10 Cookbooks for Your Overseas Kitchen
“Right as the meal is wrapping up, I am thinking about what I'm cooking next. Add overseas life, the lack of convenience food and that the cost of a minature jar of peanut butter being seven bucks, it really feels like I never leave the kitchen.”
I explain mothering as 5% nurturing, 5% guiding and 90% feeding. Right as the meal is wrapping up, I am thinking about what I'm cooking next. Add overseas life, the lack of convenience food and that the cost of a miniature jar of peanut butter being seven bucks, it really feels like I never leave the kitchen. You too? Good. I'm glad I'm not alone.
We asked our Instagram community to share their favorite cookbook for cooking overseas and we received many many suggestions. We tried to cull them down to the ones we have used ourselves or the books that were mentioned many times. Maybe you are thinking great, but I'm in Thailand and there is no way that I can get these books to me. WRONG! First, you can buy the Kindle version but, if you are like me and would rather a hard copy cookbook to thumb through, check out Book Depository. They have free international shipping to 100+ countries and they are cents more expensive than Amazon. (We are an affiliate and get a very small kickback if you use our link. Thanks ahead of time!)
Okay, without any further ado, "10 Cookbooks for Your Overseas Kitchen."
1 + 2. Extending the Table and More With Less: A World Community Cookbook. These are cookbooks by and for the overseas crowd. If you are standing in your kitchen staring at a weird looking stove praying something edible will come out of it so your family won't starve. Start with these.
3 + 4. The New Better Homes & Gardens and The Joy of Cooking. The tried and true books that were in your mother's kitchens and should be in yours:
5. How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. The cookbook that will teach you what those strange vegatables are at the market and what to do with them. Also, it helps you crack the code of Asian noodles. It's huge and heavy but the Kindle version is available.
6. Homemade Pantry. The cookbook for when you miss pop-tarts, cheez-its, granola bars, ricotta, frozen pizza, etc.:
7. Against All Grain. No dairy, no flour, no problem.
8. Wycliffe International Cookbook. Sometimes organizations understand the need for help. (I couldn't find a downloadable version. If you know of one let me know.)
9. Peace Corp Cookbooks has several regional cookbooks that are free to download.
10. Djiboutilicious: Celebrating Culture and Cooking in a Country as Hot as Your Oven, by Rachel Pieh Jones. The cookbook from one of our own friends from the Taking Route community. It's 150 from scratch recipes that her family loves.
Bonus: Last but not least, I can never mention cooking overseas without pointing you to Market to Meal Blog by Sara Beth. It's the best resource and totally free!
Share you favorite resource in the comments! I know there are other great books and blogs out there.
