Best Food Items | January 2013

I'm not much of a New Year's resolution maker, but if I had one for 2013, it'd be to try my hand at some of my favorite flavor-packed fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, and vinegar. With that in mind, I'll be snapping up a couple guides for this new adventure. I'm particularly fond of fiery kimchi and Korean cuisine, so The Kimchi Cookbook: 60 Traditional and Modern Ways to Make and Eat Kimchi ($20) is a no-brainer pick (it also happens to be coauthored by the editor of one of my favorite food blogs). The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes From Around the World ($40) by Sandor Katz will be my go-to guide for everything else from sauerkraut to kombucha.

— Nicole Perry, assistant editor