Sheryl Kirby

Food writer

https://www.sherylkirby.com/

Biography

Sheryl Kirby is a Canadian food writer. She runs foodbookfeast.com, a website dedicated to sharing all types of books about food. She has also written two novels and a collection of food essays, and has edited and published an anthology of Canadian food writing.

Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Better Homes and Gardens Editors

It's not really “new” anymore, and food snobs will probably sneer, but I love this book for the fact that it covers so many basics so well. It's my go-to when giving housewarming and wedding presents because I believe that more people would cook if they were comfortable with the basics, especially when those recipes are mostly foolproof.

How to Cook Everything

Mark Bittman

A more advanced “basic” cookbook, this is what I reference when I'm looking up recipes for something slightly more detailed.

A Treasury of Great Recipes

Mary Price and Vincent Price

I'm probably never going to cook from this, because the thing is massive and the recipes are seriously old school, but I was so happy when this was re-issued and I finally got to own a copy.

Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens

Marie Nightingale

I grew up in Nova Scotia and this cookbook, a collection of recipes dating back to the Acadians, was what turned me on to food history and cultural theory.

150 Delicious Squares

Jean Paré

What do you mean you've never heard of Paré? This caterer from Alberta, Canada wrote her first cookbook, 150 Delicious Squares, in 1981 at age 53. She's published over 200 separate titles under the Company's Coming series, selling over 30 million copies total. Okay, not all of these single-subject cookbooks are fabulous, but she's a Canadian culinary icon, and most Canadian homes have at least one of her books. This one is a true classic.

River Cottage Everyday

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Possibly too much of a reliance on “things on toast” but this is a good, solid cookbook that gets used in my house pretty frequently, just because the recipes are simple, straightforward, and tasty.

One Knife, One Pot, One Dish

Stéphane Reynaud

I bought this book after writing a review of it and I've been using it regularly. I love the simplified steps that still turn out a rustic but totally sophisticated dish.

Nova Scotia Cookery, Then and Now

Nova Scotia Archives

Working with the Nova Scotia archives, modern chefs from around the province rework and reinterpret historical recipes from the 1750s to mid-1900s.

Larousse Gastronomique

Prosper Montagné

Before you could look things up easily on the internet, this was the cook's best reference for understanding a dish.

The Canadian Craft Beer Cookbook

David Ort

Ort is both a beer writer and an accomplished cook and he has an excellent understanding of how food and beer work together, not just as pairings, but using beer as an ingredient within a dish.

Follow Sheryl Kirby

What's playing in Sheryl's kitchen?

I have a dog with noise phobia, so we keep a mellow jazz station running in the background all day long, just to drown out street noise. My personal musical choices (punk, goth, new wave, mid-90s industrial) are not really conducive to cooking, so I cook to whatever is on the Jazz Groove, a lovely listener-funded, commercial-free streaming station out of San Francisco. Jazzgroove.org