Cookbooks & Food Writing

I consider The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook to be one of the best cookbooks published in recent memory, so, I’m incredibly excited that the Lee brothers have a new book coming out. Although raised on long- simmered greens, slow-smoked meats, and deep-fried everything, Simple, Fresh, Southern reflects Matt and Ted Lee’s modern sensibilities (access to fresh farmers’ market produce, lighter cooking methods, and the need for quick weeknight meals). I know their recipes for easy, healthy, everyday dishes won’t sacrifice an ounce of Deep Southern flavor—or soul. —S.B.

If you haven’t heard of Momofuku or David Chang, you haven’t been to New York in the past three years. Since the opening of Momofuku Noodle Bar, David Chang has had a cult-like following of devotees, and he has expanded his empire to include three other wildly popular restaurants. But the best part is that the hype is true: His food is as innovative and exciting as everyone says. Think Asian meets farmers’ market fresh and creates something so extraordinary that we don’t yet have a name for it. The exceptional recipes paired with lavish photographs and behind-the-scenes essays make Momofuku a sensation of a book that only Chang could cook up. —R.M.

The cookbook industry is obsessed with speed, but I promise you, with this book, you will not compromise ingredients or flavor at its expense. Reinhart has offered up several impeccable, professional bread books, but this one is designed for the home baker. Lots of new, simplified methods, and ingenious tinkering with bread-making traditions ensure that you will have full-flavored, oven-ready loaves in you refrigerator, at your convenience. —Jen Toner

If even the mention of a cookbook by haute-cuisine savant Thomas Keller (the man behind The French Laundry and Per Se), has you quaking in your boots, put on a brave face and head to the kitchen with Ad Hoc at Home, Keller’s no-nonsense cookbook for the home cook. Keller’s culinary brilliance coupled with quicker, easier recipes makes for a cookbook that will be much beloved by kitchen novices and skilled cooks, alike. A fun and approachable volume by one of the best chefs in the world. Dig in! —R.M.

As more people are turning to their kitchens for financial and health reasons, I hope they’ll bring Mollie Katzen’s new book with them. Full of Katzen’s trademark appreciation for simple, delicious food, Get Cooking is both cookbook and guidebook, helping new, unsure cooks get from the grocery store to the kitchen with recipes, tips, and encouragement. If fresh, local, healthful food is the revolution, then Katzen is its saint—and this is its most thorough manual. —K.M.S.

I was fortunate to eat at this Big Sur restaurant and, by chance, my meal is featured in this beautiful book. Nepenthe boasts not only a visually delicious location overlooking the Big Sur cliffs, but also an equally colorful history and menu. This collection of anecdotes, photos, and artist/musician profiles celebrates Nepenthe’s 60th anniversary as an eclectic restaurant and counter culture magnet. —Adrienne Mages

“If a chef were allowed only one book,” claims Mario Batali, “this would have to be it.” There aren’t many things that the world’s greatest chefs agree on. In fact, Larousse Gastronomique may be the only thing in the recorded history of cooking upon which a consensus has been reached. Observe: Jacques Pepin calls Larousse “the greatest reference book. It is the first place I look when I need to clarify a cooking question.” Ina Garten says, “Larousse Gastronomique is clearly the best cooking encyclopedia ever, but I also love to open it anywhere and just read.” And Daniel Boulud explains that, “Young chefs, famous chefs, home cooks, and everyone who loves food and cooking—we all depend on Larousse Gastronomique.” So, by all means, don’t take my word for it; take theirs. —R.M.

A great gift for any wine lover, this eclectic collection brings to a wide audience the irreverent, zany voice of local winemaker Randall Grahm, visionary founder of Bonny Doon Vineyard. Been Doon So Long is an iconoclastic send-up of the wine industry and a celebration of unsung grape varieties. “Grahm is the Willy Wonka of the wine world, and Been Doon So Long is intelligent, insightful, and mischievous. It’s a work of genius,” says Jamie Goode, author of The Science of Wine.