These Are The 19 Best Cookbooks Of 2023 So Far
It's our business to be on top of food trends, right? So, you know that we've spent hours poring over all the newest cookbooks that we can get our sticky fingers on. There are so many new offerings coming out this year that we can barely keep up. And if that's our job, what about everyone who just dabbles in food as a hobby? How are you supposed to get through the stacks and stacks of the newest releases?
Fear not, brave home cooks. We've taken the liberty of rounding up a few of our favorites that have been published so far this year for your perusal. Topics range from every specialty diet possible to deep dives into some of our favorite foods on the planet, including bao, croissants, and yogurt. Please keep in mind that there are so many more upcoming cookbooks that we can't wait to read — these are a sampling of the gorgeous texts available in 2023.
Sweet Enough by Alison Roman
Self-described as having a "rustic" and "unkempt" recipe style, Alison Roman delights in easy desserts that still manage to wow. "Sweet Enough" is her homage to baking that doesn't need to be perfect, just delicious. Roman's book is aimed at experienced bakers, those who are just starting out, and those who are more confident with the effortless adaptability of cooking as opposed to the science of baking. She guides readers through the baking processes while encouraging them to take a casual approach to desserts by simplifying difficult techniques and embracing imperfections.
The recipes range from one-bowl cakes, simply swirling oven-made your best homemade jam through ice cream, and the delicious-sounding caramelized maple tart, all written with ease in mind rather than having her readers spend hours in the kitchen. Roman's goal is to teach people how to bake for the enjoyment of eating without all the fuss that readers have come to expect.
Table for Two by Bre Graham
There are many times when you might want to make something extra special for just one person — your significant other, your bestie, or your mom. And a particularly impressive or romantic dish shouldn't need to feed a tableful. Bre Graham's latest cookbook, "Table for Two", takes that idea and shows you just how everyday cooking can actually be something quite special, whether you choose to make her crab cakes or something far quicker, like the canned artichoke fettuccine.
Graham's cookbook pays particular attention to the simplest pleasures of everyday food and the joy of eating with someone you genuinely connect to — cloth napkins and using your good plates are just the beginning. Her recipes often add simple upgrades, elevating them from basic to something outstanding. Rather than just serving up the same scrambled eggs again, the simple addition of brown butter and crispy sage makes an everyday dinner extraordinary and unforgettable.
Eating From Our Roots by Maya Feller
Maya Feller is a widely-recognized nutritional expert and registered dietician, appearing on Good Morning America, and working closely with Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP brand on wellness initiatives. If you're in the market for a healthy eating cookbook that recognizes the intersection of food and culture, "Eating from Our Roots" is a terrific choice. Feller wrote the cookbook to fill a gap in the market; most nutrition-based books don't take into account food access, culture, or race. Having previously published a cookbook focusing on diabetic meals with Southern flavors, she then decided to expand to something still nutritionally sound but with a larger cultural background.
Working with a number of chefs, Feller brings together a collection of recipes ranging from quick and easy to more involved dishes that take time to prepare. The recipes are drawn from cultures around the world, all chosen for their nutritional value and ability to adapt to the reader's particular specifications.
Cooking for the Culture by Toya Boudy
If you're not familiar with Toya Boudy, you're missing out on some of the best soul food we've seen in a long time. A familiar face on the Food Network, Boudy is a New Orleans-born and raised chef who was crowned America's Best Home Chef by the Hallmark Channel in 2017. Boudy's energetic personality makes her a natural on television but her love of Southern-style food shines in her cookbooks the most.
"Cooking for the Culture" is a collection of recipes that shows readers the heart of New Orleans through both food and Boudy's stories of growing up in the Black culture that only a city like that can provide. The cookbook not only contains some of her competition-winning recipes, but it also showcases recipes that are treasured by Boudy's family itself. A cookbook infused with personal stories, it reads like a memoir and a mouth-watering menu at the same time.
Mayumu by Abi Balingit
Like so many other authors on this list, Abi Balingit really found her cooking groove during the pandemic. Baking nostalgic fusion desserts for her friends and neighbors, starting a blog to share those same recipes, and finally posting pics of lush Filipino desserts on Twitter, led to her being discovered by her editor. And out of those stunning lockdown baking pics, "Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed" was born.
Balingit focuses on using traditional Filipino ingredients like the purple yam, ube, in her recipes, but if you have access to a decent Asian market, none of the recipes will be out of reach. As well, the author reframes most of the traditional recipes with definite American touches — rice cakes infused with Oreos or adobo chocolate chip cookies. This is a stunningly colorful cookbook for those of you who yearn for something different yet still approachable and utterly delicious.
Vietnam Morning to Midnight by Jerry Mai
More Asian food, this time iconic Vietnamese dishes and street food that are enjoyed in a typical day. From early morning pho and bahn mi to cold noodle salad, Mai covers the quintessential foods that locals eat. And "Vietnam: Morning to Midnight " doesn't just cover meals — the snack section includes gorgeous rice paper rolls and savory pancakes that might make you late for dinner. Building off of her first cookbook that focused solely on Vietnamese street food, Mai has added more traditional home-cooked foods to this offering including loads of shareable dishes that are perfect for a communal dining experience.
Mai is known for her command of barbecued meat and diversity of pho offerings, which she delivers with aplomb and affection. And if you feel out of your depth with Vietnamese ingredients and techniques, Chef Mai has a brilliant Instagram where she talks viewers through everything from fish sauce to mistakes you're making with rice.
The Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler
If, like us, you've been struggling with food waste, this cookbook should pique your interest. Not only are food prices prohibitively expensive but more food than ever is going to waste — more than 40% of the comestibles we buy end up in the garbage. A bit part of that waste comes down to consumers and home cooks not knowing what to do with all those leftovers.
Fortunately, Tamar Adler is here to help. And when we say she wants to help, we're not kidding. "The Everlasting Meal" contains more than 1,500 recipes that will help you to figure out what to do with almost anything you have hanging around your kitchen from your lunch burrito to a handful of potato chip crumbs. Not much is off limits here, as long as you're willing to see the possibilities offered by a couple of stale donuts (a truly delicious bread pudding, actually).
Win Son Presents a Taiwanese American Cookbook by Josh Ku, Trigg Broan, and Cathy Erway
From the minds of Brooklyn's Win Son and Win Son Bakery comes their first cookbook, a celebration of Taiwanese-American dishes, so home cooks can whip up some dishes without having to wait in their location's block-long lines. The East Williamsburg institution has shown American eaters the delight that is Taiwanese food, American style. "Win Son Presents: A Taiwanese American Cookbook" celebrates both the island nation's cuisine as well as highlighting the Brooklyn eatery's best dishes, each vibrant and incredibly delicious.
The book features over 100 accessible recipes, which isn't always easy for creative Asian cooking, making it a decent entry point for food lovers looking to expand their repertoire. Win Son's owners, Trigg Brown and Josh Ku, take Taiwanese food seriously, using the restaurant and the cookbook as an opportunity to demystify both the nation and the food with love.
A Cook's Book by Nigel Slater
A well-known and well-loved British food writer, Nigel Slater's books are always quite a bit more than just a compendium of recipes. In the introduction to the book, Slater himself admits that he is a "cook who writes", as evidenced by the sheer amount of his work. This latest tome, "A Cook's Book", is evidence of his love for both food and words, weighing in at more than 500 pages, each page filled with reminiscences, knowledge, and just sheer adoration of food.
Slater's 19th cookbook contains over 200 recipes but some are considered his "greatest hits," making this a perfect place to start if you're new to the world of Nigel Slater. If you're a longtime fan, you might want to pick it up just for the stories and truly pleasurable writing. The recipes themselves range from simple weeknight dinners to more involved affairs, all described in soulful detail in Slater's inimitable style.
Mother Tongue by Gurdeep Loyal
Another British entry, this entry also has the distinction of being written with the Indian identity in mind. Gurdeep Loyal challenges what authentic Indian food is, particularly in the UK. Delving into Punjabi and South Asian food, in particular, Loyal combines flavors and ingredients in non-traditional ways that still make us salivate. As a British Indian, Loyal straddles both cultures with grace in this offering by combining flavors from both cultures to make one cohesive taste that still manages to celebrate "otherness."
Not packed with many unobtainable spices, the recipes in "Mother Tongue: Flavours of a Second Generation" all offer delightfully authentic tastes and techniques, while appealing to home cooks who might not have a lot of experience with Indian cooking. Written with the second generation of migrants in mind, it also appeals to those of us who just appreciate the taste, color, and flavors of spectacular Indian dishes.
Salt of the Earth by Carolina Doriti
It's hard to imagine anyone who isn't enthralled by Mediterranean food, everything sun-warmed, lush, and delicious. Carolina Doriti's newest Greek cookbook, "Salt of the Earth, " takes a personal turn by sharing some of the chef's most beloved recipes and anecdotes, making the sunlit paradise seem all the more accessible through food. Not only does she explain local ingredients, but she also walks the reader through some traditional techniques for the most authentic experience. Trust us when we say that the pages honestly seem to be drenched in sunlight and sparkling seawater; we were ready to book a flight after just flipping through a few pages.
Doriti's love for the country is evident here, from the glowing descriptions of the ingredients used to her loving understanding of the traditions and history of Greece, and Grecian food in particular. From orzo with mussels, saffron, and ouzo to baked feta in filo with honey-tahini dressing, Doriti's love of the country shines through in every recipe she presents.
The Art of Friday Night Dinner by Eleanor Steafel
So, you made it through that long, hectic, thankless week. What are you going to eat to make it all better? If you're into food, and we know you are, then Friday night might hold a special place in your heart (and tummy). It's time to put on comfortable pants, crack open something sparkling, and get your snack on with friends. Want to hang out alone? Eleanor Steafel has you covered with superb thoughts on the perfection of a martini for one. Start there and work your way up to hosting a big bash with snacks and nibbles, or more, for your dearest friends.
Friday nights are, at least symbolically, the time we shed our salaryman uniforms and let loose with friends. With more than 100 recipes for everything that will sate your hard-working soul, you owe it to yourself to celebrate the time off, no matter when your weekend starts, with "The Art of Friday Night Dinner."
Cucina di Amalfi by Ursula Ferrigno
Italian cooking differs greatly from one end of the country to the other, even from one town to another. Author Ursula Ferrigno's family comes from the south of Italy, just below Naples, on the gorgeous Amalfi coast and there's no doubt that she understands the magic of the region. With a focus on vegetable dishes, Ferrigno highlights everything ripe and gorgeously fresh along the coast of one of the areas most beloved for its food. That coastline also means that the book is full of seafood, as well as many extraordinary pizza, bread, and pasta recipes.
Many of the recipes in "Cucina di Amalfi" use minimal ingredients and even the more involved ones use things that most home cooks can find easily, like capers or bucatini pasta. Whip up a few tomato and olive tarts, close your eyes, and imagine that you can hear the waves washing up on the beach.
Indian Flavor Everyday by Maya Kaimal
A different take on Indian food than the previous entry, Maya Kaimal's cookbook, "Indian Flavor Every Day," takes a more traditional approach to dishes while also showing readers how to integrate those same flavors into their meals. Instead of going all-in on Indian food, what if you added a few new spices to dishes that are already in your regular rotation? You're already eating steamed broccoli, why not amp it up with a crispy ginger-cumin tarka? Her suggestion to add a little garam masala to some boring cookie dough sounds like a terrific idea to us.
Kaimal's book will show you how to master a few traditional Indian recipes certainly, but it will also give you the confidence to spread those new spices far and wide in your own cooking. For those of us craving Indian food at home, this cookbook delivers delicious food without demanding an entire pantry full of exotic ingredients.
First, Cream the Butter and Sugar by Emelia Jackson
Much like "Sweet Enough", Emelia Jackson's "First, Cream the Butter and Sugar" endeavors to take the mystery out of baking. However, her book also plumbs the depths of baking in a much more thorough way. Do you really need to sift flour and icing sugar? Do you really need to wait for your eggs to reach room temperature? Jackson simplifies baking in order to make it easy for everyone. And we mean everyone.
This volume gives you all the instructions you'll need to start baking like an old hand, almost immediately. With over 150 recipes, even the most cupcake-shy will find something to start with, from basic cookies and tarts to the more advanced choux and yeast-based bakes.
Jackson wants you to love baking as much as she does, using it for stress relief and enjoyment, just as it should be. Our advice? Start with the dulce de leche sandwich cookies — they're just as easy as they are delicious.
Cucina Povera by Giulia Scarpaleggia
If you love Italian cooking (who doesn't?) but you're looking for something more authentic, more old school, give this cookbook a try. "Cucina Povera" specifically focuses on peasant cooking that is both delicious and nostalgic. Peasant cooking exemplifies the idea of "making do" and in this case, taking what you have and turning it into something spectacular. Utilizing cheaper cuts of meat and fish, beans and lentils, leftovers, and anything from the garden, peasant food still manages to be both nutritious and filling without sacrificing the incredible taste that Italian food is known for.
Not only are the recipes budget-friendly, but they're also incredibly easy to make, relying on a handful of simple ingredients from pantry staples to cheaper cuts of meat to foraged delights. On top of that, the offerings are pretty healthy, relying on fish, veggies, and legumes for the majority of the dishes.
Ed Mitchell's Barbeque by Ed Mitchell and Ryan Mitchell
Ed Mitchell has long been an important figure in American barbeque. Starting in his teens, Mitchell is now widely regarded as a true "pitmaster" specializing in whole-hog barbequing. Teaming up with his son Ryan, Mitchell's newest cookbook is part instruction manual and part biography, exploring the roots of North Carolina barbeque techniques.
If you're just starting with this cooking style, you're in for an educational and tasty treat. On top of that, the Mitchells have begun focusing on sauces and condiments that use no added sugar after Ed was diagnosed with pre-diabetes in 2017. Committing to his health and the many members of his community struggling with the same issues, he revamped many of his recipes to lose unnecessary sugar while still honoring his legacy as pitmaster. This cookbook showcases those upgraded recipes and spotlights the history of the family corner store, now called Mitchell's Ribs, Chicken, and B-B-Q.
A Middle Eastern Pantry by Lior Lev Sercarz
Chef Lior Lev Sercarz explores the flavors of the Middle East in "A Middle Eastern Pantry: Essential Ingredients for Classic and Contemporary Recipes." His approach can be enjoyed as a complete newbie or just furthering a committed love for the cuisine. Sercarz is widely regarded as an expert when it comes to spices and his new cookbook digs deep into everything and anything you need for a full-fledged Middle Eastern-style pantry. Before opening La Boîte à Epice, his New York City spice business, in 2006, Israeli-born Sercarz trained and worked as a chef in France.
This gorgeously photographed tome takes the home cook through the entire Middle Eastern region, discovering one spice after another. Ranging from accessible blends like za'atar to the more unknown, like tart unripened mango chutney known as amba, Sercarz leaves no stone unturned while guiding readers through not only the spices of the region but also introducing them to dishes that highlight them best.
Danny Loves Pasta by Danny Freeman
Not just content to publish a cookbook packed with a treasure trove of TikTok-worthy dinner dishes, Danny Freeman's offering also shows readers how to make the pasta themselves. And not just any pasta, either. This book is full of colorfully patterned dough, turned into delightfully creative shapes, that get filled or sauced in the most joyous ways possible.
A quick look through Freeman's social media reveals his enthusiasm for all things pasta — especially anything a step beyond strands of ivory-colored noodles. Grimace, Danny Devito, and Tina Belcher-shaped ravioli are just the beginning for Freeman. "Danny Loves Pasta" takes something that a lot of home cooks shy away from and makes it look simple and worth the effort. If you're not up to advanced pasta portraits, the book is still crammed with loads of delicious-sounding dishes, many of which can be whipped up on short notice.