Cookbooks to Buy

As I haven't been cooking this week, I've been going through my lists of "posts I mean to write but never do because of all the cooking pictures I have". It's kind of freeing to actually, finally, write all of these! 


As I explained when I listed some of my favorite bloggers on the other page, food bloggers run out of ideas all of the time. We're not churning out new recipes without a little inspiration. Other food blogs are a fabulous place to find inspiration. But sometimes a girl just needs a new cookbook. 


I love cookbooks. My dream kitchen has a shelf under the island counter which will have cookbooks going all the way around. I dream of having thousands of cookbooks, all color-coded tabbed so I can easily find the recipes I'm looking for (yes, I realize I have OCD). My dad used to buy my mom a cookbook every Christmas. I'm not sure how I can wedge my way into this tradition, but I'll let you know how it goes in seven months. I adore books in general, and I adore food, so put the two together and you can imagine how happy new cookbooks make me.


The problem is that literally thousands of cookbooks are published each year. How the heck do you know which ones are good? Which ones are worth the money (which, by the way, is the only reason I don't already have a ton--what's up with cookbooks being $30?!?!) I have about 20 on my wish list, ones I've read reviews of and been given recommendations for, so I want to share those with you, because I'm sure if I have troubles picking books, then you do too!!


Cookbooks to Buy

Tender: A cook and his vegetable patch by Nigel Slater

available here.

This book was put on my list after a review by the Food Section, which reports that this 600+ page (600 PLUS pages?!) book is divided into chapters for individual vegetables. Sign me up.

Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson

available here.

Some of you may recognize the name Heidi Swanson. She began her life as a food blogger (and still is) at the wonderful site 101 Cookbooks. Since her blog is literally dedicated to testing out cookbooks, I have a feeling her latest one is going to be wonderful. 

Vegetables from an Italian Garden: Season-by-Season Recipes

available here.

This book is, at both times, a gardener's toolkit and a cook's guide. It is arranged seasonally, each season divided into two parts explaining how to grow, and then how to cook each. It features over 400 recipes for 40 plus vegetables.

Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes by London's Ottolenghi

available here.

Yotam Ottolenghi is a London celebrity chef, not unlike a Tom Collichio or Eric Ripert for New Yorker's mixed with Mark Bittman, as he writes a weekly column. This book features over 120 recipes designed by, importantly, a NON-vegetarian. 

The Flexitarian Table by Peter Berley

available here.

This is the go-to guide for home cooks who have vegetarians, pescetarians, and die-hard meat eaters in the same house. The recipes in this cookbook are designed for both, with each showing how to prepare a meat and meatless version of the same dish, at the same time, without spending double the time.

Mediterranean Harvest by Martha Rose Shulman

available here.

The Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest in the world--in large part because of the emphasis on vegetables. This cookbook offers over 500 vegetarian recipes that don't rely on pasta or bread; don't let the title "vegetarian" scare you!

Yes, yes, there is definitely a trend with the cookbooks I want--vegetables! That should be a trend in everyone's house. It's time to stop relying so much on meat, start getting back to nature, and watch your weight slim down. Promise!