• Blog
  • Food
    • Meal Planning
    • Most Popular
    • All Recipes
    • Quick and Easy
    • Breakfast
    • Hors d’Oeuvres
    • Entrees
      • Beef
      • Lamb
      • Mexican
      • Pasta
      • Pizza
      • Pork
      • Poultry
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches
      • Seafood
      • Soup
      • Vegetarian
    • Side Dishes
    • Dessert
    • Cocktails
  • Fashion
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Fall
    • Winter
  • Home
    • Two Lakes Lodge
    • The Thomas House
    • DIY
    • Entertaining
    • Home Decor
    • Organization
  • Travel
  • Holidays
  • Shop
    • Shop Instagram
    • Shop Liketoknow.it
    • Shop DeLeon Midwest
  • About
    • About
    • FAQ
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Let’s Collaborate!

The Charming Detroiter

Blogging•Lifestyle

Five Must-Have Books for New Food Bloggers

December 2, 2015
Share this! -->Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Email this to someone
email
Print this page
Print

5 Must-Have Books for Every New Food Blogger - Five incredible books for any aspiring food blogger to read!

I have not been in the food blogging business for very long, but I feel like I have learned so much already! If you’re new to blogging too, check out this Guide to Blogging to help you get started on this exciting and maybe even fruitful journey. Although fun blogging can be such a tricky and process, with many things you might find yourself needing to understand if you want your blog to be successful. For example, learning about SEO (search engine optimization) and the difference between do follow vs no follow links, might not seem necessary at first but learning about them might be useful in helping to expand the audience of your blog. I myself am still learning about all the complex ins and outs. However, you may also want to see how you can cement your blog name online and build on your brand and business through this digital platform, by checking out how you can buy domain name that will suit your blogging needs. Today I wanted to share with you my five favorite books (so far!) that I would recommend to any new food bloggers looking to develop some killer recipes to share with their readers!

These are books that I find myself returning to again and again to pick up more tips and tricks from each time. Maybe it’s the cookbook graphic design or the content that is published in it. For the most part, they are geared towards recipe development, which, of course, is at the core of what a food blog is: sharing new and exciting recipes with you guys! So, without any further adieu, here are my top 5 food blogging books!

1. The Flavor Bible, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.

5 Must-Have Books for Every New Food Blogger - Five incredible books for any aspiring food blogger to read!

This book seriously is my bible when it comes to flavor in my dishes. Whenever I am stumped on “what goes with this?”, The Flavor Bible’s got my back! This book is divided into sections based on each ingredient, in alphabetical order. For everything from achiote seeds to zucchini blossoms, this book has all different types of other ingredients that go with your chosen key ingredient. They are also nicely categorized from “regularly mentioned” combinations to “highly recommended” combinations. This is great because you can not only find traditional flavor combinations for classic dishes, but less common combinations that have still been proven to work. This book is also useful because it gives various tips and tricks throughout the text in the sidebar. One of my favorites is a sidebar article about balance in your dishes (see page 55 for more!).

2.Ratio, by Michael Ruhlman.

5 Must-Have Books for Every New Food Blogger - Five incredible books for any aspiring food blogger to read!

At a fundamental level, cooking (and especially baking) is all about ratios. This is the concept behind Michael Ruhlman’s guide to learning proportions and scaling for basic recipes, including breads, pastas, and other doughs, as well as sauces and stocks. With these simple, time-tested ratios, you will be whipping up your own unique variations of classic recipes in no time! Ruhlman teaches us that understanding the ratios between ingredients is one of the most vital components of truly mastering the art of cooking. I love this concept because it allows you to become freed from the boundaries of traditional “read the recipe and follow the steps” cooking so that you can make the next leap in preparing your meals: writing your own recipes!

3. Will Write for Food, by Dianne Jacob.

5 Must-Have Books for Every New Food Blogger - Five incredible books for any aspiring food blogger to read!

This is the definitive guide for anyone looking to go into any type of food writing career, be it food blogging, journalism for a newspaper, or the book industry. Jacobs has such a plethora of advice and tips for all types and stages of writing that my copy of this book literally is filled cover to cover with bookmarks and page corners folded over! I really like that she provides exercises throughout the book for helping to develop your food blog concept, which can be a very challenging but necessary task. I feel like this is something that is perpetually helpful to a food blogger because a blog’s concept should be an evolving, fluid idea of what that blogger has to offer to the world of food. This is also a great book because it contains links to further in-depth resources and information about various topics.

4. Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots, by Nicole S. Young.

5 Must-Have Books for Every New Food Blogger - Five incredible books for any aspiring food blogger to read!

One of the core ideas behind a food blog is to get across your recipe’s concept and appeal in an entertaining and visually stunning way. A quality photography book can really help you to accomplish this task, and Nicole S. Young’s Food Photography is my favorite book for this. Her book is great because she not only gives practical advice for how to achieve different photography effects, but she walks you through a photographic step-by-step guide for different effects and actions that can help you bring your photography to the next level.

5. The Modern Mixologist: Contemporary Classic Cocktails, by Tony Abou-Ganim.

5 Must-Have Books for Every New Food Blogger - Five incredible books for any aspiring food blogger to read!

Let’s not forget about the cocktails! Creating delicious cocktail flavor combinations is one of my favorite ways to innovate when it comes to recipe creation. Tony Abou-Ganim’s The Modern Mixologist is an incredible guide to all different aspects of cocktails. The beginning of the book gives a walkthrough of all the different components that can go into a cocktail: from flavored liquors, to simple syrups, to garnishes. In the second part of the book, he covers a variety of classic as well as innovative cocktails that can give you some great ideas for directions in which you can take your own cocktail recipes. I love that this book combines both these types of sections (breaking down the components as well as building up the recipes), which is why I would really recommend it as a starting place for cocktail creation.

It’s Giveaway Time!

So there you have it: my top 5 favorite books so far for recipe creation and food blogging! Which one is your favorite? Let me know by commenting below, and be sure to enter my giveaway! This week, one lucky winner will receive a brand new copy of my favorite book from the above list: The Flavor Bible! You can enter up to four times: by joining my email list, following me on Instagram, following me on Twitter, and sharing the contest on social media:

Contest powered by Rewards Fuel

This contest will run from today until December 16th at midnight EST, so be sure to enter via all four methods for your chance to win! The winner will subsequently be announced on December 18. Enter today to enjoy your very own copy of this amazing book!

Share this! -->Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Email this to someone
email
Print this page
Print

0
7 Comments
Previous The 20 Best At Home Date Night Ideas
Next Monday Musings – December 7, 2015

Related Posts

Trip Recap: A Weekend at the Keeneland Derby | The Charming Detroiter

A Keeneland Derby Trip

Sharing our 2022 summer deck decor refresh - all the updates we've made to our outdoor deck this season!

Must Have Spring Outdoor Rugs

Are you sick of trying every new self tanner under the sun, trying to get that perfect summer glow? Look no further - I found the best one! Sharing all about my summer tanning routine on the blog today!

My Summer Tanning Routine

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Boni says

    February 15, 2022 at 5:26 am

    best logistics services providers in lucknow if you are searching for logistics services you can visit us.

    Reply
  2. 512 Refrigeration Services says

    August 27, 2021 at 8:56 am

    Great list here! I saved it!

    Reply
  3. Andrew Powell says

    April 17, 2018 at 2:47 pm

    This is really amazing information. I like your blog post. Your information is very helpful for food blogger. Thank you for share such post. I read some THE FLAVOR BIBLE book. This book is really great.
    Andrew Powell recently posted…How To Protect Your RV Tire Using RV Tire CoversMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Cheska says

    July 27, 2017 at 3:45 am

    Great books to read on. Wish to have one of them. Thank you for sharing this! THE FLAVOR BIBLE BY KAREN PAGE AND ANDREW DORNENBURG are awesome! I like the tips and tricks throughout the text in the sidebar. Keep it up!

    Reply
  5. Jennifer @ Because Food Is Love says

    July 6, 2017 at 7:42 pm

    Thanks for the info! I have a food blog but I want to make it more successful. There are so many books out there, thanks for narrowing down my research.

    Reply
  6. Marlene says

    December 2, 2015 at 8:31 pm

    I agree with you, Sarah; The Flavor Bible would be any favorite, as it seems to cover material not easily available elsewhere.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 5 Things You Need to Start a Food Blog - The Charming Detroiter says:
    May 3, 2016 at 5:43 pm

    […] Brainstorming answers to questions such as these is a great way to begin shaping exactly what your food blog will be and what it will contribute to the blogosphere! For more help with these concepts, check out my post on my top favorite books for beginner food bloggers. […]

    Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Hey, I'm Sarah! I'm the influencer behind The Charming Detroiter, a lifestyle brand aimed at helping my fellow 30-something women succeed at living luxurious and full lives. I share style and fashion tips, home-cooked meals, beauty tips, home decor, travel guides and more! To learn more, click here!

My Favorite Stores

ASOS
Banana Republic
Crate & Barrel
Express
Forever 21
J.Crew
J.Crew Factory
Nordstrom
Old Navy
Pottery Barn

Search by category:

The Charming Detroiter


Trending Posts

Sharing all my must have beach accessories today on the blog, from straw bags to hats, sandals and even the best reef safe sunscreen!
Summer

My Must Have Beach Accessories...

April 8, 2022

Sharing all our spring deck updates today on the blog and over on YouTube!
DIY

What I’m Buying for our Deck...

April 27, 2022

Mother's Day 2022 is right around the corner, friends, and I'm sharing my ultimate Mother's Day Gift Guide with y'all today!
Holiday

Mother’s Day Gift Guide...

April 25, 2022

Spring has sprung and with it, lots of fun new athleisure wear! I'm sharing my favorite spring athleisure pieces for the 2022 season!
Spring

My 2022 Spring Athleisure Roundup!...

April 29, 2022

Sharing our 2022 summer deck decor refresh - all the updates we've made to our outdoor deck this season!
Home Decor

2022 Summer Deck Decor Refresh...

May 18, 2022

About

About

Hello and welcome to The Charming Detroiter! I'm Sarah, a suburban wife, expectant mother, and physician from Metro Detroit who loves cooking, fashion, travel and home decor! Most of all, I love organizing it all, and I'm glad you're here so that I can help you too! To learn more, click here!



Newsletter

Find me on Instagram @thecharmingdetroiter!
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

There may be an issue with the Instagram Access Token that you are using. Your server might also be unable to connect to Instagram at this time.

Error: No posts found.

Make sure this account has posts available on instagram.com.

Error: admin-ajax.php test was not successful. Some features may not be available.

Please visit this page to troubleshoot.

Copyright © 2022 The Charming Detroiter
  • Blog
  • Food
  • Fashion
  • Home
  • Travel
  • Holidays
  • Shop
  • About
Theme by SheShoppes

Copyright © 2022 · Avondale for Genesis on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy and Disclosure Policy