Cookbooks for the Holidays You Can't Go Wrong With
Come the holiday season, most people turn their attention to all the delicious foods that help make the holidays so special. For some people, especially beginners, cookbooks for the holidays can be very helpful. Buying a cookbook for the holiday season is easy, but finding the best ones? That’s harder. There are thousands of cookbooks on the market; some are general cookbooks, others are geared towards special dishes, such as desserts, and then there are cookbooks for all dietary restrictions. Virtually every ethnic group has its own cookbooks and that’s a great thing! So many recipes; so many choices; so much to learn! Amazon has dozens of new cookbooks available every week for the holiday season. If you have never been an especially great cook, and your experience is limited to basically making boiled eggs or a cup of tea, you need to know some facts about purchasing cookbooks for the holidays.
Know what you want to cook. Today, cookbooks for the holidays cater to certain foods, so you need to know what you will be cooking before purchasing the book. No point in buying a cookbook on how to cook a turkey 20 different ways when you are a vegetarian. If you want to cook Jewish pastries, there is no point in buying a general cookbook on Chinese sweets.
Is the cookbook for advanced chefs? If you are a beginner, you will want cookbooks for the holidays that are simple, have plenty of pictures, and have easy-to-follow instructions. Some cookbooks are far too advanced and mention spices that you may never have heard of. Either in person or online, try to scan the cookbook’s pages before making a decision.
A good variety of dishes. There really is no point in buying a cookbook to learn how to cook just one dish. It will be a good investment if you buy a cookbook which tells you how to cook many other interesting foods that you like. Make a list of the foods you want to cook and then see if the cookbook contains the recipes. As well, look for holiday cookbooks and wine pairings to help with your entire meal.
Buying online. Today, most cookbooks are sold online, and many publishers offer select pages for free reading so that you get some idea about the content. Amazon is the place to go to buy a cookbook for the holidays because of the variety, price, and reviews. If you do not like the cookbook, you can always return it.
Visit YouTube. If you are just starting out in the world of cooking, you may want to visit YouTube. It has thousands of channels for cooking all types of menus from all over the world. Most of the videos are easy to understand and follow. There are also videos explaining the different ingredients used in different recipes. In addition, they also tell you what equipment you will need.
Wine pairing. If you are going to be pairing your holiday foods with wine (and we definitely think you should!), then you need to search for holiday cookbooks and wine pairings that can also tell you what wines pair best with which foods. Many general holiday season cookbooks don’t mention wines. Keep an eye out for those that do and/or look for those specialty cookbooks that combine both food and wine to give you an edge this holiday season on being the best host or hostess ever.
A few of the best cookbooks for the holidays that you may want to consider include:
- "Perfect Turkey Cookbook: More Than 100 Mouthwatering Recipes for the Ultimate Feast" by Keith Sarasin
- "The Easy Christmas Cookie Cookbook: 60+ Recipes to Bake for the Holidays” by Carroll Pellegrinelli
- "Baking for the Holidays: 50+ Treats for a Festive Season" by Sarah Kieffer
- "Very Merry Cocktails: 50+ Festive Drinks for the Holiday Season"
- “Now and Again” by Julia Turshen (also includes ideas for leftovers)
- “Eat What You Love” by Danielle Walker (gluten free, dairy free)
- “The Fearless Baker” by Erin McDowell (pies and cookies made simple)
And if you are looking for great deals on holiday wines, then look through our holiday wine bundles!
If you are considering a wine party during the holidays, here are some great affordable wines that you may want to consider:
- 2021 PACIFIC RIM WICKED GOOD RED
- 2021 DRY RIESLING
- 2018 RAMOS VINEYARD GEWURZTRAMINER
- 2018 SILVER TOTEM CABERNET SAUVIGNON