The 10 Best Cookbooks of the Year
As we ease into the coziest time of year, some may be looking to curl up with a good book. Others might want to use their free time to delve into a project. Whichever end of the spectrum you find yourself on, a cookbook can satisfy all of your cravings—both literal and metaphorical. These 10 tomes are the best we saw released this year, and span everything from soups and sandwiches to dinner-party favorites to baked goods perfect for the holidays or all year round. So maybe cozy up with a good read first and then head into the kitchen to tackle one of the recipes contained within.
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The Four Horsemen
A decade after opening, the Four Horsemen may still be one of the hardest tables to get in New York City. Thankfully, you can now make some of the Michelin-starred restaurant’s dishes at home, with the release of its debut cookbook. Following an intro from the restaurant’s cofounder (and LCD Soundsystem frontman) James Murphy, dive into chef Nick Curtola’s recipes for casual yet impressive dishes like fusilli with slow-roasted beef ragu, mussels with stewed leeks and garlicky broth on toast, and flourless chocolate cake with zabaglione. Pair your meal with some natural wine—which the restaurant is also well known for—and it’ll almost seem like you’re in the cozy Brooklyn space.
Koreaworld: A Cookbook
In their 2016 book, Koreatown, the chef Deuki Hong and the journalist Matt Rodbard delved into the food created by Korean Americans in the States. Now, almost a decade later, the duo has trained their lens on how Korean cuisine has evolved since then, both in the U.S. and in Korea itself. Koreaworld begins in Seoul, with recipes for dishes like cheesy corn dog on a stick and smoked giant short ribs, before traveling to other Korean locales like Jeolla-do and Jeju-do. Then the two come to stateside Koreatowns, where chefs are whipping up Korean chicken teriyaki, honey butter corn ribs, and Taco Bell bibimbap. For anyone interested in a deep dive on modern Korean cuisine, there’s likely no better tome.
Bodega Bakes
When the urge to tackle a baking project hits, Paola Velez is here to help. The James Beard–nominated pastry chef’s debut cookbook, Bodega Bakes, is meant to be accessible to bakers of all levels, containing dozens of recipes for both those with a sweet tooth and those who lean savory. Raised partly in the Dominican Republic, Velez’s recipes for treats like tres leches cake and guava and cheese pastelitos are nods to the country’s traditional desserts. Plantain sticky buns and mango-and-brown-butter blondies, meanwhile, are twists on American classics. Bodega Bakes has a little of everything, from cookies to pies to flan to freezer desserts.
Soups, Salads, Sandwiches
In The Bear, Matty Matheson’s character may be surrounded by the world of fine dining, but the chef’s latest cookbook drills down into more casual fare. In fact, Matheson’s guide focuses on just three categories: soups, salads, and sandwiches. Those groups are quite expansive, though. Soups encompasses everything from crab congee to creamy sausage soup with rapini and tortellini, while salads range from macaroni and tuna salad to roasted shallot salad with sherry vinegar and rye breadcrumbs. As for sandwiches, you can whip up a French dip, an Italian combo, or banana bread French toast with fried egg, peameal bacon, and maple syrup. The title may be simple; the food is anything but.
Dac Biet
Nini Nguyen is perhaps best known for her two turns on Top Chef, including a season of All-Stars. Now Nguyen has turned her skills into Dac Biet, a cookbook that emphasizes her New Orleans and Vietnamese roots. The phrase “dac biet” translates loosely to something special, luxurious, or over-the-top in English, but Nguyen emphasizes that that doesn’t mean spending more money or time in the kitchen. Rather, she uses it to add an unexpected flavor to a recipe or to highlight an uncommon cut of meat. Find that in recipes such as soy-sauce chicken with sticky rice, sticky fried shrimp banh mi, and ground meat with lemongrass.
Flavorama: A Guide to Unlocking the Art and Science of Flavor
Arielle Johnson is literally a doctor of flavor: The flavor scientist has a whole Ph.D. in the subject. But her debut cookbook is anything but a boring, dense read. Rather, the co-founder of Noma’s fermentation lab and the science director for Noma Projects has written a fun and accessible guide to the interaction between science and cooking. While delving into chemistry and molecules, Johnson also provides mouthwatering recipes for dishes such as chilled soba noodles with grapefruit and pineapple caramel. And by learning some of the academics behind cooking, you’ll become more confident in the kitchen, whether that’s improvising with ingredients you have on hand or swapping in certain items when you find yourself lacking what a recipe calls for.
Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes
Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson are beloved for their Los Angeles restaurants Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie. And now the pair have collaborated on their first cookbook, bringing fan-favorite Mediterranean dishes and California cool to homes around the country. There are, predictably, several recipes for poultry, including roast chicken with schmaltzy potatoes and chicken schnitzel. But the more than 100 dishes also encompass marinated feta with a host of toppings, dips like labneh and tahini, and seafood such as saffron-scented squid. It’s the next best thing to picking up some Kismet takeout, whether you’re based in L.A. or not.
Very Good Bread
Melissa Weller has served as the head baker at some of the country’s best restaurants, including the Michelin three-star Per Se. So it stands to reason that she’s a pretty good candidate for writing an entire book on bread—very good bread, as the title of her latest cookbook suggests. From bagels and baguettes to pitas and pizzas, Weller covers all of the yeast-based classics. Then she throws in recipes for all the ways to enjoy those carby treats: dill and black pepper gravlax, Italian combo sandwiches, pistachio pesto with burrata, to name just a few. Whether you’re dipping your toe into baking with yeast or you consider yourself an expert already, Very Good Bread is for you.
Zaytinya: Delicious Mediterranean Dishes from Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon
José Andrés is one of the most celebrated chefs on the planet. But before he became a household name, more than two decades ago he was best known for his Washington, D.C., restaurants Jaleo and Zaytinya. The latter, which showcases the flavors of the eastern Mediterranean, is now honored in this book, allowing fans of Andrés to cook his quintessential dishes in their own kitchens. From classic dips like hommus and tzatziki to Zaytinya favorites like the havuç köftesi (carrot fritters) and braised lamb with creamy eggplant, the book has it all. With more than 150 recipes in total, you’ll be cooking through Zaytinya for years to come.
Bake Club
During the pandemic, Christina Tosi—the mastermind behind Milk Bar—started Bake Club as a way to bring some joy into people’s kitchens. Now she has translated that into her latest cookbook, which aims to be accessible to home bakers of all skill levels with whatever ingredients and implements they have on hand. Whether you’re baking for breakfast (croissants, English muffins), whipping up a cake (peaches and cream upside-down cake), or experimenting with desserts (glazed pumpkin pie bars, frosted gingersnaps), Tosi encourages you to make modifications and follow your instincts. Of course, it’s never a bad idea to follow hers as well.
