The Most Exciting New Cookbooks for Fall 2017

Summer Fridays are coming to an end, you've had it with ice cream for dinner and yes, admit it, you're ready for a pumpkin spice anything. And with the change in season comes that moment when you find yourself venturing back into the kitchen, ready to turn on the stove now that the summer heat is over. Here are 37 of fall's best new cookbooks, because you can't go back to school without a bagful of books.

ALL-AROUND GOLD

Martha Stewart's Slow Cooker

Editors of Martha Stewart Living (August 29, $26)

Adding to an already-impressive cookbook lineup, the Martha Stewart team proves you don't need 17 pots and pans to build layers of flavor. And it's not just for soups and stews: You can't help but love an appliance that can pump out baby back ribs and a blueberry cornmeal buckle with equally fantastic results.

Milk Street

Christopher Kimball (September 12, $40)

You already know and trust him from his years leading the way on America's Test Kitchen. Now, he's adding a different kind of spice to life—literally—with a pantry full of ingredients like togarashi, garam masala and baharat. As he writes in the introduction, "Ethnic cooking is dead. We are all simply making dinner." Through his recipes and research, he aims to connect us all.

Federal Donuts

Mike Solomonov and Steven Cook (September 26, $17)

This one's equal parts comic book, comedy show and comestibles, with recipes for doughnuts and fried chicken from the Philadelphia-based shop. Case in point: The book closes with The Fednuts Workout, which involves doing squats with a chicken sandwich in each hand and planking while balancing a box of doughnuts.

Dinner in an Instant

Melissa Clark (October 17, $22)

Just seven months after the release of her game-changing book, Dinner, the cookbook author and New York Times columnist is at it again. Pressure cookers, multicookers and Instant Pots are all the rage in today's kitchens, but she's ensuring you don't have to sacrifice flavor for lack of effort. Green Persian rice with tahdig, lemon verbena crème brûlée and hearty osso bucco are all good starting points.

Le Creuset

Le Creuset (October 17, $35)

You already know and love the gorgeous enameled cast-iron cookware, and now it's time to put it to use. The team behind the brand shares timeless recipes for classically French cuisine, because we all know that pommes frites made in your Dutch oven sounds infinitely better than saying "I made french fries for dinner."

Photo: Peter Frank Edwards, Courtesy of Le Creuset

Smitten Kitchen Every Day

Deb Perelman (October 24, $35)

The widely beloved blogger calls her second book "a celebration of breakfast, dinner, cake and everything in between." Here, Perelman leads by example to show that cooking for your family doesn't have to be stressful or agonizing, especially when it includes jam-filled scones, sheet pan meals and sandwiches that boldly declare themselves dinner.

America the Great Cookbook

Joe Yonan (October 31, $40)

Chefs around the country—think Mario Batali, Carla Hall and Dan Barber—share the dishes that make them tick, as well as the stories behind them. It's a cross section of and a love letter to the state of our national cuisine, with recipes like pink deviled eggs from Ruth Reichl and fried chicken with red velvet waffles from Marcus Samuelsson.

Photo: Lottie Hedley

Bread Is Gold

Massimo Bottura (November 6, $40)

He might own 2016's number one-ranked restaurant in the world, but Bottura wants you to know that "to feed the planet, first you have to fight the waste." And to do that, he tasked 45 top chefs including Alex Atala and Alain Ducasse to create budget-friendly meals for the masses using often-overlooked ingredients. The result will make you both hungry and ready to take on the world's food-waste dilemma.

CHEFS OFF THE LINE

Offal Good

Chris Cosentino and Michael Harlan Turkell (August 29, $40)

The Cockscomb chef and Top Chef Masters winner poured his guts into this cookbook (pun intended), and it shows. There's no reason to be afraid of sweetbreads, especially when they're grilled and served with pickled green walnut salsa. The calf's brain with testicles dish reads like a dare ("Have a brain, and have a ball!" he says), but there's brown butter, so you know it'll be good.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner . . .  Life

Missy Robbins with Carrie King (September 19, $35)

Before she opened the always-booked Lilia in Brooklyn, Robbins was exploring what it meant for a professional chef to actually take time for herself. These are the simple, beautifully balanced recipes that sustained her in the process. Think winter citrus with pistachios and mint to start the day, and comforting polenta-crusted fried chicken inspired by Sean Brock to close it.

Cheers to the Publican, Repast and Present

Paul Kahan, Cosmo Goss & Rachel Holtzman (September 19, $40)

This book—the first from the chefs behind one of Chicago's most treasured spots—is one giant toast to convivial American cuisine. It reads like a constitution, complete with an Anti-Tweezer Manifesto, containing mantras like "product maketh the dish," and recipes for the barbecue carrots and sour beer-steamed mussels that have amassed devout followers.

Photo: Peden + Munk

Eleven Madison Park: The Next Chapter

Daniel Humm and Will Guidara (October 3, $250)

After a summer vacation in the Hamptons, the recently dubbed best restaurant in the world is reopening in its NYC home. The duo behind the restaurant is also dropping their sophomore cookbook, a two-volume effort with recipes, stunning photography, watercolor drawings and personal stories straight from the chefs.

The Chef and the Slow Cooker

Hugh Acheson (October 17, $30)

You could say Acheson is a busy human: He's a James Beard Award winner (for both a restaurant and a cookbook), has a family, is a judge on Top Chef and runs multiple successful restaurants across the South. So it should come as no surprise he's embracing this time-saving appliance with cheffed-up recipes for any time of day.

Homegrown

Matt Jennings (October 17, $35)

Never has there been a better time for New England cuisine, and anyone who's dined at the award-winning Townsman in Boston knows that Jennings is to thank. Recreate his twists on centuries-old classics by using seaweed to boost the brininess of clam chowder or adding Yankee flair to carbonara via razor clams and salt pork.

wd~50

Wylie Dufresne and Peter Meehan (October 17, $75)

The now-closed wd~50, the chef/mastermind behind it and the dishes themselves all defy definition. But this tome lets you bring some of the greatest hits back to life, like the egg-free fried mayonnaise or tofu-based instant noodles. Even if you don't feel like playing with molecular gastronomy ingredients like hexametaphosphate, there are plenty of accessible recipes and exclusive photos to keep you occupied.

State Bird Provisions

Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski with JJ Goode (October 24, $40)

Five years in and the Michelin-starred San Francisco restaurant is still going strong. Make the dishes that put this place on the map, like the fried quail that gave the restaurant its name and savory chanterelle pancakes with lardo and maple vinegar.

FRESHLY BAKED

The Perfect Cookie

America's Test Kitchen (August 29, $35)

This title likely means 100 different things to 100 different people. And the ATK team knows that, which is why they've aggregated 25 years of cookie-baking know-how  into one resourceful handbook. So not only will you learn how to make chewy sugar cookies or gingerbread people, you'll learn why they're chewy—and how to give them crisper edges, if that's more your taste.

Sweet

Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh (October 3, $35)

Ottolenghi fans have been in a full-on frenzy since he started a New York Times column with all things dessert. Now, they get a whole book of sweet recipes featuring the chef's signatures, like heady saffron, orange and honey madeleines; stunning floral cakes; and tahini-halva brownies that will ruin all other chocolate desserts for you.

Zingerman's Bakehouse

Amy Emberling and Frank Carollo (October 3, $30)

Anyone who's ever stepped foot in Ann Arbor, Michigan, knows the magnetic pull of this 25-year-old bakery. Its magic brownies are exactly that, and now you can recreate them at home—along with satisfying loaves of bread, Big O cookies (yes, that O) and famous coffee cake.

Modernist Bread

Nathan Myhrvold and Francisco Migoya (November 7, $625)

Where else can you get a glimpse of bread dough through a scanning electron microscope, learn all about wheat harvesting and get a recipe for a classic sandwich loaf all in the same book? The latest from the legendary Modernist Cuisine team is 2,500-plus pages of unadulterated carb-y wonder, peppered with fun facts like how brioche is actually lighter than whipped cream.

Photo: The Cooking Lab, LLC

Meyer's Bakery

Claus Meyer (November 7, $30)

The cofounder of Noma has all but taken over Grand Central Terminal in New York with his upscale restaurant, Agern, and Nordic food hall that makes you perfectly OK with missing your train in favor of a loaf of bread. With this book of 80 recipes, now you can make it home on time and have homemade bagels. 

The Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook

Jim Lahey and Maya Joseph (November 7, $35)

Lahey, the man behind this celebrated New York bakery, inspired novice and experienced bakers alike with his original no-knead bread recipe. His new book expands on that theme with simple, rustic methods for making sourdough at home and turning it into fuss-free sandwiches, pizzas and more.

Making Chocolate

Dandelion Chocolate (November 14, $40)

Bean-to-bar is the new farm-to-table, and no one does it better than the team behind San Francisco-based Dandelion Chocolate. The cover of their book alone is mesmerizing, but if you can snap out of it long enough, you'll find yourself equipped with all the techniques necessary for making chocolate, and then turning it into the best chocolate chip cookie or s'more you've ever had.

STAR POWER

Coming to My Senses

Alice Waters (September 5, $27)

The Chez Panisse chef helped define American cuisine as we know it today. Her highly anticipated memoir traces her path from suburban life in the 1950s to adventures abroad to embracing the rebellious spirit of Berkeley in the 70s. You'll get lost in her palpable passion, all the while learning about her love for rosé, her genius way to make mayo and that time she turned down a dinner with John Lennon.

The Home Cook

Alex Guarnaschelli (September 26, $35)

Beyond just being a Food Network star herself, Guarnaschelli comes from good stock: Her mom edited the 1997 version of classic cookbook The Joy of Cooking. Here, some 300 recipes for updated classics will weave their way into your daily rotation. She adds quinoa and allspice to oatmeal cookies, gives brisket a pastrami rub and puts rum in your chocolate pie.

Bringing It Home

Gail Simmons (October 24, $30)

The Top Chef judge has tasted her way around the globe and back, but in her first cookbook, she shows that you don't have to travel the world to cook like you have. Get her recipes for a pork and bean stew inspired by her Canadian upbringing, the pancakes she makes for her daughter and her genius Bloody Mary eggs.

Photo: Johnny Miller

Bobby Flay Fit

Bobby Flay, Stephanie Banyas and Sally Jackson (December 5, $32.50)

Survive the holidays with help from the infamous chef, and we don't mean with coma-inducing pasta dishes or cookies by the dozen. Instead, the Food Network host shows you healthy ways to add flavor to the foods you already love instead of succumbing to sad meals of a single romaine leaf.

DOWN THE HATCH

3-Ingredient Cocktails

Robert Simonson (September 26, $19)

The drinks expert and widely published journalist proves good things come in threes. You don't need to fill a grocery cart with fancy ingredients to make a knockout cocktail, whether it's a citrusy Harvey Wallbanger or the timeless Manhattan.

Champagne

Peter Liem (October 10, $80)

Get the flutes out: There's only one way to go about exploring this deep resource, and that's with a glass of bubbly in hand. It's complete with vintage vineyard maps, tips on serving and storage, and an in-depth look at the producers of the drink behind every engagement, birthday party and New Year's celebration.

Meehan's Bartender Manual

Jim Meehan (October 17, $40)

One of the most recognizable names in the bar world brings you the ultimate cocktail guide, complete with recipes, origin stories and hacks—because not owning an esoteric bottle of bitters shouldn't hold you back from a good drink. There are also floor plans of bars around the world and deep-cut cocktail facts for those who want to geek out.

Larousse Wine

Hamlyn (November 7, $60)

This update to the encyclopedia-like guide to all things wine answers questions about grapes and bottles you didn't even know you had. It makes the perfect gift for the wine nerd in your life.

BOOK A TRIP

The Grand Central Market Cookbook

Adele Yellin and Kevin West (October 3, $30)

You'll find a 100-year-old food hall in Downtown Los Angeles, but the food is anything but purely L.A. This book collects 85 of the recipes from that market into one place, like sumac beet soda from Madcapra and Nashville hot chicken from Horse Thief BBQ, and is woven throughout with history and interviews.

Istanbul & Beyond

Robyn Eckhardt (October 10, $35)

This beautifully photographed ode to Turkish cuisine takes you on a journey from bustling Istanbul to the beef- and dairy-rich northeast regions of Turkey, highlighting all the diverse sub-cuisines along the way. You'll learn how to make everything from refreshing corn-eggplant salad to sweet, walnut-stuffed kadayif, which will make you want to book a flight straight to the source.

Elizabeth Street Cafe

Tom Moorman and Larry McGuire with Julia Turshen (October 23, $40)

This widely loved Austin all-day café excels at both French desserts and Vietnamese dishes, so with its first cookbook in hand, you can have brioche French toast one day and spicy vegetarian pho the next.

Kaukasis

Olia Hercules (October 24, $35)

We were all adoring fans of Hercules's first book, and we're excitedly along for the ride in her latest one, which highlights cuisine from Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, Russia and Turkey.

POK POK The Drinking Food of Thailand

Andy Ricker and JJ Goode (October 31, $35)

Go on a booze-fueled adventure through the pages of Ricker's latest book, which brings you anecdotes and recipes inspired by his Portland, Oregon, restaurant, Whiskey Soda Lounge. Warning: The Thai-style fried chicken and kaffir lime-tinged fried peanuts will ruin you from the anybar's bowl of mixed nuts for life.

Kachka

Bonnie Frumkin Morales with Deena Prichep (November 14, $40)

The chef of the Portland restaurant of the same name returns to Russian cooking to prove cuisine of the former Soviet Union is worlds beyond merely a bowl of borscht. Start with one of the 10-plus ways to infuse a bottle of vodka, and you're sure to have a blast while making stuffed cabbage or throwing a dumpling feast of sour cherry-filled vareniki.