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Best Books of 2011: Cookbooks

Of the thousands of books we talked about in 2010, here is the handful our editors liked best.

Best Food Writing 2011 edited by Holly Hughes

The Best Food Writing 2011 is the 11th edition that Holly Hughes has edited so, clearly, she knows this beat pretty well.


Sunday Roasts by Betty Rosbottom

Rosbottom, who is also the author of Sunday Soup, The Big Book of Backyard Cooking and Coffee, breaks Sunday Roasts into several logical sections.

Piece of Cake! by Camilla V. Saulsbury
Here’s the scenario: you’ve been invited to a holiday dinner and it was requested you bring some type of dessert. You really would like to make a cake, but every time you think about all those bowls and all that mixing, you sit back down and start thinking about buying something rustic enough to pass off as your own. Then guilt sets in, and it all begins again.

The Tipsy Vegan by John Schlimm
Schlimm’s book is whimsical, sure. But it does offer truly vegan alternatives in a happy, party package. There are surprisingly few drink recipes here: food with booze is what it’s all about.

The Country Cooking of Italy by Colman Andrews
Someone who has a complete collection of Italian cookbooks will obviously require The Country Cooking of Italy in order to make it more complete. A beautiful book meant to be cooked from and shared, coffee table-style, and with a pedigree that will make aficionados demand it.

Sinfully Vegan by Lois Dieterly
At a glance, the words “sinful” and “vegan” have no business showing up together in a sentence, never mind the title of a book. But Sinfully Vegan puts a lie to all of that, filling a whole book with delicious and completely vegan desserts.

My Last Supper: The Next Course by Melanie Dunea
It’s rare that a really good book be followed by an even better sequel, but that just what’s happened here.

Beer Quest West by Jon C. Stott
Though it covers a relatively small region, it does so with amazing depth. If you’re looking for a gift for someone from or in Western Canada who has a passion for beer, Beer Quest West will answer all the questions… and then some.

Everyday Exotic by Roger Mooking and Allan Magee
“One person’s exotic is another person’s everyday.” That’s the basic premise behind Everyday Exotic as well as the television show that spawned this new book.

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
It’s possible that the reason Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty was such a huge and instant hit when it was published in the UK last year is because, in many ways, it is the sort of book that can define an age. Chef and food writer, Israeli-born Yotam Ottolenghi, seems absolutely of his moment.

Everyday Flexitarian by Nettie Cronish & Pat Crocker
The first time I heard the phrase “flexitarian” I gave a derisive snort. It was not as dramatic a reaction as the one I gave the first time I heard the phrase "pescatarian,” but still: it was in the ballpark.

300 Best Taco Recipes by Kelley Cleary Coffeen
There was a time -- not long ago -- when I thought of a taco as a regional specialty. More than that: something regional to be eaten only at a fast food place.

Gluten-Free on a Shoestring: 125 Easy Recipes for Eating Well on the Cheap by Nicole Hunn
If you are celiac or otherwise gluten challenged or limited, the cover alone will sell you on this book. It’s a popover. A simple popover. Nothing in it. No big deal, right? But for the many people who can’t or shouldn’t eat wheat, it’s a promise. One that, ultimately, author Nicole Hunn fulfills.

Fire it Up and Time to Grill
And speaking of barbecue (we were, weren’t we?) every year around this time we’re treated with a new flurry of books to grill by.

Just Tell Me What to Eat! by Timothy S. Harlan
You can barely turn on a television or open a newspaper anymore without reading about obesity: how its cutting a swath through the health of America.

Esquire: Eat Like A Man edited by Ryan D’Agostino
As anyone who has spent serious time around a large number of cookbooks can tell you, the whole home chefing thing is a pretty sexist place.

The Complete Homebrew Beer Book: 200 Easy Recipes, from Ales and Lagers to Extreme Beers and International Favorites by George Humm
In The Complete Homebrew Beer Book author George Hummel brings up a very good point early on. In fact, it may be the most important point of all when considering whether or not to brew your own beer.

Chicken and Egg by Janice Cole
The title of former chef and restaurant owner Janice Cole’s Chicken and Egg gives only a hint of what might be inside. With a look at the title and the elegant but homespun cover, one imagines something altogether more ordinary than the book Cole actually delivers.

American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half Its Food by Jonathan Bloom
Journalist and blogger Jonathan Bloom’s 2010 book American Wasteland: How America Throws Away Nearly Half Its Food is one of those non-fiction works that will alter lives and probably end up being made into a film one day.

Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Heatlth by Brendan Brazier
Fans of ironman triathlete and celebrity vegetarian Brendan Brazier have been looking forward to his book. With “200 Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health” they’re bound to be pleased by Thrive Foods.

The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen by Laura B. Russell
At first glance The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen seems too esoteric for words. But this book by the “Gluten Freedom” columnist for the Oregonian takes something esoteric and makes it delicious.

750 Best Appetizers by Judith Finlayson and Jordan Wagman
When it comes to 750 Best Appetizers my biggest complaint is a pretty high class one: there’s simply too much. I know that sounds silly, possibly even foolish, but 750 is almost

300 Best Potato Recipes by Kathleen Sloan-McIntosh
The cover is not a clue. In fact, it’s misleading, playing in as it does to so many people’s idea of what a potato should be: shoe-stringed, then boiled in fat until golden brown.

Island Wineries of British Columbia edited by Gary Hynes
Check the wine book nearest your elbow for references to Canadian wines. You’ll probably be disappointed. While most wine guides include significant sections on Australia, Argentina and other wine-producing countries you might expect Canada to be on par with, Canada most often doesn’t rate even a sneeze when it comes to international calculations.

Bal’s Quick & Healthy Indian by Bal Arneson
Bal’s Quick & Healthy Indian is not just another Indian cookbook. And though author Bal Arneson’s first cookbook, Everyday Indian, was given international attention, Arneson lives in Vancouver, where some really terrific Indian cookbooks have already been published. Arneson’s book, though, isn’t just that. Or maybe it’s more. Which, in a way is only to be expected.

Veganize This! by Jenn Shagrin
Actress, comedienne and vegan chef Jenn Shagrin has a different approach and her book seems to celebrate food in disguise as other food.

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