Cookbook ideas for the holidays

People love cookbooks, and many of us buy them for the stories.

Stories about the author, the author's adventures in discovering the culture where they learned about the recipes, and stories of how to find ingredients. Just think about how much the recipient will enjoy the book, instead of maybe hinting what you might like them to cook for you.

Many thanks to Jude Sales of Readers' Books for most of this list. Please do shop locally. We need our very independent and only bookstore to stay here.

“Cooking at Home, Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Recipes and Love My Microwave” by David Chang and Priya Krishna. Momofuku chef/owner and a New York Times food writer team up to teach cooking without recipes. Instead, they urge you to learn how to season and put food together in an easy, straightforward, thoughtful manner that tastes good.

“Baking with Dorie, Sweet, Salty, and Simple“ by Dorie Greenspan. The doyen of home baking returns with a beautiful book of cakes, cookies and desserts that are simple yet elegant. Many recipes include a 'playing around' section at the end to encourage you to try variations.

“The Essential New York Times Cookbook, The Recipes of Record” compiled by Amanda Hesser. A revision of the 2010 edition of favorite recipes of the New York Times, geared toward the home cook, with more diverse and inclusive recipes.

“Shelf Love” by the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen. A group of chefs led by famed chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad, gives home cooks innovative yet doable, Middle Eastern-inspired recipes.

“Burnt Toast and Other Disasters” by Cal Peternell. Former Chez Panisse cook offers advice on moving forward after messing up in the kitchen. Burnt toast, mushy rice, overcooked vegetables all have the means to redeem themselves. Pantry staples and sauces are used to good effect — a good choice for beginners and seasoned cooks.

“Black Food, Stories, Art and Recipes from the African Diaspora” by Bryant Terry. Essays from various cooks, food writers, and historians introduce each section, followed by recipes. Chapters include Motherland, Spirituality, Land, Liberation and Food Justice, to name a few.

“Gastro Obscura, A Food Adventurer's Guide” by Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras. An Atlas Obscura book that offers something for everyone in the food world. From a listing for the world's most beautiful fast-food restaurants to where to find Fermented Shark in Iceland, Pig's Blood Cake in Taiwan, or the Lunchbox Museum in Georgia.

“New Native Kitchen: Celebrating Modern Recipes of the American Indian” by Freddie Bitsoie and James O. Fraioli. Chef Freddie reigns at his Mitsitam Café in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. He and Fraioli have assembled modernized recipes of North America and the Pacific Islands Indigenous peoples. Many recipes are easy and even give hints of what ingredients to buy at various stores.