An Offbeat Cookbook Gift Guide
Because “Best Cookbook for the Mole-Loving Vegetarian” doesn’t cut it
As promised, a collection of cookbooks. Better known as a gift guide.
I debated writing this because I have a love-hate relationship with gift guides. They begin shoving themselves in your face in early October when it’s still well over 100 degrees in Arizona. But, I am also completely dependent on them. So…yeah.
I decided to publish this after I came across Bon Appetit’s gift guide from last year. Amidst a long list of obscure identifiers was this: “Best Cookbook for the Mole-Loving Vegetarian.” I collect cookbooks for a living, and not even I am tempted to buy such a cookbook.
That was it; the straw that broke the camel’s back. Time to write a gift guide.
In fact, my biggest beef with cookbook gift guides is that they don’t focus on learning styles. It’s not who someone is (i.e. a Mole-Loving Vegetarian) that matters as much as how they learn. So, I figured why not write a gift guide that compares similar types of cookbooks, specifically cookbooks whose aim is to expand your culinary reach.
My cookbook guide is a collection of seven cookbooks, all of which qualify as “everyday cooking.” Each one aims to teach you, in some way shape, or form, how to cook. And, not shockingly, they are all unique because there is more than one way to carve a chicken. Well, actually there really isn’t - not correctly anyway - but you get the point.
In order to provide a detailed breakdown of the pedagogical style of each author, I made a roast chicken from each cookbook, which was the perfect way to compare teaching styles, flavor, flexibility, etc. I link to six of the seven roast chicken recipes below. In my review, I try to match a learning style with each cookbook. Everyone can learn how to cook, but we are all motivated to learn in our own idiosyncratic ways. Although the cookbooks listed below span a range of teaching styles, they all have one thing in common, and that is excellent food.
The final thing I will say is that traditional cookbook gift guides are too nice. They steer clear of comparisons, which is a failing in my opinion. I know that drawing comparisons ruined high school for most of us, but sometimes stepping into your Mean Girl shoes and judging one thing harshly against another has its benefits. So, as often as I can, I draw comparisons between cookbooks to give you the best sense for each one’s style.
For the Rule Follower
Cook Like A Pro, Ina Garten
This cookbook is ideal for the at-home chef who learns best - and feels most calm - when following specific directions. First, there was Julia Child, and then there was Ina Garten. Ina is a legend. She’s iconic. I started learning the importance of using high-quality foods, such as olive oil, from her. She has high standards and she sticks to them, asking the same of you. That being said, she comes from an older generation of recipe developers who are more inclined to tell you what to do than to tell you how or why. She wants you to come along for the ride and to follow her instructions to the nearest tenth of a second.
In her 2018 cookbook, Cook Like A Pro, she offers “Pro Tips” alongside recipes. These tips are accessories to the recipe rather than “teaching moments.” You don’t need them but they can be helpful if you need to peel a lot of garlic quickly, as one example. If you like to have more flexibility and/or get stressed by recipes that are too prescriptive, Cook Like A Pro might not be for you. One of her Pro Tips for her Chicken Marbella, Updated is to use olives that aren’t pitted because, she claims, you can’t find good quality pitted olives.1 If you prefer the recipe developer who lists five different types of olives (and assumes they are already pitted), I would draw your attention to Ali Slagle’s cookbook below.
Recipe: Chicken Marbella, Updated
I’ve yet to have an Ina recipe that I don’t like. She gets full marks for flavor. Her Chicken Marbella was robust, rich, and well-seasoned. If you want flavor and you prefer to be told what to do or if you don’t want to worry about figuring out how much salt to use per pound of meat, Ina is your woman. She gives specific and thorough directions, and they will deliver.
For the Minimalist (Information-Overload-Adverse) Learner
I Dream of Dinner, Ali Slagle
This cookbook is great for someone who learns best when information is kept to a minimum. Some people are motivated when they are encouraged to learn everything about a subject. They don’t just want to throw some salt on a whole chicken, wrap it back up, and let it salt overnight. They want to understand why dry-brining is the most effective means to salt a chicken, and those people should direct their attention to Sohla El-Waylly. Others learn best by consuming bits of knowledge here and there. This cookbook is for the latter. At the end of the day, this cookbook is more focused on getting dinner on the table than giving you a culinary education, but there are teachable moments sprinkled throughout the book nonetheless.
Before each section and subsection, Ali provides a short and sweet one- to two-page spread describing how to approach the section. These intro pages offer a broad overview with a few pointers for best practices. For example, why you want to drain and rinse a can of beans in some situations but not in others. Or, why you should use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. Or, how best to salt your scrambled eggs and which heat setting is most effective to achieve fluffy eggs.
These intro pages are also helpful for the substitutions Ali provides for many recipes. Because she doesn’t go overboard on the information front, however, she doesn’t give you specific directions for how best to substitute, say carrots for chickpeas in a braise. The at-home chef needs to deduct this based on the information provided in the intro pages and by looking at the recipe itself. Some may find the lack of direction for these “substitutions” difficult while others will feel empowered to create their own recipes.
Recipe: Marbella Chicken Salad (with leftover chicken)
I should start by saying that Ali Slagle doesn’t have a single whole roast chicken in her cookbook, which gives you a helpful piece of information right off the bat. I made this before I even started planning Can’t Help But Cook, so I don’t have a photo. This recipe, which works well with the leftover meat from a rotisserie chicken, is very emblematic of an Ali-Slagle recipe: it’s easy, employs leftovers, and doesn’t take longer than 45 minutes. You simply take meat that’s already been cooked and add it to a warmed-up spread of garlic, dried fruit, nuts, capers, oregano, red wine vinegar and honey. And, then you have dinner. You don’t need to learn anything, but if wanted you could read the intro section right before the recipe. There you’d learn how to resurrect parched, leftover chicken with moisture and fat.
For the Independent Learner
Where Cooking Begins, Carla Lalli Music
This cookbook is best for the at-home cook whose end goal is independence from recipes/grocery lists/cookbooks (without sacrificing good food). In some ways, Carla Lalli Music is trying to write herself out of a job with this cookbook. Although Where Cooking Begins does contain recipes (70, to be exact) the central focus of the book is the “Techniques” component, wherein Carla highlights six techniques - sauté, pan-roast, steam, boil and simmer, confit, and slow-roast - in a very accessible, non-overwhelming way. Where Cooking Begins is also ideal for visual learners. For all six techniques, she provides photos of each step in the process. She refers to her style of cooking as “Salt and Pepper Cooking.” Each of her techniques requires nothing more than salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon to yield good results. Additionally, each technique works for meat and vegetables alike, which means that if you can learn these six techniques, you have dinner taken care of for the rest of your life. That’s no small thing.
This cookbook is the ticket for an at-home chef who wants to eat well but doesn’t feel enthused about having to buy a bunch of specialty ingredients or print recipes out all the time. That being said, if you prefer a bit more pizzazz, or flavor variety, in your dishes, I would look to Ali Slagle or Molly Baz. Carla is going to get you to tender, well-salted meat, which (again) is no small thing. But, if you prefer well-salted meat topped with Crackle Sauce: Molly Baz.
Recipe: Rack-roasted Chicken with Gravy Potatoes
Carla’s roast chicken was fun to make. I’d never cooked a chicken like this before: you let the chicken sit in a rub overnight and then plop it directly on your oven rack over a large cast iron filled with potatoes or anything that will taste phenomenal roasting in chicken fat. I went with beets and carrots, and they were some of the best carrots I’ve ever had in my life (sorry, beets). No joke. I would roast the whole chicken again just to get to schmaltzy carrots. That being said, for me personally, the chicken needed a sauce or just something more - but that’s because I prefer the pizzazz. That’s entirely a personal preference.
For Those Who Learn Best “On The Job”
Cook This Book, Molly Baz
This cookbook is perfect for the home chef who wants to learn a lot of cooking fundamentals but doesn’t want to be slowed down by pages of text. In my humble opinion, this cookbook is perfect. Perhaps that’s because I learn best “on the job” but if you really want to gift a cookbook and just aren’t sure, I think this is your best bet. Somehow, this cookbook delivers on a lot of information but without asking you to become a student, which is more in the wheelhouse of Samin Nosrat and Sohla El-Waylly. Molly learned to cook by spending years working in restaurant kitchens. She learned while she cooked and that is exactly how she teaches.
In Cook This Book she includes QR codes that link to videos explaining (and showing) fundamental skills. So, while you're making her Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake you can pull up a video for how to correctly measure flour and then be on your merry way. She has QR codes for 19 essential cooking skills. Her recipes also include footnotes, which expand upon or explain why she instructs you to do something specific.2 In many ways, this is what I find lacking in Ina Garten’s cookbook. When someone explains why you should do X, Y, or Z, it’s a gift that keeps on giving. Molly’s not quite as information rich as Samin Nosrat, but she does offer explanations, which I love.
Recipe: Pastrami Roast Chicken
Cook This Book has two roast chicken recipes, and both are delicious. Molly’s Pastrami Roast chicken, however, is especially emblematic of Molly’s cooking style and flavor profile. It’s easy while also ingenious. Not every Molly Baz meal is as hands-off as this one. But, I don’t consider her recipes burdensome, especially in this particular cookbook. Flavor is a big thing in the world of Molly Baz, by which I mean you’ve probably never had anything quite like a Molly Baz recipe before. So, if you’re gifting to someone who yearns for surprising and never-before-tried flavors, this cookbook should be on your radar.
For The Person Who Learns Best One-on-One
More is More, Molly Baz
This cookbook is perfect for the cook who learns best when a teacher explains something (auditorily) in a one-on-one setting. In Molly's sophomore cookbook, More is More, she introduces us to the world of “Audio Cook-Alongs.” While her first cookbook had QR codes that pulled up videos to illustrate a skill, the QR codes in More is More offer a step-by-step walk-through of the whole recipe (of her 104 recipes, she offers 25 Audio Cook-Alongs).
This means a couple things. One, you don’t technically need your cookbook; you can just listen to her tell you what ingredients to use and what to do. It’s also important to note that while you are doing prep work that takes time, such as chopping onions or garlic, Molly plays calming classical music. The first time I was chopping garlic whilst listening to the music, I got goosebumps. True story. Two, More is More is as close as you’ll probably ever get to having a professional chef in your home taking you through the cooking process. In these Audio Cook-Alongs she offers helpful information that isn’t included in the text of the recipe. So, if you’re gifting to someone who really thrives with one-on-one attention, this cookbook will be something special for them. There really isn’t anything else out there like it. I treasure it.
That being said. I would not gift this cookbook to your Great Aunt Muriel who gets offended when two unmarried people (or married, for that matter) happen to find themselves in the same bed in a 90s rom com. Molly is unapologetically herself but that means you get F words and a little midriff. For that aunt, you buy Ina Garten’s cookbook or Carla Lalli Music’s cookbook (depending on her learning style, don’t forget).
Recipe: Chicken Mujadara (here is the audio cook along)
Before I say anything about this recipe, I need to say that the photo doesn’t look that great (and I lost some skin on the chicken’s booty). However, it was delicious! It also made a ton of food, which is always a godsend. You basically cook a marinated chicken in a Dutch oven with a ton of shallots, lentils, and rice. It’s a one-pot meal (plus the dollop of yogurt at the end).
This recipe is emblematic of More is More in that it utilizes everything and anything edible. For example, you marinate the chicken in a yogurt-spice mixture overnight. In similar recipes, many chefs will tell you to shake off the excess marinade and discard the rest, but Molly begs to differ. She says “it’s flavor”, and we don’t need to throw flavor away. So, instead you dump it in with everything else in the Dutch oven and voila!
For the Ever-Curious Learner
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, Samin Nosrat
This cookbook is perfect for the curious at-home chef who is always asking “But, why?” Samin Nosrat is in many ways the reason so many of these chefs exist. I mean, I don’t know every recipe developer's story, but they all give a nod to Samin at some point. You may be familiar with Samin from her Netflix show known by the same name as her book. From watching that show and reading her book, I would describe her teaching style as curious but humble, and you might miss that if you just look at the book (because it’s pretty big). But, to give you one example, the book is illustrated. There are zero photos of food because Samin wants you to become an intuitive and confident chef. She doesn’t want you comparing your Buttermilk-Marinated Chicken to hers.
From all her studies and culinary tutelage around the world, she distilled cooking into four basic components: Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat. Each component gets a chapter, and yes the chapters are hefty - meaning there are descriptions and scientific drawings explaining things like osmosis, diffusion, and emulsions. But given how much information is actually communicated, Samin’s format and writing are rather approachable.
This book is more information-heavy than recipe-heavy, but it does contain recipes in the back. I mean it when I say that this is for the at-home cook - or your 3-year old -who wants to know why: Why does it matter that I salt my meat 24-48 hours in advance? Why does it matter that I heat my cast iron up before adding olive oil? Why does it matter that I cook my chicken with the legs facing the back of the oven? Samin has the answers.
Recipe: Buttermilk-Marinated Roast Chicken
I made this recipe two years ago right after I bought Samin’s book, so I don’t have a photo. The chicken was delicious. It was moist and flavorful and just all-around delightful. You might not believe me, but I actually do remember it. I’m 99% certain it was the first time I ever cooked a whole roast chicken. Samin’s recipe has the added benefit of being straightforward while also teaching you a few fundamental skills, which is par for the course with a Samin recipe.
For the Perennial Student
Start Here, Sohla El-Waylly
I only recently bought Sohla’s cookbook, which was released on October 31, 2023. So, I won’t claim to know it as well as the others. But, I can say right from the get-go that it is a textbook and/or weapon. If someone breaks into my home, I will be grabbing Start Here because I really think I could do some damage with it, only if I need to of course.
It’s the cookbook I wish I had been given when I was 24 and starting to become increasingly interested in cooking. Its organization has a syllabus-like feel to it. Each chapter focuses on a specific technique rather than an ingredient, and the recipes within each section move from easier to harder. There are sections like “Temperature Management 101” and “All About Butter.” So, in the “All About Butter” chapter, you start with “Basic Shortbread” and end with “Cherry Pumpernickel Pie.” It’s a wealth of information. Despite its size, it is much more approachable, much cheaper, and much more doable (for most of us) than a culinary degree. Sohla, who did attend culinary school, says that “this is a one-stop culinary school in a book (without years of inescapable debt!).”
Additionally, it also has a lot of extremely useful information, such as how to best care for your cast iron pans or the best type of metal for sheet pans. Similar to Carla Lalli Music’s cookbook, Sohla includes step-by-step photos, so this is also a great cookbook for visual learners.
Recipe: Brothy Same-Day Slow-Roast Whole Chicken
If you’ve been following my bi-weekly “What’s Cooking?” newsletter you know that I’ve been focusing on braising, so you can imagine my delight when I got to make Sohla’s whole chicken, which is braised in white wine, butter, garlic, bay leaves and a ton of yellow onions, and then served with warm crusty bread. It was simple, cozy, and so incredibly yummy (I mean look at it! It’s perfect!). I will absolutely be adding it to my regular dinner rotation. It was also a helpful lesson in braising, which I was grateful for because even though I do learn best “on the job” (ala Molly Baz) there is a strong part of me that is a perennial student. Needless to say, I am pumped to spend more time with Start Here.
Happy Christmas and holiday shopping, and I’ll see you in the kitchen!
Xo,
Rach
The recipe calls for you to cut up two whole roast chickens. We don’t need that much chicken, so I halved the recipe and instead of buying a whole chicken and then cutting it, I bought a package of chicken from Trader Joe’s that came with two breasts and four drumsticks, which is basically a whole chicken. Also, the pro tip about the olives is not in the online version, only in the cookbook.
Because who doesn’t love a good, well-thought out footnote.
I love this post. Makes me want to buy all of those cookbooks! So fun!🌺😊
As someone with all of these books (except the Ali Slagle one which I have and love) in my Bookshop wish list, I found this incredibly helpful - thank you!