Frugal Things… GF Cookbooks at the Library

Gluten Free Grain Free Cookbook Recommendations

I would like to dedicate Friday’s to sharing Frugal Things I know with you.  In this economy, we all can benefit from learning to manage on less.  I am sure that there are lots of frugal things you all know, maybe that were passed down to you from your grandparents or great grandparents!  I will try to be consistent and have something to share each Friday, whether it be gluten free or grain free!  So, here we go…

As far as Gluten Free or Grain Free Cookbooks go, there are tons to choose from.  Here are my favorites for gluten free and grain free cooking so far (the one’s that I own):

• Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall (SCD & grain free)
• Gluten Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts (gluten free)
• Incredible Edible Gluten Free Food for Kids by Sheri Sanderson (gluten free)
• The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods by Bette Hagman (gluten free)
• The Gluten-Free Gourmet by Bette Hagman (gluten free)
• Living Without Magazine subscription (gluten free, allergy free)

On top of the stack is Carol Fenster’s 100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes, an excerpt from her huge tome 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes.  I think this is one I will purchase next…  it had a great sampling of the really best from her recipe archives.

I am a sucker for cookbooks, even cooking magazines.  Before kids, I would find myself lingering in the cookbook section of bookstores and selectively built my stash of really great cookbooks.  I also had several magazine subscriptions to publications that provided me with a nice rotation of recipes.  Back then, I even had the time to try out those recipes!  Plus, those were the days before restricted diets and gluten free / grain free living.

I recall the very first thought I had when we were told that our oldest child was gluten intolerant and had multiple food allergies…  “go find cookbooks”!  It took me a little longer to realize that I would go broke if I just went to the bookstore and bought all the gluten free cookbooks that looked promising.  So, I turned to our local library.  I still remember the librarians face when I walked up to the counter to checkout my selected books… the stack was so high it was up to my chin!  She asked if I was really going to read them all or have the time to cook from them.  I had a moment to share with her what we were going through and I recall her response was very encouraging.  It helps to share with perfect strangers sometimes.  At least in that moment for me it was helpful.

Fast forward to today, I find it really helpful to try cookbooks from the library first.  You will be surprised at what you may find on those shelves or what you can get from an interlibrary loan.  The stack above are not all mine.  About half of them are from our library’s vast cookbook collection.  I tend to go in search of a new gluten free or SCD (grain free) cookbook in a few ways before purchasing: search the internet for new titles, check and see if the library has them, and then look for a used copy or sale somewhere.  If I find a few I want to try at the library, I can spend the next three weeks cooking and baking from the recipes that peak my interest and decide if the cookbook is worthy of residing on my gluten free / grain free recipe shelf.  I really try not to be impulsive… so I stay away from stores where I can buy on a whim.  That helps the budget A LOT!  While I would love to have shelves and shelves of great gluten free and grain free cookbooks, this frugal way of acquiring helps me with my need for new recipes and to keep my cookbook collection to a manageable level of recipes that I will actually use.

What are your favorite gluten free or grain free cookbooks?  I would love it if you shared that with me!