Cookbooks & Food Writing

Rosenstrach knows and loves good food, but she is also a very busy working mom. Her cookbook is one of the few I’ve read (and used) that really gets how hard it can be to get a good dinner on the table every single night. She’s a huge advocate for family dinners, makes crowd-pleasing dishes, and likes a cocktail in the evening: In other words, she’s fantastic. - S.B.

I’m usually too busy to make a meal every night, so my slow cooker has become a godsend. Drew Maresco has made my life even easier with this cookbook, with recipes that are both delicious and extremely easy to prepare. This fantastic cookbook is packed with gorgeous, full-page pictures and covers a wide variety of culinary traditions, and includes vegetarian options. - Stuart

World-renowned chef and humanitarian José Andrés brings his boundless energy and curiosity to vegetables in his new book. Vegetables Unleashed is packed with vibrant, robust recipes—including Vegetable Paella and Catalan-Style Spinach—that will wake up your taste buds and make them sing. Andrés’s passion for produce is contagious and his inventive recipes will embolden any cook who feels stuck in a rut or is looking for adventure. - S.B.

Claire Thomson has managed to do something new yet obvious in bringing us New Kitchen Basics—a book of staples built around 10 key ingredients everyone will know, but for the 21st-century American kitchen, where comfort food includes tacos, curries, and pho’ as much as it does roast chicken, pancakes, and burgers. Written specifically for accessibility and accompanied by beautiful photos and clear, simple instructions, this is one you will start cooking from right away. - Jocelyn

If you think of salads as a side dish or a summer-only option, Big Salads will change your mind in a big way. Lettuce is the least interesting ingredient in these salads and the dressings are to die for. Divided into the four seasons of the year, this book of meals in the form of extraordinary salads will inspire vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores to think differently about big salads all year long. - Jenny

Black Sea is a truly beautiful book, a most lovely marriage of cookbook, travel writing, and photography. Caroline Eden winds her way along the coast of the titular sea, exploring not just food and history but people and spirit. Open these pages for a breath of clean salt air and ancient flavors (with accessible, modern twists), and a journey you may never take yourself—but may not need to, with Eden having paved the way with words. - Jocelyn

Christiaan Röllich is the celebrated mixologist at Suzanne Goin and Carolyn Stine’s Los Angeles restaurants, so I anticipated a fantastic book even before I opened its pages. (I am the tiniest bit obsessed with Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques.) Bar Chef does not disappoint. Röllich is as inspired by great ingredients as chefs are, and fresh, seasonal fruit and artisanal spirits abound in the drinks. I’ll just go ahead and say that this book is not for beginners, and it will likely require hunting down ingredients, but goodness, are the cocktails worth it! - S.B.

Upon first flipping through this cookbook, I knew that I was holding my new favorite kitchen resource. In fact, I made four recipes from this book in the span of 3 days, and have made many more since. No joke. Every recipe I’ve tried so far has been unbelievably delicious. I highly recommend the Baked & Breaded Artichoke “Fish” Tacos and the Flourless Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies as super-tasty starting points. Whether you’re a tried-and-true vegetarian or are just looking to get more Meatless Mondays happening in your household, I promise you this book will be your new best friend in the kitchen. - Nicole

Chef Kwame Onwuachi partners with Joshua David Stein to present his life on the page rather than in a dish—though we’ve got those too. His early days affected by love and violence, the Bronx and Nigeria, and a lucrative career dealing drugs, Onwuachi shows with reflective and unflinching honesty a journey shaped by family and heritage, and a food-centric destiny embraced with talent and hustle. Fully satisfied, I look forward to the next taste Onwuachi will share. - Jocelyn

Piatti is an introduction to Italian cuisine and an exploration of the historical background of some of the foods that have helped shape Italian culture. The wide range of recipes explores the classic tastes and textures of Italy incorporated into interesting plates suited for the American palate. The author includes her own personal experience in traveling to Italy to reconnect with her roots. The recipes in Piatti are drawn from seasonal and local foods, from vegetables to cured meats. A collection that lets the reader explore the taste of Italy and its rich culture. - Sheila