The ten Greatest Cookbooks of 2023
Hardie Grant/Phaidon/Knopf Cooks
It’s that time of year again, when the temperatures drop and we retreat to our cozy homes for days full of binging Netflix and holiday treats. While some are content to plop on the couch and not get up for hours, others—like us—would much rather spend time in our kitchen, warmed by the oven and whipping up something delicious. If that’s you, too, the cookbooks below are sure to contain something new for your culinary adventures. From mouthwatering barbecue to soothing rice dishes to comforting bakes, there’s truly something for everyone. Finish the year strong—and very, very full.
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Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling
Image Credit: Abrams Books Many people are familiar with carne asada, the grilled meat you find in tacos, burritos, and other Mexican dishes. But an asada itself is a whole lifestyle. Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral are here to walk you through everything you need for a full-blown Mexican cookout, from the snacks to the salsas to the drinks to the meat. After outlining asada culture and all the necessities you need to host your own, the two provide recipes for the components of a successful gathering. There’s the requisite guacamole and beans (black, pinto, refried, and more), but also homemade tortillas and more than a dozen different salsas. Meats range from classic carne asada to lamb barbacoa, pork chops, and chicken, and there’s even a handful of grilled seafood dishes thrown in for good measure.
Buy Now on Amazon: $24.49
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Boka
Image Credit: Huge Galdones Boka Restaurant Group is one of the most important hospitality companies in the country, and now home chefs can get a look inside the group’s namesake restaurant. Chicago’s Boka, which has held on to a Michelin star for an impressive 13 years, serves up classic yet inventive New American fare, under the leadership of the chef Lee Wolen. Here, he shares the recipes for iconic Boka dishes like smoked carrot tartare, whole roasted duck, and sweet corn and blueberry pavlova, so you can enjoy the restaurant’s flavors without traveling all the way to the Windy City. Plus, the beautiful layout and photos by Huge Galdones make the tome a lovely coffee-table book, able to be enjoyed by those who’d prefer to stay out of the kitchen, too.
Buy Now on Amazon: $50.00
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The Cookie That Changed My Life
Image Credit: Knopf Cooks A few years ago, Nancy Silverton bit into a peanut-butter cookie that inspired her to perfect the classics. The resulting book, The Cookie That Changed My Life, is a collection of more than 100 recipes for baked goods that will all ideally have that same effect on you. The only chef to have won the James Beard Award for both Outstanding Chef and Outstanding Pastry Chef, Silverton knows a thing or two in the kitchen. And when it comes to baked goods, she’s well aware that sometimes there’s nothing better than an old standby: Lemon bars, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, and more all make an appearance here. But there’s also Silverton’s more creative takes, like double-decker chocolate cookies, iced raisin bars, and coconut cream slab pie with bittersweet chocolate and toasted almonds. And yes, that peanut-butter cookie is also included.
Buy Now on Amazon: $36.00
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Fish Butchery
Image Credit: Hardie Grant Josh Niland’s Fish Butchery is a renegade cookbook, teaching you all about how to prepare seafood. In his own cooking, Niland has emphasized sustainability—not to replace flavor, but to supplement it. His latest book takes readers through the seafood system, from the moment an animal is captured, to how it’s processed, and finally to how it’s cooked. Here, you’ll learn how to break down a fish and then use all its parts in various dishes—or even ceramics. There are recipes for things you may never have associated with fish, like tuna pistachio salami, schnitzel, and fish-eye ice cream. Fish Butchery is certainly for the more adventurous cook, or just for anyone looking to approach their ingredients in a more sustainable way.
Buy Now on Amazon: $37.85
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Franklin Smoke
Image Credit: Ten Speed Press Let Aaron Franklin teach you how to fire up the grill, smoker, or fire pit. The legendary pitmaster has teamed up with the food writer Jordan Mackay to create a tome dedicated to the art of live-fire grilling and smoking. Franklin Smoke spends a good chunk of its pages detailing the various components that go into outdoor cooking, including the types of appliances and woods you can use and how fire and smoke can enhance your food. Along with all the technical details that’ll make you a more confident backyard chef, Franklin shares recipes for dishes such as fire-pit côte de boeuf, oysters with shallot-chive butter, and smoked duck. Be warned: His “Ultimate Brisket” recipe spans 15 pages.
Buy Now on Amazon: $20.73
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The Korean Cookbook
Image Credit: Phaidon Junghyun “JP” Park is one of the most well-known Korean chefs in the world, and his cooking at New York City’s Atomix has been recognized with two Michelin stars. Now Park is bringing his extensive knowledge of Korean cooking to the masses, alongside the culinary researcher Jungyoon Choi. The two spent 10 years researching The Korean Cookbook, a definitive guide to Korean cuisine and a compendium of more than 350 recipes that span fermentation, bap (cooked rice), and banchan (side dishes). Park shares his takes on classics like kimchi, bibimbap, bulgogi, and more, while essays excavate the history and importance of hansik (Korean cuisine). For anyone looking to master Korean cooking or go deep on Korean food, there’s no more comprehensive read than this.
Buy Now on Amazon: $49.46
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More Than Cake
Image Credit: Artisan The name of Natasha Pickowicz’s debut cookbook is quite literal: The James Beard–nominated pastry chef is providing recipes that go beyond your typical cake—although there are still fun, funky cakes like olive oil cake with crispy capers and black sesame, cream cheese, and pineapple layer cake. Baking is so much more than that, though. While some people may be intimidated by the preciseness that goes into baking, Pickowicz is an able guide for even beginners, walking you through snacks like pizza crackers, fruity bakes like a sunchoke and apricot tart, and savory, yeasted treats like buttered cucumber sliders. Even if you don’t consider yourself a cake person—or a dessert person at all—there’s something for you here.
Buy Now on Amazon: $23.42
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The Simple Art of Rice
Image Credit: Flatiron Books For all its simplicity, rice can actually be one of the hardest things to get right. With his latest cookbook, though, JJ Johnson is here to help. The celebrated chef is sharing dozens of ways to prepare the grain, from brunch dishes to fan favorites to sweet desserts. Of course, having a grasp of the basics is always a good idea, so Johnson begins with those and a brief history of rice, before delving into the myriad ways the ingredient can be used. Well-known dishes like paella, risotto, and fried rice make appearances, as do more novel plates like mushroom and goat cheese arancini and beef-and-rice-stuffed collard greens. Whether you’re already a rice lover or not, there’s sure to be something here to please your palate.
Buy Now on Amazon: $25.49
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Win Son Presents a Taiwanese American Cookbook
Image Credit: Abrams Back in 2016, Josh Ku and Trigg Brown launched a Kickstarter in the hopes of raising enough money to open their Brooklyn spot Win Son. Since receiving more than $30,000 via that campaign, the Taiwanese restaurant and bakery has become one of the hottest spots in New York City. Now home cooks can try their hand at making Win Son’s fare, thanks to the duo’s first cookbook, written alongside Cathy Erway. Recipes range from standbys like fried pork chops with basil to the bakery’s more modern bacon, egg, and cheese milk bun, a Taiwanese take on the N.Y.C. classic.
Buy Now on Amazon: $25.99
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The World Central Kitchen Cookbook
Image Credit: Clarkson Potter José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen has become well known for the support it provides in the wake of catastrophes around the world, feeding those who have been impacted by wars, natural disasters, and more. Now the nonprofit has released its first cookbook, the profits of which will be used to support World Central Kitchen’s emergency-response efforts. Andrés and his team have worked with other chefs and notable names to share recipes inspired by the people and places they’ve helped, organized into chapters that embody the group’s values. In “Urgency,” which highlights foods that can be eaten on the go, you’ll find Michelle Obama’s breakfast-taco recipe. In “Joy,” which emphasizes celebration, Meghan Markle has put forth her recipe for lemon olive-oil cake. The entire book urges you to cook good food for a good cause.
Buy Now on Amazon: $31.50
Authors
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Tori Latham
Source: Robb Report
