Reading is FUNdamental: Chit Chat #28

What's your favorite cookbook?

So….What’s your favorite cookbook? Gotta pick one…just one.

The other night several friends of mine received James Beard Foundation awards for their cookbooks, and many others won awards as well. These books were ascertained to be the best of the best. I won’t argue. Most all the winners expressed surprise, and applauded the other nominated books. And many GREAT books never got nominated at all! 

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That’s the way it goes. Even more difficult is choosing an ALL TIME GREAT book or personal favorite. I own thousands, so how can I choose??

Well, I prefer to go by category and cuisine style.

Pasta by Missy Robbins is a category book I treasure….

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child is a cuisine style…

La Methode by Jacques Pepin is a hybrid… all are on my list for sure.

But if I had to pick one it’s Fuchsia Dunlop’s The Food of Sichuan. I dip into that book for inspiration more than any other.

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Anyway, here are this year’s James Beard Award winners, and btw Judy Rodgers’ celebrated  The Zuni Café Cookbook was inducted into the 2022 Cookbook Hall of Fame.

Baking and Desserts

Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries by Kristina Cho

Beverage with Recipes

The Way of the Cocktail: Japanese Traditions, Techniques, and Recipes by Julia Momose with Emma Janzen

Beverage without Recipes

Girly Drinks: A World History of Women and Alcohol by Mallory O’Meara

General

Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health by Gregory Gourdet and J.J. Goode

International

In Bibi’s Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean by Hawa Hassan with Julia Turshen

Reference, History, and Scholarship

Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue by Adrian Miller

Restaurant and Professional

Mr. Jiu’s in Chinatown: Recipes and Stories from the Birthplace of Chinese American Food by Brandon Jew and Tienlon Ho.

Single Subject

The Hog Book: A Chef’s Guide to Hunting, Butchering and Cooking Wild Pigs by Jesse Griffiths

U.S. Foodways

Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou by Melissa M. Martin

Vegetable-Focused Cooking

The Korean Vegan Cookbook: Reflections and Recipes from Omma’s Kitchen by Joanne Molinaro

Visuals

Take One Fish: The New School of Scale-to-Tail Cooking by Rob Palmer and Daniel New

Writing

Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America by Marcia Chatelaine

Emerging Voice, Books

Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries by Kristina Cho

What’s your favorite cookbook? Share with the rest of us!