks. Two years ago that career and her very life was in jeopardy as Yewanade lay comatose in a hospital bed after a severe episode related to sickle cell… read more

Passport to Flavor – Cookbook Giveaway and Quick Bites

Enter our US giveaway to win one of two copies of Passport to Flavor: 100 Global Dishes You Can Make Anywhere by Abby Cheshire. Join social media sensation Chef Abby Cheshire on a culinary adventure on the high seas, in this internationally inspired, travel-infused cookbook with over 100 recipes from fourteen incredible locations around the world. No matter your location… read more

Food news antipasto

Shortly after Prue Leith shared the news that she was leaving the Great British Bake Off after nearly a decade, rumors began to swirl that Nigella Lawson was in talks to be Dame Leith's replacement. This has not been officially confirmed by Channel 4, but they have not denied the rumors. Fingers crossed that this is true! Sauternes custard with… read more

January 2026 EYB Cookbook Club Summary

Each month we allow posting in our Eat Your Books Cookbook Club from any cookbook, magazine or blog and most months we also offer one featured cookbook. We hope that sharing our favorite recipes will help our Members discover new cookbooks and recipes to try. Also please see our February 2026 Great Big Cookbook Club Summary which is now organized by location and… read more

James Beard Award Restaurant and Chef semifinalists

Yesterday the James Beard Foundation released its 2026 semifinalists for its Restaurant and Chefs Awards. The Awards celebrate excellence with national awards such as Best New Restaurant, Outstanding Baker, Outstanding Chef, Outstanding Pastry Chef, Outstanding Restaurateur, Outstanding Bar, and Emerging Chef, plus regional categories for Best Chef.  Several chefs nominated for Outstanding Restaurateur or Outstanding Chef have written cookbooks: Stuart… read more

Prue Leith is leaving GBBO

Dame Prue Leith announced today that she is leaving the Great British Bake Off. You can read her announcement below, where she said she feels "very lucky to have been a part of [the GBBO]." She took over after Mary Berry left the program, taking on hosting duties in 2017 and continuing to co-host with Paul Hollywood since that time.… read more

Chocolat by Aleksandra Crapanzano – Cookbook Giveaway

Enter our US giveaway to win one of two copies of Chocolat - Parisian Desserts and Other Delights by Aleksandra Crapanzano From the bestselling, James Beard Award–winning food writer and author of Gâteau (review) comes a beautiful book that celebrates the French love affair with chocolate, featuring over 100 elegant recipes. This new book has all the charm of Gâteau with gorgeous illustrations and… read more

Cookbook storage ideas

It's a conundrum all cookbook lovers face eventually - the best location for storing cookbooks is not always the most attractive or most convenient. So what should you do? Tasting Table looked at the problem and came up with fourteen different ways to display cookbooks. They titled their post as "innovative" ways to show off your cookbook collection, but I… read more

Food news antipasto

Several highly acclaimed US chefs are launching new restaurants in 2026. Brian Lockwood, formerly of NYC's Eleven Madison Park and a consultant for FX's The Bear, is opening Gingie in Chicago, which will feature a casual menu with refined technique, writes Kate Kassin. Kwame Onwuachi, whose Caribbean restaurants in New York and DC have earned him high praise, is heading… read more

Are French fries actually French?

In the US we call them French fries, but there has been a long debate on whether frites originated in France or in Belgium. The latter country has laid claim to the invention of the deep fried deliciousness, but Belgian historian Pierre Leclercq says that the claim is not true. He posits that French fries originated on the streets of… read more

Sales have lost their luster

I will probably sound like a curmudgeon saying this, but I remember when sales were really sales ("back in MY day" etc. and so forth). Pre-internet, people frequently paid full price for an item because if you really wanted something, it was risky to wait until a sale came along because you would risk not finding it. Also, it was… read more

Gourmet Magazine is back – sort of

Gourmet Magazine was once the premiere food publication, a shining star owned by a storied company, Condé Nast. Then, in 2009, when the world was experiencing a deep recession and had started the inexorable shift to an online experience, Gourmet was abruptly shuttered. The decision to end the magazine shocked the food world, including its editor Ruth Reichl, who wrote… read more
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