94 books like Platters and Boards

This no-frills cocktail handbook has been hailed the “Most-read cocktail expert around” for a good reason.

Regan engagingly romanticizes cocktail and drinking culture. He details the history of specific cocktails, includes theories of how certain drinks came about and adds quotes about drinking from notable figures.

He makes you want to try drinks you have yet to try. He also muses about the philosophy of being a bartender and what it takes to be a good bartender.

Although the author makes it a humorous and fun read, the book is much more. It is a thoughtfully laid-out handbook for creating classic cocktails. Of course, one can search for a recipe by cocktail name.

But the book includes a great glossary, and charts by the family of cocktail, making it easy to be like; it’s been a long day, and we have some leftover rye and lemons in the fridge. What… show more.

Athena Calderone welcomes you into her casual, cool, and elegant world in Cook Beautiful.

Recipes are listed by season, using simple and healthy ingredients at their peak of freshness. The recipes are simple and straightforward and include gorgeous and “swoon-worthy” photos and tips explaining how to style and plate your meal for maximum impact and little effort.

The recipes in Cook Beautiful are equally impressive for an intimate dinner party, yet simple enough to serve on a Tuesday night. Many of the seasonal dishes have made it into my own dinner rotation.

I came across this cool and edgy “bible” for the cheese obsessed as I began working on my cheese-themed snack board book.

I enjoy good cheese and know a thing or two about it, but I am no expert, and this book has been and continues to be an invaluable resource for buying, serving, and enjoying cheese.

Cheese Sex Death: A Bible for the Cheese Obsessed written by Kubick, an ex-cheesemonger, is truly an encyclopedia of cheese. The book is written in a cheeky tone playing into biblical references regarding the worship of “Cheesus.”

It is smartly laid out, explaining the history of cheese, how to buy and properly store cheese, a breakdown of types of cheese, tools to serve it, and lots of clever food and drink pairings.

This book has all you need to know about the ritual of enjoying cheese.

Since it is written in a fun… show more.

In this in-depth yet simple entertaining cooking manual filled with beautiful illustrations, the two Frankies of Frankies Spuntino’s in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, infuse the book with their stories of family traditions and how they are kept going.

A whole chapter is devoted to Sunday Sauce, which they consider a way of life. It includes a perfectly timed flow chart that begins on Saturday that describes step by step when and what ingredient to pick up from the local specialty shops and how to bring this red sauce classic to the family table.

Also included is a section of family photos and the Frankies in the neighborhood purchasing from the local specialty shops, which is extra special to me, as I lived in that neighborhood and often how we would spend our Sundays, strolling down Court Street, casually stopping into those amazing shops for ingredients for our own Sunday dinner.

This… show more.

Everything this reality TV personality Lisa Vanderpump does looks beautiful, elegant, and expensive on TV. Of course, I wanted to see how she does that, that’s why I purchased this book.

I was pleasantly surprised by how honestly she described so many things she does as “smoke and mirrors” in her words. From owning many restaurants in different countries, she has a wide variety of knowledge on hosting people. She shared many tips on how to make beautiful presentations of food and table settings effortlessly such as decorating store-bought plain cake to make it look like a custom-ordered cake from a high-end cake shop.

Her dry sense of British humor really adds fun to reading this book as well. The recipes in this book are mainly from chefs who worked for her restaurants, I was really impressed when I tested them out but easy enough for home cooks like me… show more.

The author is a food and entertaining expert, and I know first-hand. Susan was my boss for many years at Martha Stewart magazine, and is the example all cookbook authors should aspire to. You know her recipes are tried and tested, as would any recipe from a seasoned recipe developer, food stylist, and food writer. The pictures in the book are gloriously inspiring, and do their job of making your mouth water. As a frequent hostess herself, Susan draws you in with several chapters of expertise, including creating your pantry, what equipment and ingredients to have on hand, and simple starters to get your party going. The rest of the book is full of recipes you will end up making based on the beautiful visuals, simplicity, amazing flavor combinations, and helpful tips to give you cooking confidence.

Longing for the food from home yet finding her quest unobtainable to fulfil, Lisa Fain, a 7th generation Texan, took matters into her own hands and began exploring ways to recreate Tex-Mex dishes in her NYC apartment. From this process a cookbook was born. The Homesick Texan is for every armchair traveler who wants to recreate a little bit of Texas, not matter where they may be at the moment.

We all love to know what someone we admire does beyond the scope of what they are most known for. I love how this cookbook goes beyond recipes—Giada also shares her beauty secrets such as hair and makeup routines, how she stays trim with lifestyle and exercise, tips for choosing healthy options when eating out, and what she packs for snacks while on the go. It’s truly a lifestyle that I want to subscribe to!

This cookbook by Mark Bittman re-energized the vegetarian movement over a decade ago (and was updated on its 10th anniversary). Think of it as the “Joy of Cooking” for vegetarians, covering all foods and techniques from A-Z. The recipes are straightforwad and approachable, making them perfect for beginner cooks as well as experienced home cooks. Favorites are Vegetarian Pho, Paella with Tomatoes and Eggs, and Curried Potatoes.

This is just an awesome cookbook that I recommend regardless of its Chicago roots.

Stephanie Izard was the winner of Bravo TV’s Top Chef Season 4, is a two-time James Beard Best Chef: Midwest winner and longtime restaurateur in Chicago with Boka Restaurant Group, which owns a ton of popular restaurants around town.

I really like her sweet and sour eggplant and pork ragu recipes. All the recipes are great and easy to make, though.