As in 2014 and 2015, I'm back with a roundup of cookbooks I've enjoyed this year. One might prove a good gift for the cooking enthusiast in your life. I've also included two items of kitchen equipment and two non-cooking books.
For the first time, I'm not even mentioning "Will It Waffle?"
Oops... ish.
Anyway, a quick rundown:
Dorie's Cookies: Am I recommending this because it has a waffled cookie recipe? No! Well, not just because it does.
The Vegetable Butcher: What a great idea for a book. You know there's a best way to cut cauliflower, right? There is. And it's in here, along with a kijillion other things you'll want to know about vegetables and recipes for them.
Cakeology: Let me just say upfront that I have not made any of the cakes in this book and I may never. But wow, there are some beautifully elaborate cakes in here. A guy can dream, can't he?
Bien Cuit: Gorgeous bread cookbook with a controversial binding. Seriously, if you read the reviews on Amazon, a lot of them are about the binding. I'll grant you, the binding is odd. The recipes are great.
How to Bake Everything: It's no exaggeration to say that Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" is one of the things that got me into the kitchen and, at least indirectly, led me to write a cookbook. (I hope he can live with himself if he reads that.) This is an approachable, all-purpose baking book that I'll be reaching for often.
The Taco Cleanse: Any book that bills itself as "The Tortilla-Based Diet Proven to Change Your Life" definitely merits a second look.
Instant Pot 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker: This makes my list once again because 18 months after I got mine, I still use it at least once a week. It's one of those rare things that sounds too good to be true on its face, and then actually delivers.
Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet: No kitchen should be without a cast-iron skillet. If someone you know (that includes you — you know you) does not have one, this is the time to fix that.
Atlas Obscura: Are you familiar with the website atlasobscura.com? This is like a bound version of the site's ethos, celebrating the quirky places on this planet.
The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering: Let's not get into how good my chalk lettering is (or is not). Let's focus instead on how awesome this book is. The inside covers are even chalkboards for practicing!