Food, cookbooks guide: 54 books | Hainan Fresh Start Group Co.,Ltd

More than 50 books on food and cooking with tips, recipes and other culinary guidance landed on our desk this year. Here are quick summaries of what they offer.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Judging by what landed on our desk this year, there will be no falling short in the kitchen when it comes to food and cookbooks.

Cookbooks have morphed over the years, from general to specific to very focused culinary areas. From geographic marriages like West African and Southern flavors, spices to savory and many others, books have taken on a wide range of topics.

Bon Appetit!

2022 books

Monday, Dec. 5: Sports

Tuesday, Dec. 6: Food / cookbooks

Wednesday, Dec. 7: Drinks

Bread Head

By Greg Wade with Rachel Holtzman, Norton, 335 pages, $45

Billed as "a groovy master class" in healthy breads from "a star of the new bread renaissance." The author, a James Beard Award winner for outstanding baker in 2019, walks you through a myriad of recipes with step-by-step photos, but offers a cerebral and comprehensive look at his craft. You won't look at that roll on your plate the same way again.

Akron Family Recipes

By Judy James Orr, American Palate, 252 pages, $23.99

The author, born and raised in Akron, is a retired librarian who became interested in the city's rich recipe traditions after organizing an exhibit on the subject. She reached out to ethnic groups, clubs, family restaurants and others, seeking recipes that reflect the city's food culture and traditions. She includes dozens of recipes along with family tales and photographs. Bonus: There's a chapter on sauerkraut balls, Akron's "official" food.

Related coverage: ‘Akron Family Recipes’ tells stories in food from city's ethnic, cultural groups

Eating to Extinction

By Dan Saladino, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 450 pages, $30

Food, the author writes, has been homogenized. Wheat fields, for instance, "have been cloaked in a blanket of uniformity." The many types of grains and plants that were consumed years ago have been watered down into just a few. One of every four beers drunk on the planet is from one brewer. That consolidation has changed our diets, affected food costs, and created an "extinction process" that Saladino dives into.

Bigger Bolder Baking Every Day

By Gemma Stafford, Harvest, 251 pages, $32.50

The Irish-born chef's focus is on 125 easy recipes for busy folks. You’ll find everything from squidgy chocolate cake to apple oatmeal muffins, cappuccino Swiss roll to cool and creamy lime custard pie. Recipes are broken into chapters covering breakfast, weekend brunch treats, dinner party desserts and more.

The "I Love My Air Fryer" Baking Book

By Robin Fields, Adams Media, 223 pages, $17.99

It seems like you can use an air fryer to do just about anything except make beer. Who knows? That's probably next. The book includes the obligatory introduction to air fryers, then launches into 175 recipes from calzones to cream-cheese poundcake. Hands-on and cooking times are included.

How to Make the Best Coffee at Home

How to Make the Best Cup of Coffee at Home

By James Hoffmann, Mitchell Beazley, 224 pages, $19.99

From buying to tasting to brewing, the book will make a barista out of anyone. It's written in short bites – er, sips, we should say – and includes a lot of step-by-step photos and information. For the Java junkies out there.

Dead Meat

By Bill Muir, Sgt Vegan Press, 258 pages, $13.99

The novel is set in 2050, a dystopian setting of the United States, which is now in a police state from the economic fallout of a virus that kills animals. Eventually government leaders create Project Carnivore, and a new economy is created – unless the Human Liberation Front can stop it. For readers who like dystopian settings.

The "I Love My Instant Pot" Three-Step Recipe Book

By Robin Fields, Adams Media, 222 pages, $17.99

The only thing simpler than three-step recipes – literally, each recipe has three things you need to do – would be to go to a restaurant. Hands-on and cooking times are included in the 175 easy recipes that cover everything from breakfast to beef, side dishes to dessert.

The British Cook Book

By Ben Mervis, Phaidon, 463 pages, $54.95

More than 550 recipes fill the pages of this tome, from savory pies and pasties to soups and stews and much more. You’ll dive right in after a primer on British food and a helpful map of U.K. regions. Julia Child meets Anglophiles. For those who always wanted to make sheep's head broth.

Core

By Clare Smyth and Kieran Morris, Phaidon, 255 pages, $50 approximately

This coffee-table book gives an overview of modern British cuisine through the lens of Core by Claire Smyth, a three-star Michelin restaurant. The art work is stunning, from elegant black and white shots of the restaurant to colorful photographs of plated dishes. This is about culinary elegance and design.

The Reluctant Entertainer's Big Boards and More

By Sandy Coughlan, Fair Winds Press, 216 pages, $27.99

Boards are a thing. The author will zing them up to boost your culinary entertaining quotient. Recipes target gatherings – small, large and for the outdoors - by season. Cucumber spicy feta dip, glamping lobster-roll dinner board and others are included among the 100 recipes.

The Official Peaky Blinders Cookbook

By Rob Morris, White Lion Publishing, 144 pages, $25

If you haven't been captivated by Tommy Shelby and his clan, you’re missing out on a period gangster drama. But if you want to go back to the 1920s and focus on the culinary aspects and not the violence, then feast your eyes on this. How about angels on horseback (shucked oysters skewered with bacon, we read, were big in the food stalls at horse tracks, where Tommy and Co. occasionally found themselves, along with some trouble.)

Easy Homemade Bread

Edited by Karen K. Will, Voyageur Press, 224 pages, $26.99

It's a bread-making journey for the beginning baker. More than 150 recipes cover iced cinnamon rolls, easy pita bread, dumplings, doughnuts, pretzels and more. After a brief, three-page introduction on flours, kneading and tips, you’ll jump right in.

Dessert Boards

By Kellie Hemmerly, Harvard Common Press, 144 pages, $24.99

Boards are big, but we usually think of charcuterie. Not here. Think tasty sweets and treats. From anytime boards (big bundt cake) to celebration boards (game-day, celebration), the 50 recipes cover a lot of ground. It's all about "sweet beauty on a board." There's something about boards, which have just a bit of presentation to give them a little pizazz.

Hot Honey Cookbook

By Ames Russell with Sara Quessenberry, Rock Point, 144 pages, $19.99

Sixty recipes incorporate AR's Hot Southern Honey into a variety of dishes to add some "sweet heat." A variety of contributors submit recipes using the author's sweet and spicy Southern honey. Hot-honey and cumin-roasted carrots, coleslaw with a kick and many others show the versatility of the flavors here.

Crazy for Cookies, Brownies & Bars

Crazy for Cookies Brownies & Bars

By Dorothy Kern, Harvard Common Press, 208 pages, $27.99

Recipes are preceded by summaries on key ingredients, tools, storing and freezing tips and – maybe most importantly – the seven rules for successful baking. Salted caramel ginger sandwiches, cookies ‘n cream mud bars and many other recipes for sweet desserts fill the calorie-laden pages.

Additional tips are listed with each recipe.

Northern Soul

By Jason Sutherland, Harvard Common Press, 207 pages, $30

The subtitle says it all: "Southern-inspired home cooking from a northern kitchen." With beautiful photographs, the book's recipes and details are thought-provoking ("A side should never be the spare tire or guest bedroom of the dinner spread."). Deviled crawfish roll, biscuits and gravy, braised oxtail with sweet potato gnocchi and many other dishes bring a world of southern flavors to the forefront. It's a result of the author-chef meshing his unique cultural background (Japanese, Norwegian, African American) with a love for food.

Sustainable Kitchen

By Abi Aspen Glencross and Sadhbh Moore, White Lion Publishing, 176 pages, $26

The authors dive into sustainability practices and show its practical side through a very diverse array of recipes. Basil Panna Cotta with charred balsamic strawberries anyone? There's even "dog nip" for the pooch. Note: This really is a food book with recipes, not the other way around, and that's not a bad thing. It takes an anti-waste approach while offering helpful advice for creating a sustainable kitchen.

Sea Salt

By Lea-Wilson family, White Lion Publishing, 239 pages, $36

Calling sea salt "the most important ingredient in the kitchen," the Welsh authors break down the book in various sections: raw and hot seasoning, brining, pickling and fermenting, curing and more. Courgette (zucchini) with buttermilk and poppyseed dressing, whisky-cured hot smoked almon – even a Reuben sandwich are all found here. It's billed as "a perfectly seasoned cookbook."

Gaby's Latin American Kitchen

By Gaby Melian, America's Test Kitchen Kids, 208 pages, $22.99

A ‘how to use this book’ section (which includes identifying whether the recipe is for beginner, intermediate or advanced chefs) sets up 70 recipes, which include the dish's country of origin. A smart, fun cooking primer from the Argentinian-born chef, whose recipes include everything from pupusas (corn cakes with bean and cheese filling from El Salvador) to sincronizada (ham and cheese quesadilla from Mexico).

The "I Love My Air Fryer" Three-Step Recipe Book

By Michelle Fagone, Adams Media, 222 pages, $17.99

More three-step recipes cover the versatility of the cooker. Recipes include hands-on and cooking time, preheating temperature and time, accessories and nutritional information. The diverse list of food is impressive, with brekkie flatbreads, bang a chicken wontons, glazed chocolate chip biscuits and others among the 175 recipes.

The Simply Happy Cookbook

By Steve and Kathy Doocy, William Morrow, 319 pages, $30

The author-couple's goal is to simplify cooking in these 100-plus recipes. A six-page section on "happy hacks" offers tips to make life easier in the kitchen. From courses to casseroles, pasta, pizza, sweets and more, they cover a gamut of dishes. The Doocys, who both worked in television, have shifted to the kitchen to offer advice and recipes. Jalapeno popper puffs anyone?

The Fast Five Shortcuts to Deliciousness

The Fast Five

By Donna Hay, Fourth Estate, 271 pages, $40

The book focuses on "flavor-forward crowd-pleasers" of "shortcuts to deliciousness." Two main sections – savory and sweet – include dozens of dishes that can be zinged up. Helpful glossary follows the recipes. Interesting: Printed QR codes allow you to watch a video of the author making a particular dish.

The Unofficial Universal Theme Parks Cookbook

By Ashley Craft, Adams Media, 237 pages, $21.99

Recipes found in these pages are inspired by characters within theme parks, and the author will list which ones and where. For instance, pumpkin pasties come from Honeydukes, Islands of Adventure – Harry Potter. The Krusty Burger is from Universal Studios, Hollywood – "The Simpsons." The author also wrote "The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook."

The Unofficial Disney Parks Epcot Cookbook

By Ashley Craft, Adams Media, 237 pages, $21.99

Through the 100 recipes in this pages, you can eat and drink your way around the world. You’ll take a cosmopolitan cultural journey, learning how to make tonkotsu (pork) ramen from the Katsura Grill, Japan Pavilion; mole poblano from the San Angel Inn Restaurante, Mexico Pavilion, and many others. Recipes are organized by course. Bon appetit on your world travels – without leaving your kitchen.

I Am From Here

By Vishwesh Bhatt, W.W. Norton & Co., 312 pages, $37.50

The author has aligned his upbringing in India with Southern cooking, proving again cookbooks have branched out into the world of creative kitchens. A James Beard Award winner in Mississippi, the author includes 130 recipes that find common ground between his two worlds. Rice and vegetables, for instance, are found in many dishes in both regions. Intriguing, personalized approach.

The Way Home

By Kardea Brown, Amistad, 291 pages, $34.99

The South Carolina-born social worker-turned-chef includes recipes that embrace West African and Southern cooking, with an emphasis on regional "Gullah" flavors. Sections are broken into "breakin’ the fast," sides, mains, sweets, beverages and more. Recipes range from shrimp and grits to waterfront omelet with creamy sherry butter sauce, vanilla bean buttermilk pie and many others.

The Fragrance of Death

By Leslie Karst, Severn House, 224 pages, $29.99

Restaurateur-sleuth Sally Solari is back in the fifth installment of this mystery series. Solari kicks into high gear in this novel, billed as a "culinary romp," when an acquaintance is killed at an artichoke cook-off. And she's off to solve the crime.

The "I Don't Want to Cook" Book

"The I Don't Want To Cook" Book

By Alyssa Brantley, Adams Media, 208 pages, $18.99

The 100 recipes here have one thing in common: They are low-prep dishes for folks who simply are not in the mood to cook. Tips, substitutions, time-savers and more also are offered with many of the recipes. Maple vanilla microwave mug cake DOES sound easy…

Cookies are Better than Vegetables

By Lauren Imperato, Blurb, 24 pages with additional workbook pages, $44.24

A rhyming book that guides very young readers with a positive message throughout its pages.

Cookies are better than vegetables, When they are shared with care, Between people that inspire each other, To follow the dreams they otherwise wouldn't dare.

The Everyday Athlete Cookbook

By America's Test Kitchen with Alicia A. Romano, America's Test Kitchen, 318 pages, $29.99

Pre- and post-workout meals, energizing snacks and other healthy nutritional recipes are covered in this book, which includes "when to eat" suggestions – like three hours before or two hours after a workout. ATK has honed in on a specific and healthy cookbook.

The Miller's Daughter

By Emma Zimmerman, Hardie Grant Books, 224 pages, $29.99

The author, who owns Hayden Flour Mills in Arizona with her father, has penned a book covering the goodness of grains. Recipes are included, but the personalized, almost memoirish account, gives the book a nice feel. It's about sustainability and respect for agriculture – along with some tasty grain-based recipes (sunken quince cake with honey and rye, or chilled yogurt barley soup with herbs and cucumber, for instance).

The Nutmeg Trail

By Eleanor Ford, Apollo Publishers, 255 pages, $40

If you like history and food, this one is up your alley. It's not about nutmeg per se but about many spices. The author traces a cultural and culinary trail and offers a good overview on types of spices. Recipes include an "eat with" suggestion. If you ever wanted to make garlic clove vegetable curry, this book will help.

What Your Food Ate

By David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé, Norton, 380 pages, $30

Many people pay attention to where their food comes from in terms of local sourcing, but this takes that a step further. The authors dig into the condition of the soil and its relationship with crops, and how agricultural practices can affect our food. We learn early on in this book that how we grow our food is a question worth asking.

The Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook

By Lisa Steele, Harper Horizon, 299 pages, $27.99

The farmer-author-egg authority covers everything from how to crack an egg to freshness, whites vs. brown and much more. And don't assume the recipes are just omelet variations, either. How about baked eggs in butternut squash rings and then mint white chocolate chip ice cream for dessert?

Related coverage: Good eggs: Local farmers’ flocks provide superior flavor and nutrition

Boards

By America's Test Kitchen, America's Test Kitchen, 275 pages, $30

ATK's book about "stylish spreads for casual gatherings" capitalizes on the ever-popular board servings. It ramps up the cheese-and-crackers approach, suggesting inspiration for your creations. "Start with" and "If you want, add" lists are included in the book, one of ATK's usual comprehensive approaches to a culinary topic. Boards cover cheese, charcuterie, snacks, sips, sweets and more.

Mutiny on the Rising Sun

By Jared Ross Hardesty, New York University, 267 pages, $22.23

Subtitled "A tragic tale of slavery, smuggling, and chocolate," the book is not a food-centric or cookbook per se, but it involves a delicacy many people love: Chocolate. More than 200 years ago, illegal trade created a demand for items like chocolate. Demand outpaced supply of the limited cacao production, and the author follows that important economic point from a ship's fateful 1743 journey.

Cooking with Plant Based Meat

By America's Test Kitchen, America's Test Kitchen, 182 pages, $27.99

ATK is out with its book on plant-based recipes as the quality of meat alternatives increases. The always helpful "why this recipe works" section covers the substituted ingredients. Chorizo and potato tacos with salsa verde sounds like a winner. We’re a long way from tofu patties, eh?

Better Broths & Healing Tonics

By Dr. Kara N. Fitzgerald and Jill Sheppard Davenport, Hachette Books, 239 pages, $24.99

The premise is simple: Start with a base and boost it. It's about the importance of nutrients in your diet. The authors are a doctor and nutritionist. A "better, healing ingredients" section describes health benefits of many foods, and recipes include special diet tags, noting dairy-free, paleo, keto and others.

Vegan Richa's Instant Pot Cookbook

By Richa Hingle, Hachette Books, 383 pages, $27.99

Plant-based recipes are not new, nor are books about Instant Pot, but the specific focus here is Indian cuisine. The author offers 150 recipes ranging from vegetable biryani to chickpea potato soup and much more. Variations and notes are included for the assorted dishes.

Warming Up Julia Child

By Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz, Pegasus Books, 286 pages, $27.95

In most disciplines, there are one or two people who are vanguards, whose pioneering spirit cannot be underestimated. In the culinary world, it is Julia Child. While keeping the chef as the book's focal point, the author looks at six people who helped Child along her cooking journeys.

The Wok

By J. Kenji López-Alt, W.W. Norton & Co., 658 pages, $50

For those who want to use their wok to the best of its potential, this extensive stir-fry guide covers a lot. The science of stir-fries section is pretty comprehensive with many step-by-step photos of dishes made with this versatile tool. Active time and total time are included in recipes. If you enjoy cooking stir-fries, this looks like a bible for you.

The Carnivore Code Cookbook

By Paul Saladino, Mariner, 299 pages, $24.99

With so many books proffering plant-based lifestyles and eschewing from meat in their diet, it's nice to see the other side presented straight-forward with science and clear writing. The author extols the virtues of an animal-based diet – way of life, as he puts it - waving the flag for nutrient-rich meat on our plates and also writes about a typical day of eating for him. The medical doctor-author serves up more than 100 recipes, which include notes, substitutions and "get adventurous" tidbits.

The Complete Cookbook for Teen Chefs

By America's Test Kitchen, America's Test Kitchen, 208 pages, $21.99

Simple, straightforward recipes include helpful tips and "Up your game" suggestions. For instance, on a recipe for Cuban black beans, a quick aside about the starchy qualities of the liquid - called "aquafaba" - in the cans of beans is well-written and educational. The ATK book educates without being preachy.

Lavender Fields of America

Lavender Field of America

By Rebecca Rosenberg and Gary Rosenberg, Lion Heart Publishing, 105 pages, $29

The pages are filled with beautiful snapshots of lavender farms throughout the country. More than 250 such farms dot the United States. The authors offer a few recipes and tips along the way as you learn about lavender and its soothing powers.

The Savory Baker

By America's Test Kitchen, America's Test Kitchen, 358 pages, $35

ATK's book on baking is meant for all chefs, with step-by-step recipes and photos that bring you along. Dough making and the savory baker's toolkit are helpful guides, though the recipes are flexible enough to accommodate store-bought as well as made-from-scratch items. Rosemary and olive drop biscuits sounds pretty good.

The Complete Modern Pantry

By America's Test Kitchen, America's Test Kitchen, 438 pages, $34.99

The book's topic arguably became more important when the coronavirus pandemic struck and people stocked up to avoid going out. From storage hacks to extend shelf life to pantry staples to know, the book offers practical advice. Pantry cooking, ATK says, is all about flexibility, and to that end "pantry improv" tips are offered with recipes.

Fresh Pasta at Home

By America's Test Kitchen, America's Test Kitchen, 262 pages, $29.99

The book's subtitle sets this one up well – "10 doughs, 20 shapes, 100+ recipes, with or without a machine." Step-by-step photos in the pasta-making section are helpful. Browned butter sage sauce sounds as decadent and tasty as it is. So much pasta, so little time. But this book will make you want to take the time to learn and cook.

The Bread Book

By Eric Kayser, Phaidon, 221 pages, $39.95

Breads with grains, breads of the world, brioche and more – definitely a book for bread heads. Scoring, shaping, equipment and more are covered. Prep, resting and baking times are included along with great photos. Bonus: The book's covers have a raised flour design that you have to touch.

Bake Anime

By Emily J. Bushman, Simon & Schuster, 207 pages, $21.99

One of the most specifically focused food books that crossed our desks this year, this contains sections on "a sugar lover's pantry" with a few unique items as well as tools-of-the-trade info. As the author writes: "Japanese desserts employ restraint in order to enhance the natural flavors of their ingredients, rather than overpower them." If you know who Momo and Megumi are, and have a sweet tooth, this is for you.

Ciao Italia!

Ciao Italia! Plant, Harvest, Cook

By Mary Ann Esposito, Peter E. Randall Publisher, 271 pages, $39.95

The television personality cooks up more than 100 recipes billed as easy, Italian-inspired recipes. For Italians, gardens serve a necessity for those who don't live near a city as much as they fulfill a need for freshness in their dishes. Sections on vegetables are mixed in with the recipes. With so many books out on Italian cooking, it's nice to see one focused on the bounty from gardens. Chicken with lemon and herbs, three-squash soup with orzo and many others are featured.

Eatertainment

By Sebastien and Sheila Centner, Appetite, 304 pages, $32

The onomatopoeic title foretells what to expect here: It offers recipes, yes, but also how to choose flowers for a centerpiece, crafting a goodbye loot bag and much more. A "party math" section is especially helpful to know how much to pour and serve based on the number of guests you are having. Sections range from simple entertainment to more advanced. Welcome and bon appetit!

More Mandy's

By Mandy Wolfe, Rebecca Wolfe and Meredith Erickson, Appetite, 223 pages, $30

Salads are the bread and butter, so to speak, in the recipes from the sister troika that created a line of creative salad eateries in Montreal. Sections are broken by morning fuel, salads, dressings, soups and sweets. Salad lovers, rejoice.

Cook's Desserts Illustrated

Desserts Illustrated

By America's Test Kitchen, American's Test Kitchen, 576 pages, $45

More than 600 – 600! – recipes to satiate your sweet tooth. It targets bakers and non-bakers with unique recipes like pear crisp with miso and almonds, ginger-turmeric frozen yogurt as well as classics. Details step-by-step instructions are given. If you like desserts, this is a comprehensive one to own.

Related coverage

Sports books in 2021 cover insights into baseball, fandom, more

Greater Cleveland book guide: 21 locally written nonfiction books released in 2021

Greater Cleveland book guide: 17 locally written children's books released in 2021

16 great independent bookstores in Greater Cleveland

More books!

Local bookstores are worth checking out, for sales, author visits and other events. Here are a few in Northeast Ohio:

• Appletree Books, 12419 Cedar Road Cleveland Heights

• Fireside Books, 29 North Franklin St., Chagrin Falls

• Learned Owl Book Shop, 204 N. Main St., Hudson

• Loganberry Books, 13015 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland

• Mac's Backs, 1820 Coventry Road, Cleveland Heights

• Visible Voice, 2258 Professor Ave., Cleveland

I am on cleveland.com's life and culture team and cover food, beer, wine and sports-related topics. If you want to see my stories, here's a directory on cleveland.com. Bill Wills of WTAM-1100 and I talk food and drink usually at 8:20 a.m. Thursday morning. Twitter: @mbona30.

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