I recently led a culinary tour in Florida, where one of the guests looked in the swag bag of food-themed items, one of which one was a cookbook.
“I love reading cookbooks, although very few recipes are made,” she said.
During the three-day tour, she bought a cookbook written by the chef of a restaurant where we dined. It was the family stories and photos of the food that led to the purchase.
It reminded me of a quote from comedian Rita Rudner: “I read recipes the same way I read science fiction. I get to the end and say to myself, ‘Well, that’s not going to happen.’”
With the plethora of cookbooks published, it is apparent they are here to stay. They serve a purpose, whether they be a prop in the kitchen, a coffee table book with a glossy cover with a mouth-watering visual, or used as a guide to preparing food, eventually having stained pages with handwritten notes in the margins and dog-eared pages from years of use.
Your holiday gift list probably includes those who enjoy hosting dinners and brunches, a seasoned cook looking for inspiration, a beginner who desires to learn the basics, a parent who has a busy schedule but wants to cook healthy dinners, a want-to be mixologist or a home baker looking to expand their repertoire of bread, cake and cookie recipes.
And let’s not forget children, who gain confidence and accomplishment while learning a bit of science, math, healthy eating habits as well as global cuisines. Add to all this…what child doesn’t enjoy licking the bowl!
Here are some gift ideas for those on your list, starting with a title for young bakers.
“Sweet & Salty: King Arthur Baking Company’s Cookbook for Young Bakers” by Jessica Battilana with Yekaterina Boytsova (2025, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $21.99) will have the future bakers roll up their sleeves and get that rolling pin rolling out the dough.
The book begins with easy-to-understand tips including “cleaning is part of baking,” “never bake alone,” “if you need help, ask for it” and “to share what you’ve baked.” It then introduces, complete with images, the tools of the trade and frequently used pans. The 10 quick lessons for baking success include the best way to measure, the best way to line a pan with parchment, how to keep eggshells out of your food and choosing a just-right recipe.
From tarts and cupcakes to pan pizzas and stuffin’ muffins and empanadas three ways, the recipes encourage creativity. Peppered throughout are answers to common baking questions: what is an egg wash, what is macerating fruit and how to knead dough by hand.
For the more advanced baker, although the author designed the book with both new and experienced bakers in mind, “German Heritage Baking: Time-Honored Recipes, Traditional Techniques and Culinary Secrets Volume I,” by Heidrun Metzler (2024, Metzler Books, $32.99) has been recognized with honors including the American Legacy Book Awards for best international cookbook and best interior design and the National Indie Excellence Awards.
The recipes use an old-world approach and were written to give bakers the ability to successfully make German-inspired desserts. If you’ve tasted European pastries, you’ll probably agree that they are less sugary, allowing the flavors to shine.
The introduction’s “Four Crucial Variables in Baking” makes all the difference to baking success, Metzler writes. The book invites home bakers into Germany’s storied baking heritage with recipes for Black Forest Tortes to Cinnamon Star Cookies to Gingerbread Houses and Linzer Tortes. The headnotes are a peek into Metzler’s passion for baking. A helpful feature are the QR-linked videos that help achieve professional results.
For those on your list who enjoy food, history and traditions of Christmas, “The Gilded Age Christmas Cookbook: Cookies and Treats from America’s Golden Era 1868-1900,” by Becky Libourel Diamond (2025, Globe Pequot, $34.95) provides a glimpse into this era of affluence and opulence.
You’ve probably heard of sugar plums (think the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas.”) But do you know they’re not sugar-dusted plums? The book shares a recipe adapted from the Gilded Age, dried figs, pitted dates, dried apricots almonds, brandy and confectioners’ sugar. The recipient of the book will enjoy recipes not only from this era, but also the fascinating history of the them. They’ll learn about the fascination with bonbons, why place cards were on the Christmas dinner table and the history of the Christmas tree among snippets of Christmas lore of that time.
The book includes a chapter on Hanukkah in the Gilded Age, including recipes. The New Year’s chapter shares interesting history as well. Did you know that during this era, New Year’s cookies were typically flavored with caraway seeds, lemon, and sometimes apple cider or nutmeg.
Some home cooks are fearful about using spices. “How to Add Flavor: An Introduction to Spices & Herbs,” by Ian Hemphill and Kate McIntosh (2025, Robert Rose, Inc., $24.95) will take that fear away by demystifying the seasoning process. For each of the 15 spices and herbs, the authors cover the aromas, flavors and pairings. A highlight of this title is “Spice & Herb Tutorial” where four recipes, each using one protein (chicken, beef, salmon, tofu), and how swapping out one spice or herb can changeup the dish.
For those on your list who enjoy entertaining, perhaps it is you, a copy of “Gathering Boards: Seasonal Cheese and Charcuterie Spreads,” by Sarah Zimmerman Tuthill (2024, Globe Pequot, $27.95) is a must. The board craze is amazing. A plethora of books, websites and videos, teaching the art of creating food boards (charcuterie, cheese, dessert) are available. There’s even a company that ships beautifully prepared gift boards. Boards make entertaining easy, whether it be for a formal dinner, brunch or a casual afternoon tea.
“You don’t have to be a culinary genius to throw a good party. In fact, you don’t have to know how to cook at all,” Tuthill writes. “By merely presenting food and drinks in an inventive, beautiful, or whimsical way, you can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary…I started focusing on how to display food, rather than preparing it.”
Tuthill covers how to choose the board, knives, cheese, charcuterie, and how much to prepare. Chapters are broken down by season. And what goes well to pair with the board … wine. That’s covered, too.
“12,167 Kitchen and Cooking Secrets: Everyday Tips, Hints, Techniques and More,” by Susan Sampson (2009, Robert Rose, $24.95) would be welcome in any kitchen. Sampson shares the fruits of her “addiction” in this compendium of the collection she curated.
For example, how do chefs get more juice from a lemon, three ways to add moisture for fluffier popcorn, 12 ways to make cookies crispier. Whether browsing through or seeking an answer to a specific cooking question, the recipient will keep this book in easy reach.
Introduced in 2017, Starbucks introduced egg bites, and they have become a popular breakfast food, high in protein, low in carbs and perfect for grab and go. The egg bite maker is an easy way to make them at home. A Hamilton Beach Egg Bites Maker Plus (the one I have) coupled with a copy of “Seriously Good Egg Bites: 75 Recipes Using Your Egg Bite Maker” by Marilyn Haugen (2024, Robert Rose, $19.95) makes a gift that the recipient will appreciate with recipes for perfectly fluffy egg bites bursting with ingredients: smoked salmon and dill, classic bacon and cheddar, quinoa power bites and vegan carrot coconut bites The recipes are written with the ingredient list for 2,4,6 or 8 bites because the variety of egg bite makers available. This gift is perfect for college students, too.
“The Flower-Infused Cocktail: Flowers, with a Twist,” by Alyson Brown (2023, Globe Pequot, $29.95) caught my attention when looking for a book for those who like to create unique cocktails. It is a fresh take on mixology.
“I hope this book gives you inspiration to celebrate flowers beyond the vase,” Brown writes.
Before getting to the recipes, glassware, bar tools, and edible flower awareness are discussed. Both cocktails and mocktails using 60-plus edible flowers, each with beautiful photos, are presented. From the artichoke flower (yes, I too, was surprised it is a flower, in the same family as the sunflower) as an ingredient in the Late-Night Carousel to the Secret Garden using rose petals, it is fascinating to learn how flowers are used as well as floral history and folklore. It may make the recipient delve more into flower-infused libations.
For those serious cooks on your list, give the gift of good cooking: https://join.ckbk.com/gift is the ultimate digital subscription for anyone who loves to cook. The ckbk app gives searchable access to more than 1,000 curated cookbooks, including new titles and nostalgic classics. It’s like Spotify for cookbooks! A year’s subscription is $39.99, six months is $24.99. This gift is addicting for cookbook lovers, and I’m one of them.
In addition to the books, here are a few other gifts to consider.
Most people wouldn’t know the name Dorcas Reilly but will know a recipe she cooked up 70 years ago that is prepared in millions of kitchens this time of the year. Can you guess the dish? Why, of course, the green bean casserole. To celebrate this milestone, celebrity Chef Chadwick Boyd and the Phi Upsilon Omicron national honor society for family and consumer sciences have teamed up to launch “Green Bean Casserole for Good.”
It’s a nationwide campaign celebrating Dorcas, the woman who created the original recipe, and raising funds to support the next generation of food innovators.
“Each T-shirt contributes to the fund, which supports research and innovation in food, nutrition, hospitality and family sciences, ensuring Dorcas’s creative spirit lives on in the next wave of trailblazers,” Boyd said.
Buy two T-shirts and the recipient will receive a free digital e-book, “Make it Worth It: Green Bean Casserole 70th Anniversary Edition: 7 Foolproof Recipes of America’s Beloved Holiday Classic.” It includes the story of Dorcas Reilly and a modern take on the holiday favorite. Find it at www.chadwickboydlifestyle.com/shop.
Among my favorite cookies are Mrs. Hanes’ Moravian Cookies. The shop was recently named the No. 5 cookie shop in America by USA Today readers. When in Winston-Salem, N.C., stop by, but if your travels don’t bring you there, they can be purchased online at www.hanescookies.com.
Whether it’s one tube or their six-pack gift box (one of each flavor), the recipient won’t be able to eat just one of these handmade cookies. I’ve visited the bakery and can attest they are made the old-fashioned way, with rolling pins and cookie cutters. Check out the video on the website.
Spice blends save time and money. I’m always on the lookout for creative blends and came across Spiceology at www.spiceology.com.
Their website says, “At Spiceology, the love of flavor drives us to keep dreaming and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in a spoonful of spices.”
Those cooks on your list will be amazed with the quality and creative blends. The website is chock full of recipes. From gift packs, bundles and individual bottles, the spice combinations are amazing: Greek Freak (a favorite of mine), Tandoori Glory, Chili Margarita, Raspberry Chipotle … the names are as creative as the blends.
My best wishes for happy holidays and let the shopping begin, that is if it already hasn’t.
Stephen Fries is professor emeritus and former coordinator of the Hospitality Management Programs at Gateway Community College in New Haven, Conn. He has been a food and culinary travel columnist for the past 17 years and is co-founder of and host of “Worth Tasting,” a culinary walking tour of downtown New Haven, and three-day culinary adventures around the U.S. He is a board member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Email him at Stephen@stephenfries.com. For more, go to stephenfries.com.
