It's the most listicle-y time of the year, and it seems as though every single media outlet has released a list of the Best Cookbooks of 2012. The problem is, though, every single one of them recommends completely different books. The only way to reach consensus? Roundup the roundups. Below, Eater tallies the 21 Best Cookbook roundups from all around, and there is a clear winner: Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi was recommended on a whopping 12 lists. No other book even came close. Congratulations, Jerusalem, everybody likes you. Canal House Cooks Every Day by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton came in second, recommended on six lists. Now, on to the most recommended cookbooks of 2012:
A Note on Tallying: Books that were only recommended by one list are not included. The Epicurious Cookbook was docked a point for recommending their own book in their own listicle. Some of the books on this list came out in the US last year but were included on international lists. Similarly, some of the books on the list are not yet available in the US. Books with an asterisk were recommended on Eater's own Essential Cookbooks and Food Books of 2012 list.
First Place: On 12 Lists
· Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi.*
Second Place: On Six Lists
· Canal House Cooks Every Day by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton.
Third Place: On Five Lists
· Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America by Maricel E. Presilla.
· Bouchon Bakery by Thomas Keller and Sebastien Rouxel.*
Fourth Place: On Four Lists
· The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman.
· Edible Selby by Todd Selby.*
· Secrets of the Best Chefs by Adam Roberts.*
Fifth Place: On Three Lists
· Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid.*
· A Girl and Her Pig by April Bloomfield with JJ Goode.
· Fäviken by Magnus Nilsson.*
· The Mile End Cookbook by Noah and Rae Bernamoff.
· Roots by Diane Morgan.
· Momofuku Milk Bar by Christina Tosi.
· Modernist Cuisine at Home by Nathan Myhrvold and Maxime Bilet.
· CookFight: 2 Cooks, 12 Challenges, 125 Recipes, an Epic Battle for Kitchen Dominance by Kim Severson and Julia Moskin.
· Mastering The Art Of Southern Cooking by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart.
· The Epicurious Cookbook: More Than 250 of Our Best-Loved Four-Fork Recipes for Weeknights, Weekends & Special Occasions by Tanya Steele and the Editors of Epicurious.
· Jamie Oliver's Great Britain: 130 of My Favorite British Recipes, From Comfort Food to New Classics by Jamie Oliver.
Sixth Place: On Two Lists
· Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila.
· The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking with Pickles, Preserves, and Aigre-doux by Paul Virant and Kate Leahy.*
· Vintage Cakes by Julie Richardson.
· True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure by Andrew Weil, Sam Fox and Michael Stebner.
· Mugaritz by Andoni Luis Aduriz.*
· The Food of Spain by Claudia Roden.
· The Kitchen Diaries II by Nigel Slater.
· Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu.
· Souvenirs by Hubert Keller.
· Vietnamese Home Cooking by Charles Phan.*
· Southern Living Home Cooking Basics: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Southern Cooking by the Editors of Southern Living Magazine.
· Hugo Ortega's Street Food of Mexico by Hugo Ortega.
· Seamus Mullen's Hero Food by Seamus Mullen.
· Origin by Ben Shewry.
· The Complete Nose to Tail by Fergus Henderson.
· Easy Weekends: Food by Neil Perry by Neil Perry.
· Every Grain of Rice by Fuschia Dunlop.
· The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert.
· Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten.
· The Science of Good Cooking by the editors of Cooks Illustrated.
· Nick Malgieri's Bread: Over 60 Breads, Rolls and Cakes plus Delicious Recipes Using Them by Nick Malgieri.
· Home Made Winter by Yvette van Boren.
· La Tartine Gourmande by Béatrice Peltre.
· Astrance: A Cook's Book by Pascal Barbot, Christophe Rohat and Chihiro Masui.
· The Food 52 Cookbook, Vol. 2 by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs
Listicles Referenced
· Gourmet Traveller's Favourite Cookbooks of 2012 [Gourmet Traveller]
· The Best Cookbooks of 2012 [Epicurious]
· My Favorite Cookbooks of 2012 [Westword]
· 10 of Our Favorite Cookbooks in 2012 [Serious Eats]
· 2012's Best Cookbooks, From the Farm to the Sugar Shack [Globe and Mail]
· Top Cookbooks of 2012 [WaPo]
· 15 Cookbooks From 2012 That Made Me Love Cooking More [The Kitchn]
· The Crème de la Crème of Cookbooks [WSJ]
· Best Food Books of 2012 [OFM]
· The Year's Best Cookbooks [NYDN]
· Three Books for the Cooks on Your Gift List [AJC]
· 5½ Favorite Food Books of 2012 [Brain Pickings]
· Inquirer Holiday Cookbook Gift Guide [Philadelphia Inquirer]
· Pick a Cookbook For the Chef-Minded on Your Christmas List [Star-Telegram]
· The 12 Cookbooks of Christmas [The Australian]
· Hardcover Cookbooks [Palm Beach Daily News]
· Twelve Cookbooks Worth Wrapping This Christmas [Vancouver Sun]
· Cookbooks Give the Gift of Food, All Year Round [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
· Best Cookbooks Reviewed in 2012 [Tampa Bay Times]
· 2012 Cookbooks Worth Cooking For [Buffalo Spree]
· The Cream of the Cookbook Crop, 2012 [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]
· All Cookbook Coverage on Eater [-E-]
· All Year in Eater Coverage [-E-]
