NPR
Weekend Edition commentator T. Susan Chang noted this past Sunday morning that it was a monster
year for cookbooks. And not just for the number and variety--poundage is a
factor in three big books this year. Take One
Big Table by 
Molly O'Neill (Simon & Schuster, $50), The Essential New York Times Cookbook by
Amanda Hesser (Norton, $40) and Williams-Sonoma
Cooking at Home by Chuck Williams and Kristine Kidd (Weldon Owen, $34.95)
and you have, for a mere $125, 14 lbs and 480 cubic inches of almost 2,500
recipes. Lest you think that these three cookbooks would be repetitive, our
highly scientific comparison came up with many differences, like cornbread.
Molly O'Neill and Chuck Williams each have a 
cornbread recipe (Jamie Pangana's
Rich & Herby and Buttermilk), Amanda Hesser has none, but does have a
recipe for cornbread stuffing that calls for day-old cornbread. Hesser assumes
you have the basics covered and proceeds from there, and the cookbook shows
not just past recipes, but what we want today (seven dishes with pesto and
Molly O'Neill's Preserved Lemons with Cardamom and Bay Leaves). Williams provides
many basic recipes (creamy polenta or grilled rib roast) and basic information
(soup types or home baking equipment) that are good for the beginning or nervous
cook. O'Neill, after a decade of travel around the U.S., compiled 600 recipes
that highlight home cooking, regional 
specialties and treasured family foods. From
Kachumbari (Kenyan coleslaw) to Kansas City Ribs to Rhubarb Pie, the recipes,
the stories and the history are a delicious portrait of our country then and
now. And while Bubba Frey's Famous Rooster Stew made with hog lard may not be
for everyone, reading about Mr. Frey is.
What's a year
without a bacon cookbook? A very bad year. Andrews McMeel has come through with
I Love Bacon! by Jayne Rockmill
($19.99). Some 49 chefs contributed more than 50 recipes, and proceeds from the book sales
go to Food Bank for NYC and Share Our Strength (as if you needed extra
inducement for a bacon cookbook). Poached Eggs Wrapped in Maple-Smoked Bacon
over Lentils, Mediterranean BLTs, Grilled Bacon and Cucumber Salad with Chili
Caramel Dressing. Yum. After a few of these, it might be a good idea to move
right on to A White House Garden Cookbook,
since the subtitle says "Healthy Ideas from the First Family to Your
Family" (Red Rock Press, $24.95). Written by Clara Silverstein, it's a
chronicle of Michelle Obama's creating a White House garden and getting kids
involved. The book not only has good recipes (White House Whipped Sweet
Potatoes with cinnamon, cumin and chili powder would be good 
for the holidays),
but is written with family participation in mind and offers recipes that are
kid-friendly. The kids at Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS) came up with a
ratatouille recipe after seeing the eponymous movie, and so impressed their
mayor when he stopped by that he stayed for lunch. This is a good cookbook for
encouraging kids (and adults) to not only eat more veggies, but to learn how to
participate in growing or shopping for food.
A few years
ago, Foodista.com was started by Sheri
L. Wetherell, Barnaby Dorfman and Colin M. Saunders. Their idea was to create
an online cooking encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and they have certainly
succeeded. Last year they had a contest, inviting food bloggers to submit
recipes, and they received more than 1,500 entries in three months from all
over the world. After narrowing the recipes down to 100--no easy thing--they
have come out with Foodista: 100 Great
Recipes, Photographs, and Voices (Andrews McMeel, $19.99). Wicked Good Clam
Chowdah from New York, Cedar-Smoked Asparagus Soup from Toronto, Martini Puffs
from Scottsdale, Spicy Pumpkin Soup from Istanbul, Riley's Salmon Head Soup
from Seattle, Prosciutto-Wrapped Broccolini with Basil Crisps
from Vancouver, ending with the Ultimate Dessert from Minnesota--all the recipes have information
about the dish and the blogger, and all look delish.--Marilyn Dahl