MASA, BY JORGE GAVIRIA; CHRONICLE BOOKS, 2022
Subtitled “Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple,” this important title by Masienda founder Jorge Gaviria tells us everything we need to know about one of the most essential ingredients in the world — including how to shape it into tortillas, tlacoyos, sopes, and 26 other shapes. A must for chefs and enthusiasts. Read our review.
$33 at Bookshop - buy now
$32 at Amazon - buy now
MASTERING THE ART OF CHINESE COOKING, BY EILEEN YIN-FEI LO, CHRONICLE BOOKS, 2009
This encyclopedic book by the late, great Eileen Yin-Fei Lo is a must-have resource for aficionados. Essential intelligence about ingredients and techniques, with more than 150 recipes. Try a recipe.
$3 at Apple Books - buy now
$3 on Kindle - buy now
MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING, VOLUMES 1 AND 2, BY JULIA CHILD, KNOPF, 1961, 1970
Julia Child’s essential 2-volume set. Of course I love Julia — she taught me to cook! Try a sample recipe.
$59 at Amazon - buy now
MASTERING THE ART OF JAPANESE HOME COOKING, , BY MORIMOTO, ECCO, 2016
I don't always love chef cookbooks, but Morimoto's is simple, approachable, excellent and his recipes work; it is genuinely geared to home cooks. His recipe for Sake Shioyaki (salt-grilled salmon), for instance, is nothing more than a skin-on, center-cut salmon fillet cut crosswise into 4 portions, sprinkled all over with salt, left to sit uncovered in the fridge for an hour, rinse, dried and broiled. “The magic is in the details,” he writes; advising us to buy the best wild salmon we can get our hands on. The book is organized by cooking method, a natural division in Japanese cooking, The sections on dashi and rice are great places to start.
$41 at Bookshop - buy now
$31 at Amazon - buy now
MOTHER GRAINS: RECIPES FOR THE GRAIN REVOLUTION, BY ROXANA JULLAPAT, NORTON, 2021
This essential book from renowned L.A. baker Roxana Jullapat (co-owner of Friends & Family) eloquently explicates the grain revolution. Organized around 8 “mother grains” (barley, buckwheat, corn, oats, rice, rye, sorghum and wheat), it’s filled with fabulous recipes that will change the way you think about baking. Read our review.
$37 at Bookshop - buy now
$30 at Amazon - buy now
THE MOZZA COOKBOOK, BY NANCY SILVERTON WITH MATT MOLINA AND CAROLYNN CARREÑO, KNOPF, 2011
Nancy Silverton's L.A. restaurant is one of our faves in the country, and its flavors shine in this wonderful book. A must for budding and experienced pizzaioli. It’s also where you find Mozza favorites, such as Nancy’s Chopped Salad (which, 13 years after the book was published, has become ubiquitous in Italian and Italian-ish restaurants throughout the U.S.). Silverton’s iconic Butterscotch Budino with Caramel Sauce and Maldon Sea Salt is here, too.
$32 at Bookshop - buy now
$16 at Amazon - buy now
MY KOREA: TRADITIONAL FLAVORS, MODERN RECIPES, BY HOONI KIM, NORTON, 2020
Michelin-starred chef Hooni Kim's inviting is the authoritative Korean book we've long been waiting for. Read our review.
$37 at Bookshop - buy now
$28 at Amazon - buy now
THE NEW BOOK OF MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD, BY CLAUDIA RODEN, KNOPF, 2007
Claudia Roden’s groundbreaking 1972 cookbook — her first — was expanded to more than 800 recipes in its third edition. Unlike her more recent books, it sticks pretty closely to tradition, so it’s an outstanding source for researching. The book includes photos of only 24 of the dishes, so if you need visuals, this isn’t the book for you. If you’re looking for something authoritative and comprehensive, it is for you. Try a recipe.
$51 at Bookshop - buy now
$34 at Amazon - buy now
OTTOLENGHI SIMPLE, BY YOTAM OTTOLENGHI WITH TARA WIGLEY AND ESME HOWARTH, TEN SPEED PRESS, 2018
This is probably my favorite book from the Israel-born London super-chef. If you’ve ever been frustrated with the number of (sometimes hard-to-source) ingredients in, say, Plenty, but you love his flavors and vibe, this is for you. Read our review.
$32 at Bookshop - buy now
$22 at Amazon - buy now
THE PERFECT SCOOP, BY DAVID LEBOVITZ, TEN SPEED PRESS, 2007
The Paris-based former Chez Panisse pastry chef is the undisputed king of ice cream. His recipes are great for following to a T, but they're also imminently riffable. Read our review.
$23 at Bookshop - buy now
$22 at Amazon - buy now
THE RISE: BLACK COOKS AND THE SOUL OF AMERICAN FOOD, BY MARCUS SAMUELSSON WITH OSAYI ENDOLYN, RECIPES WITH YEWANDE KOMOLAFE AND TAMIE COOK; LITTLE, BROWN, 2020
Marcus Samuelsson is one of the most talented and accomplished chefs of our time, and his recipes — inspired by Black chefs, activists and cooks — are thrilling. Osayi Endolyn’s essays about those cooks and activists are wonderful, enlightening reads. Read our review.
$35 at Bookshop - buy now
$32 at Amazon - buy now
ROOT TO LEAF, BY STEVEN SATTERFIELD, HARPER, 2015
This inspiring book from Atlanta chef Steven Satterfield (Miller Union) is filled with simple yet brilliant ideas. It’s a delicious treat for produce-worshipping cooks. Try a sample recipe.
$45 at Bookshop - buy now
$25 at Amazon - buy now
SIMPLE: EFFORTLESS FOOD, BIG FLAVORS, BY DIANA HENRY, MITCHELL BEAZLEY, 2016
At once easygoing and aspirational, Diana Henry’s 10th book is filled with the kind of dishes that are weeknight-doable and delightful enough for company. To date, I’ve used it more for inspiration (as in this recipe) than anything else, but I’m terribly attached to it. $31 at Bookshop - buy now
$22 at Amazon - buy now
SIMPLE THAI FOOD, BY LEELA PUNYARATABANDHU, TEN SPEED PRESS, 2014
Focused squarely on Thai home cooking, Leela Punyaratabandhu’s primer is one of our favorite cookbooks ever. Read our review.
$23 at Bookshop - buy now
$15 at Amazon - buy now
SWEET: DESSERTS FROM LONDON'S OTTOLENGHI, BY YOTAM OTTOLENGHI AND HELEN GOH, TEN SPEED PRESS, 2017
Cookies, cakes, tarts, confections and yes, lots of meringue-y things, fill the delectable pages of the 2017 book by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. Try a sample recipe.
$32 at Bookshop - buy now
$17 at Amazon - buy now
THAI FOOD, BY DAVID THOMPSON, TEN SPEED PRESS, 2002
The fact that this book is still in print more than two decades after it was first published speaks to how outstanding and important a work it is. Australian chef David Thompson, whose erstwhile London restaurant, Nahm, was the first Thai restaurant in Europe to earn a Michelin star, spent ten years researching and writing it. He dedicated it to his Thai husband and business partner, Tanongsak Yordwai. The book does not fall into the trap of being cheffy, though. The first third of the 675-page volume is dedicated to exploring and explaining the ingredients, traditions and techniques and regional differences of Thai cuisine, and the second part delves into the recipes, beginning with a section on fundamentals. Thai food lovers wanting to dive into the cuisine would do well to arm themselves with this invaluable book; Leela Punyaratabandhu’s friendly, approachable Simple Thai Food (see above) would make an excellent companion volume.
$42 at Bookshop - buy now
$33 at Amazon - buy now
TU CASA MI CASA: MEXICAN RECIPES FOR THE HOME COOK, BY ENRIQUE OLVERA, LUIS ARELLANO, GONZALO GOÛT AND DANIELA SOTO-INNES, PHAIDON, 2019
If I could only own one book on Mexican cooking, this would be it. Read our review.
$37 at Bookshop - buy now
$36 at Amazon - buy now
THE VEGAN CHINESE KITCHEN: RECIPES AND MODERN STORIES FROM A THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD TRADITION, BY HANNAH CHE, CLARKSON POTTER, 2022
Detroit native Hannah Che, now Taiwan-based, spent years in China, eventually studying at the only vegetarian cooking school in the country. Her gorgeous volume (she’s also the photographer) is as appealing to gastronomic-minded omnivores as it is to vegans. It was one of our Best New Cookbooks of 2022. Read our review.
$33 at Bookshop - buy now
$27 at Amazon - buy now
VEGETABLES UNLEASHED, BY JOSÉ ANDRÉS AND MATT GOULDING, ECCO, 2019
Superhero chef José Andrés unleashes his powers on the vegetable kingdom, and the results are delectable. This one's great for experienced cooks, who will appreciate Andrés' technique-driven approach. Read our review.
$37 at Bookshop - buy now
$26 at Amazon - buy now
VEGETARIAN INDIA, BY MADHUR JAFFREY, KNOPF, 2015
Madhur Jaffrey’s 2015 classic is one of our all-time faves. Read our review.
$38 at Amazon - buy now
VIETNAMESE FOOD ANY DAY, BY ANDREA NGUYEN, TEN SPEED PRESS, 2019
Andrea Nguyen is the undisputed queen of Vietnamese home cooking in America, from experienced cooks who grew up in Vietnam to those just diving in. Read more. Watch our Q & A with the author.
$23 at Bookshop - buy now
$22 at Amazon - buy now
THE WOKS OF LIFE, BY BILL, JUDY, SARAH AND KAITLIN LEUNG, CLARKSON POTTER, 2022
The Leung family behind the wonderful cooking website of the same name brings us this vivacious volume of Chinese and Chinese-American favorites. Read our review.
$33 at Bookshop - buy now
$28 at Amazon - buy now
VIA CAROTA, BY JODY WILLIAMS AND RITA SODI WITH ANNA KOVEL, KNOPF, 2022
From one of my favorite restaurants anywhere — Jody Williams and Rita Sodi’s Italian Greenwich Village spot — comes one of my favorite cookbooks ever. It was Cooks Without Borders' 2022 Cookbook of the Year. Read our review.
$37 at Bookshop - buy now
$26 at Amazon - buy now
ZAYTINYA: DELICIOUS MEDITERRANEAN DISHES FROM GREECE, TURKEY, AND LEBANON BY JOSÉ ANDRÉS, ECCO, 2024
This 2024 title from superhero chef José Andrés is outstanding — one of our favorite new titles in recent years. Read our review.
$42 at Bookshop - buy now
$30 at Amazon - buy now
ZUNI CAFE COOKBOOK, BY JUDY RODGERS, W.W. NORTON, 2002
As a cook, I learned so much from the late, great Judy Rodgers, whom I consider one of the great chef-restaurateurs and cookbook authors of all time. She was chef-owner, of course, of San Francisco's Zuni Cafe, which continues to thrill diners with its famous roast chicken. When I'm seeking inspiration, this is often the book I grab, as I adore the aesthetic.
$37 at Bookshop - buy now
