In the entire list of Jean B. Macleod’s How-To publications, BAKING SUBSTITUTIONS: The A-Z of Common, Unique, and Hard-to-Find Ingredients is perhaps the most interesting. In creating a catalog that provides suggestions that allow the replacement of less easily sourced ingredients, Macleod has consequently opened our eyes to a wide spectrum of unlikely ingredients. For obvious reasons, the ingredients used in everyday baking tend to exist within our general shopping spheres and don’t include ingredients such as mosto cotto, guar gum, or caciocavallo, and as a result, most will not have heard of these before. Macleod’s guide is fantastically dynamic in providing ideas of how to replace missing baking items while also helping you to make healthier recipes, save money, imitate branded products, or conform to dietary requirements. But in explaining the nature and use of ingredients like sacha inchi oil, matzo, and ashtar, as well as which ingredients may be used in their place, her book becomes a catalog of the everyday and the more exotic components of baking.

It’s been a long winter, and even though it’s still a bit chilly out, Bear is ready to get up and find some food! He starts off with a big pot of soup, but then his friend Fox comes to visit. When Bear discovers that Fox wants to learn some new recipes, the two venture out into the springtime to gather ingredients and inspiration. From the forest and their other friends, Bear and Fox find nuts, berries, greens, and more. Each ingredient finds its way into one of Bear’s fun recipes, and Fox is hungry for more!

Here is a beautifully produced, promising cookbook with a huge selection of recipes. Author Dorie Greenspan promises in her introduction simple dishes that are “comforting, satisfying and inviting.” Everyday Dorie only partially fulfills this promise. The recipes are anything but simple; many call for a long list of ingredients. To prepare the dishes, the cook needs to be skillful and experienced. The recipes and instructions are extremely detailed, and the head-notes are worth reading. Many recipes are based on the French cooking style–they are more sophisticated than simple.

Full revelation: I cook and eat primarily at home and have dropped thirty pounds on a rather casual Keto regimen. On a Keto diet, boredom can become an inhibiting factor. This book offers a most promising counter to that boredom. In standard “keto” practice, there are widely available lists of permitted and non-permitted foods. All too often introducing variety can mean recipes so elaborate or time-consuming that the practitioner is thrown back on boring and quick. The core of this book’s value is meal prep. Recipes that can be prepared in advance, in quantities that lend themselves to being saved and served over days, rather than for just single meals, make for real-world time-saving.

Mexican food is extremely popular in this country, but as one travels around, it becomes apparent that different areas have appropriated these tasty recipes and changed them to suit the area. Texas has its own brand of Mexican food referred to as TexMex, and it is good, good, good, incorporating spices, chili peppers, lots of cheese, and a great deal of frying. The introductory pages cover the writers and their backgrounds, what is meant by TexMex, and what you need to have in your chochina.

We are learning more every day about the dangers of the “standard American diet” filled with sugar, preservatives, and other food additives. It’s especially problematic for kids; foods that aren’t truly nourishing can lead to sleep issues, attention problems, and excess weight, among other things. But many parents struggle with feeding their kids nourishing, clean food, and that’s where a cookbook like Feeding the Future can help. Author Tali Shine and nutritional therapist Lohralee Astor have created a wide variety of kid-friendly recipes that are made with nutritious, whole foods and no refined sugar.

Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook is a must for any lover of icy eats and any at-home or professional cook looking to master the frozen arts. While a few chapters were laughable in the moment – the IPA ice cream made me gasp as if I’d just read about my favorite Game of Thrones character being killed – this is a kitchen staple.

There are so many cookbooks on the market, it is really hard to find a way to stand out, but author Kerry Dunnington may have found a way. First, this recipe book has 165 fresh, new recipes in a fairly slim volume. That is a lot more than most cookbooks. Secondly, most recipes include a fun and interesting little story about how it came to be. Thirdly, every conceivable course is covered with eight sections — Happy Hour, Soup du Jour, What’s for Dinner?, Vegetarian Side Dishes, Breads, Embellishments, Morning Meals, and the Grand Finale.

Vegans and vegetarians are becoming mainstream. While Asian restaurants have always been more accommodating than, say, barbecue or hamburger joints, good cookbooks with manageable Asian recipes are just now putting in an appearance. Patricia Tanumihardj’s Farm to Table Asian Secrets blends flavors, pays deference to our healthy lifestyle aspirations, and comes with valuable sidebar tips.

Millions of people have jumped on the Keto diet wagon. The big problem is Americans love certain foods that are high in carbohydrates, the big no-no of the Keto diet. How to be successful on the Keto diet without feeling incredibly deprived is a question many try to answer. Bobby and Dessi Parrish have put together a wonderful new cookbook with one-hundred-and-twenty-five recipes that are low-carb and tasty AND have the added bonus of being designed for batch cooking, allowing people to make enough food for several meals.