Still stuck on which kitchen knife or other gadget to buy for your favorite cook? Give them a cookbook instead. Here are my favorites from 2002.

Beer-Can Chicken: And 74 Other Offbeat Recipes for the Grill (Workman; $12.95): While on the barbecue circuit a few years ago, author Steven Raichlen discovered the ingenious method of grilling a whole chicken perched on a beer can. It really works, and Mr. Raichlen has turned it into a full-fledged enterprise. Maybe The Beer-Can Chicken Cooking Show will debut soon.

The Sopranos Family Cookbook (Warner; $29.95): Recipes for the stuffed calamari and cannoli look wonderful, but I admire the fun and creativity of this book - the first-person narrative by the characters of the hit HBO series and witty sidebars such as "Party tips by Carmela and Charmaine'' and "Style tips for heavy eaters.'' The No. 1 style tip: "No tank tops.'' Killer stuff.

Sara Moulton Cooks at Home (Broadway; $29.95): The Food Network star swears she cooks at home five or more nights a week. If it's from this book, she cooks well: Short Ribs Ravioli, Portabella Burgers with Red Peppers and Gorgonzola, pumpkin flan and more. The recipes offer a range for beginning and more advanced cooks, and there are plenty of family photos to please serious Sara fans.

Michael Chiarello's Casual Cooking (Chronicle; $35): PBS chefs do cookbooks, too. Michael Chiarello (host of Michael Chiarello's Napa and Season by Season) offers laid-back wine country cuisine with an accent on fresh ingredients. He makes preparation easier by showing readers how to make versatile sauces and spice blends to keep in the pantry.

Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets (Broadway; $39.95): Author Deborah Madison has written several successful vegetarian cookbooks (The Greens Cookbook, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, etc.) and although her latest book isn't purely veg, the spotlight is on market-fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables. And her innovative recipes are simple: Brussels Sprouts with Cauliflower and Mustard-Caper Butter, Cabbage and Potato Gratin with Sage, and Celery Root and Wild Rice Chowder among others.

The Zuni CafÈ Cookbook (Norton; $35): This is my favorite new cookbook of the year. San Francisco chef Judy Rodgers delivers her French- and Italian-influenced dishes with detailed cooking lessons. She spends nearly five pages telling readers how to make her famous roast chicken with bread salad, explaining why it's important to dry the chicken before roasting it, and how to watch and listen to the bird as it browns in the oven. If it doesn't look and sound right, Ms. Rodgers advises the cook what to do next. The Zuni CafÈ Cookbook isn't for everyone, but those who want to learn to cook from such a passionate, knowledgeable teacher will love it.

The Pleasures of Slow Food (Chronicle; $40): Award-winning food writer Corby Kummer chronicles the Slow Food movement, which began in 1986 in Italy in reaction to the opening to the first McDonald's in Rome, and celebrates traditional agricultural and production methods around the world. He offers more than 40 recipes from chefs who epitomize the spirit of "slow-food,'' including Americans Alice Waters, Rick Bayless, Judy Rodgers and Deborah Madison.

The Best American Recipes (Houghton-Mifflin; $26): You're still looking for recipes? How about Corn Bread with Fennel Seeds, Dried Cranberries and Golden Raisins? Or Lemon and Goat Cheese Cheesecake and Serrano Bloody Marys? Editor Fran McCullough searched newspapers, magazines, the Internet and other media to find her favorite 150 recipes of the year, and put them into one book.

E-mail cmartin@enquirer.com