Cookbooks & Food Writing

Smitten Kitchen Keepers: New Classics for Your Forever Files
By Deb Perelman

Perelman excels at making accessible-but-interesting dishes that are delicious and satisfying. Her goal with her Smitten Kitchen blog has always been to create “recipes worth repeating” and although many of us believe she has already accomplished that (my stained and spattered copies of her first two books are testaments), it is the stated aim of her new book as well. And what a great collection it is! Standouts include Carrot Tarte Tatin, Crispy Oven- Pulled Pork, Fettuccine with White Ragú, Thick Molasses Spice Cookie, and Better-Than-Classic Pound Cake. No doubt, it’s a keeper.—S.B.

Tanya Holland’s California Soul
By Tanya Holland

California chef Tanya Holland (Brown Sugar Kitchen), showcases her inventive take on modern soul food and comfort classics in her fantastic new book. Local, sustainable, seasonal ingredients shine in dishes like Zucchini-Scallion Waffles with Toasted Pecan Romesco. Holland intersperses the recipes with stories about the African American migration from the Deep South to the West Coast. “The mix of personality, regional flavors, and history make for a winning combination.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review. —S.B.

First Generation: Recipes from My Taiwanese-American Home
By Frankie Gaw

This is one of the most beautiful cookbooks I’ve seen. There are so many gorgeous photos illustrating the tantalizing and accessible recipes you can make! Follow Frankie Gaw’s personal narrative while you make the perfect Red Pepper Scallion Pancakes (my personal favorite) for your next get-together, or maybe learn a new way to fold a dumpling. First Generation covers so many aspects of cooking—not just the ingredients, but the stories we create while using them. —MJ

The Mexican Vegetarian Cookbook
By Margarita Carrillo Arronte

My daughter is 8 and recently decided to become a vegetarian, which, even in veg-friendly Santa Cruz, has created some interesting culinary conundrums. We recently discovered El Cantaro, a vegetarian/vegan taqueria in Monterey, and have been hooked on trying to recreate the same depth of flavors at home. This cookbook gave us several great tips and recipes to help build flavorful dishes and have since incorporated several into our weekly routine. Highly recommended!—Ed

Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook
By Illyanna Maisonet
Foreword by Michael Twitty

I have been eagerly awaiting this debut cookbook from Maisonet, the first Puerto Rican food columnist in the US, and am thrilled that her bold (and often funny) voice is undiminished in Diasporican. As forces have dispersed generations of Puerto Ricans, food remains a vital thread—a connection that Maisonet explores through history, memory, and recipes. The result is a collection of delicious traditional dishes (with Taino, African, and Spanish influences) like Arroz con Gandules, pasteles, and the essential sofrito, as well as those that (by necessity or impact) incorporate ingredients from the diaspora. “A delicious journey through purpose, place, and the power of food.” —José Andrés. 
—S.B

Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals
By Melissa Clark

I love the heck out of Melissa Clark’s recipes in the New York Times, mostly because they are uniquely unfussy. So I was thrilled to learn she has a new book coming out, this one on one-pan meals. Yes, please! Clark has such a skill for making it easy for home cooks to create five-star meals without having to buy a million weird ingredients or dirtying tons of bowls unnecessarily. She’s my go-to on weeknights and any night I’m looking for something delicious and homey. Enjoy!  —Jax

Via Carota
By Jody Williams & Rita Sodi
with Anna Kovel

I have dreamt of eating at Via Carota for years, but now have the beloved Greenwich Village restaurant's glorious new cookbook to satiate me. Simple and colorful Italian dishes take us through the seasons, including a lovely Insalata di Cocomero (watermelon, red onions, and mint) for summer and Fagioli all’Uccelletto (cannellini with sage, tomato, and sausage) for fall. A very special book that I imagine I’ll be cooking from for years. —S.B.

(Serious) New Cook: Recipes, Tips, and Techniques
By Leah Su Quiroga & Cammie Kim Lin

Are you, or someone you know, a new cook who is hoping to learn to make those key dishes all the other cooks in your life seem to come up with so effortlessly? This is the book for you! Great pictures, engaging stories, and helpful hints abound. I think one of the funnest parts of learning to cook is finding out about the context and culture of food, and this book is the perfect introduction to it. Oh, and the Green Goddess dip is amazing. —Jax

Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple
By Jorge Gaviria

I was completely captivated by this beautiful book—a deep dive into the history and science behind masa, the dough produced from stone-ground corn which is transformed into tortillas, tostadas, and so much more. Gaviria’s pursuit of flavorful corn began in 2014 and took him to Oaxaca, where he connected with farmers who have been growing high-quality, heirloom varieties for generations. With Masa, he shares the history, cooking processes, and recipes (including waffles!) of this versatile staple ingredient. A terrific and definitive guide. —S.B.

Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
By Ina Garten

Ina Garten—also known as the Barefoot Contessa—is a household name across generations, and with good reason: Her recipes are easy-to-follow, delicious crowd pleasers. Her latest cookbook contains everyday go-to recipes that she turns to time and again. Garten dreamt up the theme for this cookbook during the pandemic, when she spent all her time at home and cooked dinner every single night. This practical cookbook includes lots of helpful tips for meal prepping, repurposing leftovers, and just generally simplifying dinner without sacrificing on flavor. —Jade

Mezcla: Recipes to Excite
By Ixta Belfrage

If you like bold flavors, lots of herbs, spices, chiles, and citrus, and mostly vegetable-based dishes, this collection is for you. Ixta Belfrage, who worked alongside Yotam Ottolenghi and coauthored a book with him, credits three countries for teaching her to love food: Italy, Brazil, and Mexico. In Mezcla (which means mix or blend), she celebrates the fusion of those cuisines (and more) with recipes for Everyday (Cheesy Polenta with Curried Onions), Entertaining (Chiles Rellenos with Salsa Roja Risotto) and The End (Miso Caramel Ice Cream Bomba). Exciting and dynamic food abounds! —S.B.

Simple Pasta
By Odette Williams

Williams’s new book starts with lessons on how to make pasta from scratch in various shapes and with different flours. It is then divided into four sections made to follow a “dinner party menu” inspired by the seasons. For each season, it includes a variety of pasta recipes, drink ideas, delicious desserts, and other food pairings. Perfect for both ambitious beginners and experienced cooks. —Andrea

Chicano Bakes
By Esteban Castillo 

Warning: Just looking at this book will make you drool. Esteban Castillo has followed up his already iconic book Chicano Eats with Chicano Bakes, a collection of baked goods and sweets from his childhood. From classics such as Tres Leches Cake to mash-ups like Churro Cheesecake, these recipes are clear and easy to follow, with helpful tips throughout, so bakers of any level can create delicious sweets with common ingredients. Destined to become another classic. Be sure to secure your copy for holiday (and year-round) treats ASAP! — Jocelyn

Delectable: Sweet & Savory Baking
By Claudia Fleming, with Catherine Young

Pastry chef Claudia Fleming (of Gramercy Tavern fame and the author of the classic cookbook The Last Course) embraces the challenge of making stripped-down preparations truly delicious. Her recipes are simplified for home bakers but are probably still best suited for those who know their way around the kitchen. Sweet and savory recipes like Blackberry Shortcake, Chocolate Doughnuts with Espresso Glaze, and Potato Flambé Tart will send bakers running to their kitchens to preheat their ovens.  —S.B.

What’s for Dessert:
Simple Recipes for Dessert People
By Claire Saffitz

In her new collection of dessert recipes, bestselling author Claire Saffitz (Dessert Person) returns to soothe the minds of eager learners and lovers of sweets with a variety of easy recipes, including No-Bake Strawberry Ricotta Cheesecake and Peach Drop Biscuit Cobbler. As a super Claire Saffitz fan and a fearful baker, I can’t wait to get this book in my hands and experiment with more baking! — Andrea

Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em from the Award-Winning Bar
By Neal Bodenheimer & Emily Timberlake

Neal Bodenheimer, a native son of New Orleans, is on a mission to preserve the past and invent the classic cocktails of the future. He and his team do this every day at his James Beard Award–winning bar, Cure, and this eponymous gorgeous cocktail book gives you 100+ recipes, the cocktail myths and backstories, a NOLA cocktail bar bucket list, a classic dive bar list, and all the spritzing, squeezing, and straining techniques of master mixologists. All that’s missing is the actual bourbon and jazz! —Jenny