Books to Help Holiday Entertaining

You’re sure you have enough plates.

Silverware, check. You have plenty of stemware, and the tablecloth has gone to the cleaners. The menu, well, it’s not yet finalized, so maybe it’s time for a breather with these great books on food and entertaining…

You’ll look forward to spending all morning in the kitchen when you’ve got “Better Not Burn Your Toast: The Science of Food and Health” by Dr. Joe Schwarcz (ECW Press, $19.95). What’s the truth about ultra processed food? Do preservatives work, or GLP-1s? And is it possible to eat to heal? This book helps sort out the myths from the meals with short, fun-to-read chapters.

So, okay, you’re at a loss for ideas. You need more inspiration. So, check out “Dinner Party Animal” by Jake Cohen (Harvest, $35). Drool over the pictures a little bit, then take your pick among the dozens of recipes, arranged to include pre-made grocery lists and prep-time ideas. No celebration at your house this year? No problem: this book is arranged in chapters meant for all kinds of parties that you can make happen at any time throughout the year, because why are you saving your best dishes and the yummiest recipes for a mere six-week period when every day is worth a celebration?

If your holiday meals will include the kiddoes, bring them on into the kitchen with “A School Lunch Revolution: A Cookbook” by Alice Waters (Penguin Press, $35). Here, you’ll find lots of delicious recipes based on organic cooking with fresh vegetables, breads, legumes, and all kinds of good-for-them, good-tasting things you’ll both love. At the front of the book, you’ll read about the foods used at author Waters’ restaurant, Chez Panisse, how she founded the Edible Schoolyard Project, why diversity is beneficial in the kitchen, and why it all matters. That makes the recipes and ideas in this not-just-for-school-lunches book something you can easily incorporate into your holiday meals or vegetarian fetes.

Of course, you’ll probably incorporate some old family recipes into your meal, and you might use the dishes you inherited from Grandma. In “The Heart-Shaped Tin: Love, Loss, and Kitchen Objects” by Bee Wilson (W.W. Norton, $31.99), you’ll see that you’re not alone when you treasure the heritage that sits in your kitchen.

In the aftermath of a messy divorce, Wilson found a heart-shaped tin that happened to be the one she used to bake her wedding cake, many years before. Why do we cherish Grandma’s china, now-tarnished baby spoons for someone who’s not a baby anymore, the silverware your parents got for a wedding present? Do you really need another platter or salt shaker in your kitchen? Wilson looks at these, and other treasures she knows and loves, and she’ll make you examine what’s in your cupboard with a happy sigh.

Not quite what you needed for your holiday celebration? Well, you’re in luck: your favorite bookstore or librarian can absolutely steer you toward their gigantic cookbook section, where you’re sure to find the book you need to put on your plate.