Cookbook of the Year 2021: these are the six nominees
Autumn has started, which means it’s time for plenty of cookbook news again. This year marks the first edition of the Cookbook of the Year election, organized by our colleagues at the culinary platform Food&Friends. The winner will be announced on November 16, 2021, and your vote counts.
A five-member professional jury for the independent Cookbook of the Year election has nominated 6 titles from 61 entries submitted by 25 publishers. These are the nominees:
Bistro Manon, Manon Proper
This woman with, yes, twins and triplets serves them tasty dishes every day. She soon realized that, as a home cook, you shouldn’t give in to the children’s tastes, but adapt your own favorites instead (publisher Good Cook).
The Grateful Kitchen, Stephanie Verstift
This is a bold, thoroughly contemporary book with an eye for sustainability. It’s great that there is variety in the ingredients and that you can also cook from it when you don’t have everything at home (publisher Brandt).
An Ode to Vegetables, Alice Zaslavsky
Finally, a vegetable book without the hipster-vegan style. This is a book for people who love eating locally, so you can make use of celeriac or Jerusalem artichoke. Alice Zaslavsky shows how to get even more out of vegetables by varying your cooking techniques. Besides steaming and blanching, you can also candy, sear, roast, deep-fry, braise or caramelize many vegetables. The editorial favorite is her saffron orzo with grilled artichokes (publisher Good Cook).
Hotpot, Bas Robben
“Hotpotting” could become the new gourmet cooking, because it’s the new way to eat together with friends and family. A pot of hot broth in the middle of the table and hotpot away! Although… hotpotting isn’t something you can just do without preparation. Because what you cook in the hotpot is at least as important as the soup itself. In his new book Hotpot, Bas Robben explains step by step how best to approach it, what you need, and of course the most delicious recipes to get started right away. Sneak peek: we’re sharing his recipe for silky-smooth sesame chicken (publisher Good Cook).
Ottolenghi Test Kitchen – shelf love, Yotam Ottolenghi
It’s fun to cook from the pantry. Ottolenghi is becoming increasingly accessible and shows that anyone can cook (publisher Fontaine).
Parwana, Durkhanai Ayubi
It’s incredible how Durkhanai Ayubi sheds light on the history of Afghanistan and, in this cookbook, connects those historical stories to her recipes. It’s fascinating how she allows her personal family history to run parallel to the history of the country and links it to different types of dishes (publisher Becht).
Cookbook of the Year Jury
This year, the jury for the Cookbook of the Year election consists of Bart van Berkel, chef and MasterChef winner; Bibi Loomans, culinary editorial coordinator at Koffietijd; Dana Ploeger, freelance editor at Trouw; Jan-Hein Wierts, product manager for Dutch-language books at the Audax group; and Lyan van Furth, food photographer and two-time winner of the Foodelia Awards, the Oscars for the world’s best culinary photographers.
In addition to the professional jury’s prize, there is also a People’s Choice Award. You can vote via www.foodandfriends.nl/kookboekvanhetjaar. Everyone who votes will receive the free Food&Friends Cookbook of the Year e-magazine, featuring 61 recipes from all participating titles.
Image: bacon-miso dumplings from Bas Robben’s book Hotpot
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