Books for Christmas

I have decided to give books as Christmas gifts to friends and family. Many of them will be getting books on food or cooking so I ordered multiple copies of the following online:

I’ve had this book for a few months now and it’s really great when you just want to look up an ingredient, or discover some basic ways of cooking any kind of vegetable. But beyond the basics, Bittman offers great variations for cooking any kind of dish from the most basic mac and cheese to Indian dhals to making your own cheese and yogurt. The book is clearly organized, with lots of recipes that can be made in less than half an hour for those busy weekdays. But what I like most about this book – and Bittman’s recipes in general – is that the recipes are always very flexible. He teaches you the basics and allows you the freedom to change ingredients at will. This is great when you are trying to cook with what you have available at the house or at the market.

In the process of researching How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, Mark Bittman discovered the incredible effects, both for his own health and that of the planet, of eating more fruits and vegetables and reducing the consumption of meat. After much research, he wrote this short but insightful guide on how to take a minute to consider where your food comes but also how to step beyond the conflicting advices of nutritionists and scientists and simply start eating as if food matters. Michael Pollan goes into more depth in many of the issues Bittman raises, but I find this book is a better introduction to the issues to those who are not yet invested on the issue.

This next book is my favourite cookbook this year. Everything I’ve tried from it has been incredibly tasty and I’ve learned some very helpful tips from it such as how to reduce phytic acid, a substance that interferes in the absorption of zinc, calcium, iron, and other essential minerals, from rice and other grains and how to add extra minerals into food by simply cooking them by simply adding an inch of kombu. The recipes are beautifully organized according to seasons and since the author lives in New England, I can find all of the ingredients here in Ontario.