The best cookbooks are far more than a straightforward list of recipes. They combine philosophy, history and enough sensuous description to make them a joy to read, whether you’re sweating over the stove in the kitchen or curled up on the sofa. Nigella Lawson’s How to Eat is as much a case for purple prose as it is a home cooking bible, and the common sense and gentle humour to be found in Mastering the Art of French Cooking make it a pleasure to flip through nearly 60 years after its original publication. And for those who are already familiar with the Italian and French traditions? In lieu of an actual holiday, transport yourself to Mexico City by way of Gabriela Cámara’s arroz verde, or conjure up an Irani cafe by sipping a homemade cup of Dishoom’s masala chai.
Below, 35 genius cookbooks that everyone should own.
The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen by Peter Berley
This was a book that was given to me as a gift when I lived on my own for the first time, a gesture more toward constrained budgets than health or ecological considerations. But this book has become a sort of bible of plant-based cooking for me, offering an entire education on the nutrients and properties of vegetarian ingredients. There are many vegan recipes in this book as well, but no matter how stringent-seeming their parameters, the final results never lack for taste. I am neither vegetarian nor vegan, but I am often very grateful that this book came into my kitchen early on in my cooking career; it has made me a better and more creative cook, while encouraging me to cook for a better future for our planet. – Chloe Schama
The Jewish Cookbook by by Leah Koenig
As anyone who’s ever sat through a Seder knows, it’s often all about the food. This beautiful book is a compendium of Jewish foods, offering little, lighthearted lessons in their origins and significance. It’s a lovely book for anyone who wants to perhaps adopt some of the traditions of their upbringing, but spent more time noshing on the challah and the latkes than watching what was going on in the kitchen. – CS
Real Cooking by Nigel Slater
“This is real cooking,” writes Nigel Slater. “The roast potato that sticks to the roasting tin; the crouton from the salad that has soaked up the mustardy dressing… these are the things that make something worth eating. And worth cooking.” The English cook and writer’s 2006 book is a heartfelt hymn for wonderful food and flavours, without hours spent toiling in the kitchen or overly formal settings. (The lamb and haricot bean casserole in particular raises pulses.) And it is so sensually written – don’t worry about keeping it nice, the pages should be slick with sticky toffee fingerprints and globules of oil. – Anna Cafolla
Motherland: A Jamaican Cookbook by Melissa Thompson
Melissa Thompson has written not just a cookbook, but a multi-sensory cultural, political, and social document of Jamaica through the prism of feeding and being fed. As Thompson writes herself, it’s “a history of the people, influences, and ingredients that uniquely united to create the wonderful patchwork cuisine that is Jamaican food today.” Colonial history cannot be detached from such cuisine-making, and Thompson approaches it with directness and clarity. But the book teems with joy and pleasure, too. Return for the classics like saltfish fritters, curried goat, and showstoppers like the crispy ginger beer pork belly and Guinness punch pie. – AC
Penang Recipes & Wanderings Around an Island in Malaysia by Belmond and Apartamento
The second book in the series by Apartamento and Belmond, Penang is an expansive journey through island life, by way of durian farms, jungle-thick hilltops, and nutmeg plantations. The book, both a vibrant visual portfolio as well as a culinary document, invites the likes of Chef André Chiang, culinary director of the Eastern & Oriental Express, as well as chefs Malcolm Lee and Abby Lee, to feature 23 Malaysian dishes – from the aromatic assam laksa to a sweet three-layer rice pudding and a dark, rich roast duck curry. – AC
The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen
If you haven’t yet experienced the satisfaction of whipping up an aubergine parm or a cardamom coffee cake large enough to feed an army from the pages of this cookbook, originally published in 1974 by members of Ithaca, New York’s Moosewood Restaurant, then you’re in for a real treat. The Moosewood Cookbook’s food is healthy without ever compromising on deliciousness, making it the perfect retro-classic gift for everyone from kitchen beginners to seasoned pros. – Emma Specter
Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed by Abi Balingit
Fish sauce, frozen calamansi juice, shredded coconut, and minatamis na bao (coconut jam) are staple ingredients for those looking to master Balingit’s playful yet seriously delicious desserts. These recipes draw from the author’s California upbringing and adult life in Brooklyn, in addition to her Filipino-American heritage. From salty-sweet alfajores to the instantly viral adobo chocolate-chip cookies, every recipe in Mayumu is guaranteed to please a crowd – and familiarise you with the offerings of your local Filipino grocery store. – ES
Please Wait to Be Tasted: The Lil’ Deb’s Oasis Cookbook by Carla Perez-Gallardo, Hannah Black, and Wheeler
Proudly queer and unabashedly colourful in both its decor and food, Lil’ Deb’s is a Hudson Valley classic for a reason, and cooking a meal from the restaurant’s cookbook is a great way to summon the laid-back, cheerful vibe of the IRL space. Recipes for everything from ceviche mixto with popcorn (!) to flan to sweet plantains are sure to delight, and the book’s chatty, convivial tone is likely to linger in your mind long after the meal has been consumed and the dreaded dinner dishes are done. – ES
More Than Cake: 100 Baking Recipes Built for Pleasure by Natasha Pickowicz
Given Pickowicz is the pastry chef behind New York’s acclaimed Café Altro Paradiso and Flora Bar, you’d think that her recipes would be too complex for the mere layman to follow. I’m pleased to say, however, that I’ve made plenty of the offerings in More Than Cake – from the onion and black sesame gougères to the parsnip, millet, and chocolate chunk muffins to the stunning crunchy almond cake – with hardly any trouble and a whole lot of praise from my household. Pickowicz’s recipes do benefit from careful attention to detail, but the end result is absolutely always worth the effort. – ES
Indian-ish by Priya Krishna
The recipes in Krishna’s cookbook are an absolute delight, from her take on roti pizza to a salty-sweet lime beverage she refers to as “Indian Gatorade,” but perhaps the best part of Indian-ish is its emphasis on family legacies and learning through generations’ worth of passed-down cooking tips. Krishna co-wrote the cookbook with her mother, Ritu, and their bond jumps right off the page, making this the perfect kitchen companion for the next holiday you find yourself cooking alongside your parents and trying to be okay with it. – ES
Keep it Zesty: A Celebration of Lebanese Flavours & Culture from Edy’s Grocer by Edy Massih
I hadn’t eaten a lot of Lebanese food before my first trip to Edy’s Grocer in Brooklyn, but a single meal there was memorable enough to have me counting down the days until Keep It Zesty came out. There are lots of perfect options to prepare in this cookbook, but personally, I’m gravitating most toward the spreadables (such as the Orangey Date Carrot Dip and Spicy Fig Jam). It’s particularly good for outdoor-eating season, when there’s nothing I want to snack on more at a picnic than a chilled, tangy, complexly flavoured dip. – ES
Kismet: Bright, Fresh, Vegetable-Loving Recipes by Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson
I live in LA, which means A) I buy a lot of vegetables and fruits I have no use for at various farmers markets, and B) I eat at Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson’s restaurant Kismet (and its offshoot, Kismet Rotisserie) as often as I can. Now, those two habits are being delightfully fused by the Kismet owners’ new cookbook, which is chock-full of exciting ideas for cooking vegetables. There are meat recipes, too (don’t skip the harissa party wings!), but while my fridge drawer is still full of produce that’s about to go bad, I’ll stick to the veg-only ones. – ES
The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z by Tamar Adler
I don’t think there’s a single cookbook out there that’s affected the way I feed myself (and, more broadly, the way I see sustainability in the kitchen) more than this one. Adler, a Vogue contributing editor, is full of practical, cheerful, and frill-free ideas for how to put to use items that you might be tempted to toss in the kitchen trash. Now that I own this book, I’ll never throw carrot-top fronds away again when I can use them to make a delicious and alarmingly healthy pesto. – ES
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition: A Cookbook by Marcella Hazan
Marcella (if you use her books, you’re allowed to call her by her first name) is considered “the godmother of Italian cooking” in the US. Like so many cuisines in the US, the book full of recipes that adopt a bit of the spirit of the melting pot – Hazan was a scientist by training who learned to cook in Manhattan’s Chinatown when she settled there with her husband. Hazan’s recipes are masterpieces of economy (see “Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter” – which is exactly what it sounds like), but there is Proustian poetry in her work as well. “Holding the small fish by the tail and head, I brought it to my mouth, pulled back my lips, and used my teeth to lift the entire tiny filet off the bone and suck it into my mouth,” she once wrote of imbibing a fish. “Oh the succulence of it! ‘Si mangiano col bacio,’ the fishermen say; you eat them with a kiss.” – CS
Where Cooking Begins by Carla Lalli Music
In a single volume, Where Cooking Begins teaches you how to shop more effectively, pare down your kitchenware, and master six classic techniques that work with just about any produce: sautéing, pan-roasting, steaming, boiling, confiting and slow-roasting. Oh, and it also has one of the best simple recipes for pastry dough ever, inspired by none other than Julia Child. – Hayley Maitland
Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck
Apart from being genuinely useful, Mastering the Art of French Cooking also looks exceptionally pretty on a kitchen shelf – and with traditional French cuisine back in fashion at last, learning how to make a truly perfect cassoulet or hollandaise is a brilliant use of dark winter evenings. – HM
Ottolenghi Flavour by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage
Yotam Ottolenghi is credited with introducing Londoners to the wonders of preserved lemons, za’atar, and pomegranate molasses. His recent volume, Flavour, includes vegetable-centric recipes alongside straightforward lessons about the origins of taste – from charring to aging—and how to intuitively marry flavours for spectacular dishes. – HM
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
Less a cookbook than a full-blown gastronomical movement, Samin Nosrat’s bestseller introduces readers to the most basic culinary principals on which all good food depends—distilling her years in the kitchen at Chez Panisse into elegant chapters on salt, fat, acid, and heat. It’s one of those rare volumes that genuinely lives up to the hype, and will fundamentally transform the way that you cook even the most basic of dishes. Case in point: her buttermilk roast chicken. – HM
An A-Z of Pasta by Rachel Roddy
A British ex-pat based in Rome’s vibrant Testaccio neighbourhood, Rachel Roddy has devoted years to studying regional Italian cuisines, with an emphasis on pasta. Her A-Z guides readers through 50 shapes (narrowed down from more than 1,200 varieties currently eaten across Italy) and the most delicious and/or traditional ways to serve them. Each tempting chapter, from “Annelli” to “Ziti,” includes an introduction about that particular variety’s historical significance and a Roddy anecdote about meals eaten everywhere from a friend’s home in the Florentine hills to crowded trattorie hidden away down Roman streets. – HM
Black Food by Bryant Terry
It’s hard to overstate how brilliant – and how long overdue – Bryant Terry’s Black Food actually is. Beautiful enough to display on your coffee table (graphic artist Emory Douglas, a former Black Panther in Oakland, contributed visuals), this “communal shrine to the shared culinary histories of the African diaspora” is crammed with extraordinary recipes by dozens of Black contributors (including quite possibly the greatest potato salad ever created) organized around themes ranging from Food Justice to Radical Self-Care. Published alongside ingredients lists for the likes of Green Banana Chowder and Baobab Panko Salmon? Both essays and verse by celebrated writers and poets—a nod to Toni Morrison’s ’70s anthology, The Black Book. – HM
To Asia, With Love by Hetty McKinnon
Hetty McKinnon’s To Asia, With Love might have single-handedly rehabilitated the word “pan-Asian” in the world of cuisine. As the Brooklyn-based chef notes at the beginning of the volume, “The recipes are Asian in origin, but modern in spirit; they are inspired by tradition, with a global interpretation.” A wonderfully personal cookbook – McKinnon even photographed the dishes herself on 35mm film – it represents an ode to her Chinese mother’s kitchen, and highlights the wealth of plant-based Asian dishes largely absent from restaurant menus in the West. Beyond including healthy, make-forever recipes, To Asia also teaches you culinary skills that I can only describe as game-changing, from making a “perfectly jammy egg” to choosing the best replacements for hard-to-find Asian produce (think Granny Smiths for green papaya). – HM
How to Eat a Peach by Diana Henry
If there is a more deliciously evocative cookbook than How To Eat A Peach, I have yet to come across it. Instead of recipes, it comprises menus inspired by different experiences, seasons, and places. (““I don’t invite people round and then wonder what I’ll cook,” Henry writes in the introduction. “I come up with a menu and then consider who would like to eat it.”) Among the lyrically named chapters? “Before The Passeggiata,” a formula for a southern Italian dinner that progresses from fennel taralli to ricotta, candied lemon, and pistachio ice cream; “Smoky Days,” an homage to the first days of autumn with a feast that ends in cider jellies and brandy syllabub; “In My Own Backyard,” Henry’s take on the perfect Sunday lunch, complete with Guinness bread; and “Missing New York,” an oyster-filled gastronomical paean to Manhattan. – HM
In Bibi’s Kitchen by Hawa Hassan and Julia Turshen
Samin Nosrat is among the many, many fans of Hawa Hassan and Julia Turschen’s In Bibi’s Kitchen, a joyful compilation of recipes from bibis – or grandmothers – across a range of African countries that “touch the Indian Ocean,” including Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar, and Comoros. Each nation is afforded its own chapter, where details about its history and traditions sit alongside intimate conversations with bibis in their own kitchens. Many recipes are attributed to their creators – Ma Gehhenet’s Shiro, Ma Maria’s Xima – and accompanied by wanderlust-inducing photographs of lush mountains, rugged coastlines, and beautiful dishes. An extremely welcome (and long overdue) contribution to the Eurocentric world of food publishing in the West. – HM
A Modern Cook’s Year by Anna Jones
All of Anna Jones’s cookbooks are genuinely useful and beautifully photographed – see: another one of her successful volumes, One, which came out back in 2021 – but A Modern Cook’s Year is arguably her best. With more than 250 adaptable, vegetarian recipes grouped by micro-seasons (including “Start of the Year,” “Herald of Spring,” and “First Warm Days”), it’s an essential guide to making the most of seasonal British produce. – HM
Food From Across Africa: Recipes to Share by Timothy Duval, Folayemi Brown, and Jacob Fodio Todd
Written by a trio of Londoners with family and connections across West and East Africa, Food From Across Africa is a joyful introduction to African dishes ranging from jollof rice to hibiscus tea, groundnut stew to tea bread. The majority of ingredients are available in your usual supermarket – but it’s more than worth taking the excuse to visit the markets in Deptford and Brixton that the Groundnut team personally favour. – HM
River Cafe 30 by Ruth Rogers, Rose Gray, Sian Wyn Owen, and Joseph Trivelli
Released in honour of three decades of the River Cafe, River Cafe 30 is visually stunning, reprinting the 1996 New Yorker article that put the Hammersmith restaurant on the map as well as individual menus scribbled on by famous customers such as Damien Hirst. Master their pappa al pomodoro, salsa verde, and cannellini, and you will always be well fed. – HM
La Grotta: Ice Creams & Sorbets by Kitty Travers
In publishing La Grotta, Kitty Travers single-handedly made it acceptable for a home chef to decide to whip up things like “Montmorency Cherry Sherbet”, “Amalfi Lemon Jelly”, or “Leafy Blackcurrant Custard”. A former pastry chef at St Johns, the frozen treat evangelist has traveled everywhere from Iceland to Brazil to study ice cream making – and while some of her flavour combinations are more unusual than your average Madagascan vanilla, just put yourself in her expert hands and follow each recipe precisely. – HM
How to Eat by Nigella Lawson
The prose in Nigella Lawson’s revolutionary How to Eat is evocative enough that you will be tempted to read it like a novel. Fortunately, Vintage released a smaller paperback edition in honour of its 20th anniversary. Also more than worth having at your disposal: 2021’s Cook, Eat, Repeat, featuring Lawson’s meditations on everything from the power of anchovies to a loving defence of “brown” food with accompanying recipes. — HM
The Violet Bakery Cookbook by Claire Ptak
Like Samin Nosrat, Claire Ptak trained at Chez Panisse – translating Alice Waters’s culinary philosophy to the baking world when she launched the Violet Bakery in London (and, yes, she later made the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding cake). There are sweet treats here for every occasion: raspberry and star anise muffins for breakfast; sweet corn and roasted tomato quiche for lunch; honey and rose water madeleines for tea… The recipes for homemade preserves and jams are also a game-changer. – HM
Dishoom: From Bombay With Love by Shamil Thakrar, Kavi Thakrar, and Naved Nasir
Anyone who’s witnessed the queues snaking through Soho for a table at Dishoom will testify that it has an almost comically devoted following – and anyone who’s actually tried the dahl will tell you that it’s more than justified. The restaurant’s first cookbook is as much a lovingly illustrated paean to Bombay as it is a compilation of moreish recipes for everything from gunpowder potatoes to ruby chicken. If there is a more comforting beverage than their masala chai, I have yet to try it. – HM
The Ballymaloe Cookbook by Myrtle Allen
The Ballymaloe Cookery School is a fabled place. Today under the guidance of Ireland’s best known cook, Darina Allen, the County Cork-set farm and retreat has produced contemporary chefs like Stevie Parle and Clodagh McKenna. The Ballymaloe Cookbook, first published in 1977, underscores the school’s humble philosophy, formed by Allen’s mother, Myrtle: The use of fresh, high-quality ingredients negates the need for complicated or fancy techniques. Recipes range from variations on Ballymaloe restaurant classics to updated versions of traditional Irish dishes, all with Allen’s charming tone of voice. The Carrageen moss pudding is my party piece and taste of home. – AC
For the Love of Food by Paul Ainsworth
In award-winning British chef Paul Ainsworth’s debut cookbook, he distills his years working for heavyweights like Gary Rhodes, Gordon Ramsay, and Marcus Wareing; pride in regional Cornish cuisine; and the work of his stylish but understated restaurant No6 into friendly, flavourful recipes. Woven together with Ainsworth’s cheeky musings, traditional home cooking meets restaurant-quality dishes: Ainsworth-style toad in the hole, Ramsay-approved brown butter pumpkin tortelli, and barbecued mackerel bruschetta, as well as whole chapter on custard to dive into. A total joy for any home cook. – AC
Complete Chinese Cookbook by Ken Hom
Set aside takeout for the beloved chef Ken Hom’s seminal collection of over 250 province-trotting recipes, all celebrating the diversities and details of Chinese cooking. Alongside clear cooking techniques, necessary equipment, ingredients, and pantry lists, Hom offers up accessible classics like chicken fried rice (based on a street food stall he would visit in China), Sichuan dumplings, and lesser-known styles from the likes of Yunna. The plant-based dishes are particularly fire – the aubergine with sesame sauce, inspired by Beijing street food, is an easy dinner party favourite. – AC
Rick Stein’s Simple Suppers by Rick Stein
A simple yet stylish go-to for midweek (or weekend!) dishes by the English celebrity chef Rick Stein. While I adore his Coast to Coast and Secret France books, Simple Suppers is a kitchen counter mainstay, delightful for its informal, straight-talking style. Among its highlights? A one-pot supper like a coconut prawn curry, speedy suppers like baked portobello mushrooms with dolcelatte and walnuts, suppers to share with others like puff pastry fish pie, and a cheffy cheat tiramisu. Do as Rick does, and get to cooking in your jeans with a glass of vinho verde on the worktop. – AC
Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food by Fadi Kattan
Fadi Kattan, the Franco-Palestinian chef and proprietor of London’s celebrated Akub restaurant, serves up a rich tapestry of Palestinian food and culture. The flavours are bright, bold and generations-deep: a fluffy mistaka brioche that recalls Easter in Bethlehem makes for a decadent breakfast, stuffed pittas (arayes shrak) are delicious with a tahini-garlic sauce, and please consider the hulking kofta sandwich. (The recipes are woven between vignettes of life in Bethlehem, beautifully profiling the food artisans that cultivate the local grapes, wheat, and olive oil.) The striking cover alone makes it one you’ll want to display proudly. – AC
