9 cookbooks I loved this year
(And 43 more, for good measure!)
Note: This is a long post, so your email might be cut off — click through to read the full thing!There’s no shortage of lists right now, from holiday gift guides to a solid handful of “best cookbooks” lists compiled by many well-respected people. Each year, I usually join my friends over at the Didn’t I Just Feed You podcast for a conversation about my favorite cookbooks—and they always give me such fun categories to push my thinking! This year, I’m bringing my favorites to you right here, and—phew, this list is always such an undertaking!
Here are nine cookbooks that got me most excited about cooking or wow-ed me for their approach. Of course, it’s hard to pick just nine, so I threw in a few more under each “category” that, based on my reading of them and cooking from some of them, are standouts.
I’d love to hear from you, too! What’s the cookbook that you couldn’t put down this year?
🧀 For Someone Who Thinks Every Recipe Needs More Cheese
Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes by Jessie Sheehan
“Cheesy” is literally in the title! I’ve been a stan for forever and just adore her energy, creativity, and kind spirit. She was a true star at the first Cookbook Fest this summer (where she treated attendees to delicious peanut butter rice crispy treats laden with TCHO chocolate). Her latest book, Salty, Cheesy, Herby, Crispy Snackable Bakes is a mouthful of a title and oozing with cheese-full recipes. I’m talking Pull-Apart Pimento Cheese Scones, a Spinach Artichoke Dip Strata, her Grilled Cheese Sandwich Tart (!), and Everything Bagel & Cream Cheese Snacking Bread. Winner winner, cheesy dinner!
Five Bonus Chees-y Cookbooks!
Every night can be pizza night with the 52 pizza recipes (and 52 salad recipes) in the inspiring and of-the-moment Pizza Night by .
Pasta + Cheese = 💚 and food podcast legend Dan Pashman’s debut cookbook, Anything’s Pastable, gives us plenty of both, from Cacio E Pepe E Chile Crisp to Thai Curry Mac N Cheese with quattrotini, a Sicilian pasta shape.
For recipes that include cheese but won’t make you feel bloated—including lots of nicely placed feta and Parmesan—turn to ’s latest, Cook Simply, Live Fully.
When company is coming and cheese is a must, turn to Big Dip Energy from food columnist Alyse Whitney, where about half of the dips rely on cheese for tangy, fatty, oozy goodness.
Maybe a bit of a stretch (cheese pun fully intended), but Koreaworld from Deuki Hong & Matt Rodbard is such a great book, I needed a place for it—and you’ll find dozens of cheese mentions from a Cheesy Corn Dog on a Stick to Kimcheese, a recipe inspired by James Beard-winning chef Tory Miller of Madison, Wisconsin, that combines “pure Americana (pimento cheese) with kimchi with incredible results.”
🥳 For Someone Who Wants to Cook a Stunning Dinner—but Hates Doing the Dishes
What Goes With What: 100 Recipes, 20 Charts, Endless Possibilities by Julia Turshen
, a long-time friend of the pod and queen of no-stress home cooking, is back with a new volume that does more of what she does best: help us take what’s in our pantry and fridge and put a comforting, nourishing meal on the table. I love the directness of the title and the format of the book which, much like Julia’s wonderful Substack, breaks the act of meal planning into an endlessly customizable puzzle (charts!) that’s fun and easy to solve. Her recipe for Twice-Baked Cacio e Pepe Potatoes here reminds me of one of my favorite lessons from her leftover-minded book, Now & Again, that I use to this day: turning day-old twice-backed potatoes into potato soup! Also exciting: Spicy Chicken with Lime & Cashews, a Ceasar Spaghetti, and Roasted Broccoli with Carrot-Miso Dressing. Thanks, as always, for such a masterpiece Julia!
Six Bonus Weeknight Cookbooks!
From Emily Weinstein and the stars of the New York Times Cooking team comes a collection of 100 tested Easy Weeknight Dinners.
Lidey Heuck, who trained under cookbook maven Ina Garten and has become a New York Times Cooking star, debuts her first cookbook Cooking in Real Life with 100 no-fuss, crowd-pleasing recipes.
If you follow Edy Massih on Instagram, you know the chef-owner of Edy’s Grocer is known for jaw-dropping mezze spreads. That scale might not suffice for your Tuesday night dinner, but thankfully Keep It Zesty offers dozens of weeknight-friendly recipes.
Preppy Kitchen’s John Kanell is back with Preppy Kitchen Super Easy, which offers everything from make-ahead breakfasts to family-friendly, quick dinners and desserts.
The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple from bestselling author Jenny Rosenstrach brings “stress-free” approaches to meat-free dinners.
If we’re talking few-dishes, quick recipes, there’s no better tool than…the sheet pan! In Hot Sheet, authors Olga Massov and Sanaë Lemoine present more than 100 sheet-pan recipes, from morning to night, everyday to holiday.
🥐 For Someone Who Has Ten Types of Flour—and Still Buys More
Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store by Paola Velez
Paola Velez has been one of my favorite bakers to follow in recent years; in addition to her work as a pastry chef, she co-founded Bakers Against Racism and is using “history and tasty treats to bake the world a better place", including as a culinary diplomat for the United States. In her debut, joyful cookbook Bodega Bakes, home bakers will be invigorated by recipes inspired by both her Bronx childhood and Dominican roots. Think Guava Lemon Bars, Black Pepper Espresso Dulce de Leche Shortbread Cookies, Carrot Cake Bars, and Pineapple Empanadillas. Plus check out the Tres Leches Thick’Ems – one of several “thick’ems” recipes (that’s a big cookie that’s crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside) for which Paola has become known.
Five Bonus Baking Books!
Dubbed the “most wide-ranging bread book to be published in a decade,” a new volume from the team at King Arthur: The King Arthur Baking Company Big Book of Bread.
’s “vast and vibrant” guide to Latin American baking, Pan y Dulce: The Latin American Baking Book, promises to “break free of Eurocentric approaches” through historical context and 150 recipes.
From pan-bang-cookie-queen Sarah Kieffer is a new work focused on "afternoon indulgence” recipes: 100 Afternoon Sweets.
In her second cookbook, friend of the show Hetal Vasavada offers up Desi Bakes, which promises recipes that meld Indian flavors and Western-style desserts (think Saffron Madeleines and Masala Chai Semifreddo).
Bake Club from Milk Bar queen Christina Tosi sets out to “dispel baking misconceptions” and make home baking accessible to all.
🧑🍳 For a Home Cook Who Wants to Channel Michelin-Starred Vibes
Make It Fancy: Cooking at Home With Sad Papi by Brandon Skier
Known to many by just his handle, @Sad_Papi, Brandon Skier became a TikTok star quickly after turning to the platform when he lost his job at the start of the pandemic. With a focus on chef-y recipes (like Lime Leaf Peanuts and Burnt Onion Powder) Brandon’s debut cookbook embraces the technique approach to elevate home cooking to restaurant-style dinners. When I’m cooking, I’m always looking for the creative spin or unexpected ingredient to surprise my guests (that’s what great chefs do, too, though I’m not one!)—and Brandon delivers on this front. Examples? Brussels Sprouts with Chorizo Breadcrumbs. Duck Confit with Mole Poblano. And a bevy of stocks, sauces, and fermented things to truly “make it fancy.”
Five Bonus Cheff-y Cookbooks!
If there’s a chef-whisperer for home cooks, it’s Yotam Ottolenghi. With ten best-selling cookbooks and a culinary empire under his belt, his latest, Ottolenghi Comfort, is all about global dishes that are “comfortable both to cook and eat.”
My Egypt from California chef Michael Mina takes home cooks to “what got him excited to cook in the first place,” along with an exploration of the foundations of Egyptian hospitality.
Chef Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook (who previously joined us in 2018) are back with 125 new recipes in Zahav Home geared toward home cooking (keywords: “busy fathers,” “thinking ahead,” and “a strategically stocked pantry.”)
Zaytinya from celebrity chef José Andrés marks two decades since he opened the first Zaytinya and features his take on classic dishes from Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon.
Chef Tu David Phu—who joined us this summer for the first Cookbook Fest—focused his debut cookbook, Memory of Taste, on lessons and recipes he inherited from his parents, who came to Oakland as refugees from Vietnam.
🥦 For Someone Trying to Eat More Vegetables but Still Keep It Fun
Health Nut: A Feel-Good Cookbook by Jess Damuck
I imagine it’s hard to follow a beloved first cookbook like Salad Freak, but not for . From creative approaches to typically meat-centered dishes (hi, Mushroom “Carnitas” Tacos with Citrusy Radish Slaw) to stunners like Charred Cabbage with Mushroom Butter and Halibut with Sungolds, Fennel, and Saffron, Jess’ recipes are bright, bold, and focused on “challenging our expectations on what health food can be.” It wasn’t since
’s Tenderheart that I was this excited for a vegetable book!Five Bonus Veggie-ful Cookbooks!
Cara Mangini’s follow-up to The Vegetable Butcher makes cooking veggies so much fun: The Vegetable Eater.
Part of a new series of books on preserving from a trio of respected authors (Darra Goldstein, Cortney Burns, and Richard Martin), is Preserved: Vegetables.
Seattle chef and culinary instructor Becky Selengut’s look at Misunderstood Vegetables shines a bright light on some of my personal favorites from eggplant to sunchokes.
Joe Yonan of The Washington Post won my heart with his first book, Cool Beans. His latest, Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking, won this non-vegan over with truly exciting vegan recipes.
Niçoise: Market-Inspired Cooking from France’s Sunniest City comes to us from Rosa Jackson, who’s been running a cooking school in Nice, France for two decades; while not exclusively vegetarian, k
🍸 For Someone Who Thinks Happy Hour Should Be an Everyday Ritual
Freezer Door Cocktails: 75 Cocktails That Are Ready When You Are by J.M. Hirsch
While J.M. Hirsch didn’t invent the concept of freezer-door cocktails, his in-the-bottle creations took over TikTok during the pandemic and have helped cement the approach in our kitchens. In his book Freezer Door Cocktails, J.M brings 75 recipes for batched and ready cocktails to have on hand next to your ice trays: from classics like Espresso Martinis and Manhattans to a Mexican Old Fashioned or Paper Plane. Plus there’s an extra cocktail recipe paired with each batched drink to “double the fun.”
Four Bonus Drinks Books!
Kindred Spirits: Cocktails for Two from Stephanie Wahler makes date-night-in fun with 40 recipes paired with suggested activities.
From sociologist Dr. Nicole Nice is The Cocktail Parlor: How Women Brought the Cocktail Home, shining a light on how women have shaped cocktail culture over time and still today.
Also from the Darra Goldstein/Cortney Burns/Richard Martin trio, Preserved: Drinks offers recipes for infusing spirits, making your own amaro, and more.
Jim Meehan has given us some of the most-reference cocktail books over the years, and now with The Bartender's Pantry turns his sights on what’s already in your larder, with recipes from some of the nation’s top bartenders.
🕺 For Someone Who's Always on TikTok While in the Kitchen
The Mythical Cookbook: 10 Simple Rules for Cooking Deliciously, Eating Happily, and Living Mythically by Josh Scherer
If you asked an alien arriving on Earth to watch TikTok and YouTube and write a cookbook, this might be it. The self-dubbed “larger-than-life-team” at the Mythical Kitchen presents its first cookbook with chef Josh Scherer at the helm. Josh, who hosts the hit YouTube show “Last Meals” and the podcast “A Hot Dog is a Sandwich” offers us way-outside-the-box recipes: Fruity Pebble Pancakes, Animal-Style Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Pop Tart Lava Cakes. It’s a wild book filled with nostalgic ingredients, “profound life advice,” and honestly I might only make two things from it but I love it nonetheless.
Five Bonus TikTok-y Books!
Fans of “The Bear” rejoice as Matty Matheson is back with a new cookbook, Matty Matheson: Soups, Salads, Sandwiches.
Jenny Martinez’s My Mexican Mesa, Y Listo! earned over a million views on her first day on TikTok; her debut book is a bright, joyful catalog of home-style Mexican recipes.
Stacked from creator and “Sandwich King” Owen Han, with his twists on classic sandwiches (definition: “anything that can be stacked and held in your hand.”)
Known online as QCP, Gianluca Conte’s debut cookbook, Italian/American offers straightforward recipes drawing from his Naples heritage and his American upbringing.
Stephen Colbert is not a TikToker, per se, but he’s very funny and it shines through in his cookbook Does This Taste Funny? with his wife Evie McGee Colbert. Love the cover shot from Eric Wolfinger!
🧘 For Someone Who Wants a Little Zen with Their Zucchini
Wafu Cooking: Everyday Recipes with Japanese Style by Sonoko Sakai
Friend of the podcast Sonoko Sakai is back with her latest: Wafu Cooking. The term “wafu” translates to “Japanese style” and here Sonoko delightfully presents a new kind of fusion, with Japanese ingredients at techniques clearly at the core. Having lived in New York, Los Angeles, Mexico, and other places, Sonoko’s global eye is leveraged nicely here. Many recipes have a clear American influence: Dashi Cheese Grits with Honey Miso Butter and Shio Koji Marinated Roast Chicken. Others take on a classic dish like fish & chips, swapping in lotus for the potatoes, or a real stunner: Sonoko’s French Onion Soup which she tops with cheesy mochi toast! Wow. Sonoko also reminds us of the versatility of the “building blocks” of Japanese cuisine (dashi, miso, and soy sauce) to give a “wafu twist” to home cooking.
Four Bonus Cookbooks for Meditative Cooking!
Building a stunning charcuterie-style board might cause some anxiety, but with stylist Bebe Carminito’s The Curated Board on hand, it can become quite meditative and intentional. Cheers, Bebe!
From chef Jeremy Salamon of Brooklyn’s Agi’s Counter is Second Generation. It’s a heartwarming book about his culinary relationship with his grandmothers and 100 Hungarian recipes.
Friend of the show read an excerpt from her newest, Chinese Enough, on the main stage of Cookbook Fest this summer about her relationship with her grandparents. The book has touching stories on identity, in addition to stunning savory recipes that blend Cantonese cooking and California produce with her “Midwestern sensibility.”
“King of Beans” Steve Sando (founder of Rancho Gordo bean company) has a new volume, The Bean Book, with a guide to 50 bean varieties and comforting recipes to showcase them.
🔥 For the Person Who Dreams of Cooking Over an Open Fire in Patagonia
Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking--125 Recipes from the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Ocean Islands by Von Diaz
Of course the adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover” should not apply to Von Diaz’s latest cookbook, Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking. Behind the mesmerizing cover shot is an impressive collection (impressive, but not surprising as Von is a food historian and documentarian) of the stories and recipes of tropical island cuisines from the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans. It’s a deep book with moving profiles and far more recipes than just live-fire ones, but the Grilling, Roasting & Smoking chapter is worth a real shout-out. Take Poulet Boucané (Sugarcane Smoked Chicken) from Martinique or Pwason Griye (Grilled Red Snapper) from Seychelles.
Four Bonus Cookbooks for Grilling + Barbecueing!
Celebrity chef Tyler Florence tells us his latest cookbook, American Grill, is his most personal yet. That’s because he loves home grilling and barbecuing and walks you through his approaches here.
We stan friend of the pod Gaby Dalkin and this year’s book, What’s Gaby Cooking: Grilling All The Things brings her signature crave-able California approach to grills, smokers, pizza ovens, and more.
Get really out of the house with Out There: A Camper Cookbook from recipe developer Lee Kalpakis, who has been living off-grid in the Catskill Mountains for the last 14 years.
I’m not a hunter but I come from a family of them and Steven Rinella is, I think, like the Ina Garten of wild game? In The MeatEater Outdoor Cookbook, Rinella walks through how to approach everything from venison to beaver.
—
Phew! I’m sure I’ve forgotten to include 1, 2, or 10 books I also loved this year—and if it’s your book, I’m sorry! 2024 was a fun year in cookbooks and I’m already excited about some of the 2025 titles on the horizon. 📚
Thank you Brian :) :) :)
thank you for including salty cheesy!!!! means so much . . . ❤️