| If someone not local something by John Shields. |
I was coming here to suggest Baking Yesteryear as well. They probably have a lot of standard cookbooks this one is a retro look at recipes and is quite funny. Tasting History also does some historical recipes but had a more serious tone. My brother got really into trying asafoetida from that guy's videos. |
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Depends-
I found a first edition (1961) of the Betty Crocker spiral ring cookbook, and SIL, who’s half the books age, was thrilled |
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Kind of disagree with some of these.
Is there any way your friend doesn’t already have Joy of Cooking and Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking? Ina + JL tells me their preference may be more “lifestyle”, crowd-pleasing, and not overly complicated, vs adventurous and global. So for that reason I might not recommend Ottolenghi, Julia Child, or any cookbooks that are purist in their methodologies or are from top class restaurants. Ina for example simplifies lots of processes, skipping steps while still getting good results. Both Ina and JL recipes are about entertaining. I think the Lunch in Provence book recommended upthread is a wonderful choice, as are the Mark Bitmanns. Also how about The Charleston Academy of Domestic Pursuits? Also depending on your friend’s personality/age, It’s All Easy by Gwyneth Paltrow, or Reese Witherspoon’s Whiskey in a Teacup could be good. And this one’s not a cookbook, but maybe one of Ruth Reichl’s memoirs? |
My favorite, too, and I'm not a vegetarian! But even the recipes that sound boring to me have been awesome. |
| Any Moosewood. |
+1 |
| Two I have given multiple times as gifts are Dinner by Melissa Clark and The Cook You Want to Be by Andy Baraghani. |
| Snoop |
I just got this and I’m baking the meatloaf right now! I’ve never made meatloaf before so I’m excited. |
| Anything by Jacque Pepin. |
His memoir is also great. |
| The gift of souther cooking by Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock. |
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The lovely little cookbook I’ve given as a gift most frequently is Tacos, Tortas, and Tamales by Roberto Santibanez.
Madhur Jeffrey’s Quick and Easy Indian Cooking is also an astonishingly great cookbook, but it only comes in paperback as far as I can tell. Every single recipe in the thing is perfect, and even my one kid doesn’t like most Indian food loves what I’ve served from there. |