Our library uses the Dewey Decimal System for classifying books. Devised by Melvil Dewey around 1876, the book’s location is determined by the book’s subject - thus, fiction books are shelved by the author’s last name, and nonfiction books are divided into ten broad areas. The 600s area is classified as Technology, and the 640s are Home and Family Management. Why am I telling you this? Because, dear reader, 641 is where the cookbooks are. It is the most asked-for location in the library. If you remember nothing else about the Dewey Decimal System, remember that 641 is cookbooks.
Back in the old days of the card catalog, you had to look up “cookery” to find cookbooks, but modern electronic catalogs use the word cooking. Are cooking and baking the same thing? Most sources agree that baking is a type (or subset) of cooking.
I enjoy cooking but I don’t really like baking. Here’s the thing: cooking is an art, and baking is a science. Let me explain that statement. In baking, in order for your recipe to turn out correctly, ingredients need to be measured precisely, and none should be omitted. You must also use the right temperature for the right amount of time. Mistakes can lead to ruination. Woe to the baker who leaves out the baking soda! Cooking, by comparison, is much more forgiving. No beef stock? Use chicken. Out of celery? Bell pepper! No dried parsley? Just leave it out. You added ⅓ cup instead of ¼? Eh, it’ll be okay. Probably.
Whether you are a cook or a baker, we’re heading into eatin’ season. You’ll probably be cooking for company, or bringing a side dish to someone else’s shindig. We’ve got a huge collection of cookbooks at FVRL. Here are some popular baking books and cookbooks that focus on basics:
Baking
- Baking in the American South: 200 Recipes and Their Untold Stories by Anne Byrn (2024)
- Zoë Bakes Cookies: Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Favorite Cookies and Bars by Zoe Francois (2024)
- Salty, Cheesy, Herby Crispy Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy, Savory Recipes for 24/7 Deliciousness by Jessie Sheehan (2024)
- Mary Berry’s Baking Bible by Mary Berry (updated 2023)
- Baking Yesteryear: The Best Recipes from the 1900s to the 1980s by B. Dylan Hollis (2023)
Cooking
- Milk Street 365: The All-Purpose Cookbook for Every Day of the Year by Christopher Kimball (2024)
- The Cook’s Book: Recipes for Keeps & Essential Techniques to Master Everyday Cooking by Bri McKoy (2023)
- The Lazy Genius Kitchen: Have What You Need, Use What You Have, and Enjoy It Like Never Before by Kendra Adachi (2022)
- Better Homes & Gardens 100th Anniversary New Cookbook by Better Homes & Gardens (2022)
- 100 Techniques: Master a Lifetime of Cooking Skills, from Basic to Bucket List by America’s Test Kitchen (2020)
- Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking by Nosrat Samin (2017)
New at the Library
Fiction
- One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery
- Goldfinch by Raven Kennedy
- On the Hunt by Iris Johansen
Nonfiction
- Crystal Skulls: Ancient Tools for Peace, Knowledge, and Enlightenment by Judy Hall
- Does This Taste Funny?: Recipes Our Family Loves by Stephen Colbert
- Connie: A Memoir by Connie Chung
DVDs
