10 Best Cookbooks for Great Last-Minute Gifts
Are you feeling as frantic as I am? I haven't finished my Christmas shopping and it's December 23rd. My solution: cookbooks! Here are 10 of my favorites from this past year.
1. First, some shameless self-promotion: You've got to get our Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen ring-binder cookbook. It's an amazing resource with all the recipes you could want. The best part is that we really do triple-test our recipes to ensure that they'll always work at home. Ever try a recipe from online searching only to have it not come out well? That won't happen with our book or any of our triple-tested recipes.
2. Just a little more self-promotion: I spent years working with chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten to put together Home Cooking with Jean-Georges. Everyone always asks me if a regular home cook can actually make the recipes in here and the answer is a resounding yes! They're not necessarily quick, but they're totally doable and really, really delicious.
3. Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook: You're really not meant to cook from this book. You should just sit back and take in the absolutely stunning photographs and marvel at the complex recipes. It's so beautiful, it makes me gasp.
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4. The Mozza Cookbook: Chef Nancy Silverton gives us fantastic modern-rustic Italian recipes here. The homemade pizzas and pastas are for serious home cooks, but a lot of fun to tackle.
5. Lidia's Italy in America: For more approachable Italian home cooking, try these decidedly Italian-American recipes. They're so warming for the holidays.
6. Masala Farm: Suvir Saran, a chef best known for his Indian cuisine, takes us to his upstate New York farm to celebrate the seasons. I love his surprising combos, like Deviled Eggs with Cilantro, Chiles, and Spices.
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7. Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: This is the perfect gift for DIY cooks. I love the step-by-step instructions for staples like homemade yogurt and graham crackers.
8. Rustica: A Return to Spanish Home Cooking: I have a serious love affair with Spain and this book takes me there with its vibrant travel photos and mouthwatering dishes.
9. Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi: For vegetarians and vegetable lovers, this collection of global meatless recipes is truly inspiring.
10. The Food Lover's Guide to Wine: Not a cookbook, but a necessary companion to all of the above. This tome will teach you how to perfectly pair wines with your meals. An invaluable asset to any cookbook collection.
Now run to the store and get them! That's where I'm heading...
- By Genevieve Ko
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