Book Stack #1: Cook Books & Gary V

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I’ve recently rediscovered how much I love the library. Not just the digital access to millions of books, audiobooks, and magazines but the physical act of browsing and bringing the stacks of knowledge home. It’s also a more economical way for me to get my hands on — and review — books before purchasing them and adding them to my permanent collection.

Here are the five books that I checked out back in January of this year:

Cooking at Home: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Recipes (And Love My Microwave): A Cookbook (David Chang, Priya Krishna)

I really enjoyed this book and it’s high on my “cookbooks to purchase” list. Specifically, I enjoyed the deep dive into flavor profiles of sauces and spices and the various techniques of food preparation. I’m the type of cook who follows recipes but also likes to fly by the seat of her pants on most nights, throwing together whatever I have in the fridge, freezer, and pantry.

The Essential New York Times Cookbook: The Recipes of Record (Amanda Hesser )

This book is a beast and is text only so if you like to eat with your eyes first, this may not be it. If you like to have access to a curated collection of New York Time’s recipes, then this is it. One of my favorite recipes can be found in this collection: Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese.

Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventurer's Guide (Cecily Wong, Dylan Thuras)

There is so much wonder in this world and — for me personally — a lot of it revolves around food and travel. This authors take us on a trip around the world with a collection of stories about “forgotten histories, endangered traditions, obscure experiences, culinary ingenuity, and edible wonders.” I felt like I was reading an encyclopedia about my favorite topic and it sparked several deep dives on cultures and parts of this world I hope to travel to one day.

The Infused Cocktail Handbook: The Essential Guide to Creating Your Own Signature Spirits, Blends, and Infusions (Kurt Maitland, Adam Sachs)

We recently moved back to the suburbs — away from a walkable town center — so our intake of craft cocktails has dramatically decreased because drinking and driving is bad and Uber drivers don’t like to come out here. We’ve been slowly working on building up our bar (including gear from The Cocktailery here in Charlotte) and getting creative with infusions and syrups. Really enjoyed the stories behind the drinks in this book and I look forward to stirring and shacking things up when it comes to cocktail nights in the burbs.

Twelve and a Half: Leveraging the Emotional Ingredients Necessary for Business Success (Gary Vaynerchuk)

Love him or hate him (I vacillate between the two) but Gary V has changed the marketing — and business world — one book at a time. Unfortunately, I ran out of time and didn’t get to read the book before I had to return it (someone else had it on hold) so I’ll update you all with a review once I get my hands on it again.

What books do you recommend I check out next?