The Best Cookbooks to Give (And Get) of 2010

Truth be told, if I were really pressed to pick a perfect present, it wouldn't be clothes or shoes, or even jewelry. It would be a book. There's nothing quite like cracking open a brand new book, smelling the fresh ink, and diving in. Times that by a million when it comes to cookbooks. Exploring recipes, drooling over gorgeous photos, reading about the food, getting to know a new author's voice, and finally taking it to the kitchen for a test drive really is the gift that keeps on giving.

Here are my personal favorite cookbooks of this year. Some I own, some I've leafed through longingly in the Cookbooks section of Border's for hours on end (if I bought every cookbook I wanted, my bank account would be in a very sorry state). Hope this serves as gift inspiration for the food lovers in your lives. xo

1. The New Brooklyn Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from 31 Restaurants That Put Brooklyn on the Culinary Map, by Melissa Vaughan and Brendan Vaughan, $40, at barnesandnoble.com
2. One Big Table: 600 Recipes from the Nation's Best Home Cooks, Farmers, Fishermen, Pit-Masters, and Chefs, by Molly O'Neill, $50, at barnesandnoble.com
3. The Happy Baker: A Girl's Guide to Emotional Baking, by Erin Bolger, $17.95, at barnesandnoble.com
4. Street Food of India: The 50 Greatest Indian Snacks-Complete with Recipes, by Sephi Bergerson, $28, at barnesandnoble.com
5. Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan, $40, at barnesandnoble.com
6. The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century, $40, by Amanda Hesser, at barnesandnoble.com
7. Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys, by David Tanis, $35, at barnesandnoble.com
8. In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite: 150 Recipes and Stories About the Food You Love, by Melissa Clark, $27.50, at barnesandnoble.com