Recommendations from Leeds Jane Culbreth Library Staff

 Fall is the season to embrace one’s inner chef. From game-day grilling to spooky snacks and holiday treats, it’s a time for a lot of cooking and eating! If someone wants to learn how to cook something new, improve their existing recipes or simply look at the gorgeous illustrations of well-made dishes, the library is an ideal place to start. Here, the staff highlights some of its favorite food-related reads.

The Cookie Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum | Cookbook
“The Cookie Bible” by Rose Levy Beranbaum, widely-acclaimed baker and cookbook author, is another in her series of meticulously-tested and beautifully-photographed baking books. As the name suggests, this cookbook is full of more than 100 cookie recipes. They are broken down by shaping technique, and it does not stop there. Beranbaum also includes several meringues and candies and what she calls “extra specials,” such as candied citrus peels and dulce de leche. Beranbaum is a well-known name in the space for good reason. She gives precise and easy-to-follow instructions while allowing for modifications, making this book great for beginners and seasoned bakers.

The Outdoor Cook
By America’s Test Kitchen | Cookbook
For a great primer on grilling, check out “The Outdoor Cook” by America’s Test Kitchen. In addition to the prominent coverage of grilled meats, the book covers a wide range of dishes to cook outside, including vegetarian options, pizza and desserts. Known well for their rigorous testing regime and step-by-step instructions, their recipes are far more easily replicable than many other cookbook authors.

Start Here
By Sohla El-Waylly | Cookbook
“Start Here” by Bon Appétit alum Sohla El-Waylly is for anyone looking to improve their cooking skills, whether they have none or have been cooking for years. There is no surprise in the number of excellent recipes and lavish pictures of food, but the book is unusually long. That is because it is also filled with in-depth explanations on the techniques and science that make the execution of these recipes possible.

Gullah Geechee Home Cooking
By Emily Meggett | Cookbook
While the other books in this review feature a wide variety of recipes from all kinds of cuisines, sometimes doing a deep dive into a regional cuisine can be far more rewarding. “Gullah Geechee Home Cooking” by Emily Meggett is an exploration of not only the cooking styles of a relatively isolated and unique culture, but of the ways that food connects to their history.  Regardless of one’s interest in that history or of this particular place, the book serves as a great introduction to Southern cooking.

Pink Lemonade Cake Murder
By Joanne Fluke | Mystery
Not everyone is interested in learning how to cook or cook better, and that is OK. Even for those who are, some days it is refreshing to skip getting dishes dirty and settle down with a microwave meal or some takeout. For those nights, pick up the latest in a long-running series of baking-themed mysteries, “Pink Lemonade Cake Murder” by Joanne Fluke. This cozy mystery is perfectly pleasant to read and easily digestible. The author does include recipes, which can be saved for a time when cooking sounds more appealing. Besides, no one has to know if someone decides to skip those parts altogether.