The most impactful, exciting holiday gift of 2020 might just be . . . the cookbook!
Fledgling cooks on your list will thrill over classics to kickstart their libraries and cool new titles to stoke their excitement. Experienced, passionate cooks will love the season’s great deep dives, and important evergreen volumes to fill out their collections.
Expanding cultural understanding is important to all kinds of folks this year, and there’s no more delicious way to do that than sautéing, stir-frying or baking your way through a new cookbook.
Meanwhile, Bookshop — the online bookseller that supports independent bookstores — is offering free shipping through Monday, Nov. 30. Purchasing through it is a great way to support small businesses.
Here, listed alphabetically, are 17 recently published titles that are tops for giving this season, for every kind of cook on your list:
Amá: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen
L.A. superstar chef Josef Centeno takes us to his hometown, San Antonio, liberating Tex-Mex on the way. Co-written with his partner, Betty Hallock, former deputy Food editor at the Los Angeles Times.
American Sfoglino: A Master Class in Handmade Pasta
Those who want to roll up their sleeves and totally geek out on making pasta by hand — and then settling in to simmer a 7-hour ragù bolognese — will love Los Angeles superstar chef Evan Funke’s manifesto. So will lovers of coffee-table aspirational cookbooks: Eric Wolfinger's gorgeous images won the book an IACP award this year for food photography.
Chaat: Recipes from the Kitchen, Markets, and Railways of India
Besides India's famous street snacks, Maneet Chauhan and Jody Eddy's book also has an amazing recipe for homemade paneer (Indian cheese), a splendid-looking chicken biryani that’s high on our list of dishes to try, and lots more.
The Chicken Soup Manifesto: Recipes from Around the World
Portland chef Jenn Louis satisfies wanderlust and comfort craving deliciously in her new book, just published in September.
Read our recent story about The Chicken Soup Manifesto. Read about The Chicken Soup Manifesto in the Dallas Morning News.
Don’t Count the Tortillas: The Art of the Texas Mexican Cooking
Chef Adán Medrano, whom we wrote about in August, brings the foodways of the indigenous people who created the true Texas Mexican cuisine to life in his second book.
Falastin
Exuberantly delicious recipes that work brilliantly fill the pages of Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley's book, while illuminating the culture of Palestine. It’s on of our all-time favorite cookbooks.
Feast: Food of the Islamic World
Anissa Helou's magnificent volume is a treasure trove of cultural deliciousness. Its recipes are geared toward more advanced cooks, who will find it to be a prized source of everlasting inspiration.
Read Cooks Without Borders’ review of Feast.
Buy ‘Feast’ at Bookshop.
The Food of Sichuan
An updated version of Fuchsia Dunlop's seminal title. We have yet to cook from it, but her recipes always work, her taste is impeccable and her authority undisputed.
Japanese Home Cooking: Simple Meals, Authentic Flavors
Sonoko Sakai's book is another one of our favorite cookbooks ever — absolutely perfect for anyone (beginner or experienced cook) wanting to dive into Japanese cooking.
Read Cooks Without Borders’ review of Japanese Home Cooking.
Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking
Toni Tipton-Martin's incredible work is a must for everyone who knows that Black Food Matters. Recipes are very approachable. Named Book of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
La Buvette: Recipes & Wine Notes from Paris
A charming little volume, Camille Fourmont's book, co-written by Kate Leahy, brings the life of wine in Paris to life. Her recipe for Rose and Cumin Sablés is one of our favorite cookie recipes ever.
The Mexican Home Kitchen: Traditional Home-Style Recipes that Capture the Flavors and Memories of Mexico
Popular blogger Mely Martínez's first book is filled with super-approachable recipes that reflect the way home cooks really cook all over Mexico. Excellent for beginners, as well as more advanced cooks and chefs seeking context for Mexican dishes.
Read Cooks Without Borders’ review of The Mexican Home Kitchen.
My Korea: Traditional Flavors, Modern Recipes
We've only had the chance to test-drive one recipe from Michelin-starred chef Hooni Kim's inviting new book — marinated spicy cucumbers, and it was wonderful. We are eager to dive in soon, as it appears to be the authoritative Korean book we've long been waiting for.
Ottolenghi Flavor
Just when you thought Yotam Ottolenghi must be fresh out of great ideas, he's, um, not. The recipes are vividly delicious.
We’re in process of testing recipes for an upcoming review, coming soon.
The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food
Chef Marcus Samuelsson is always awesome, and this book — honoring Black chefs and their contributions to American cooking — is fabulous. Another Black Food Matters must-have — and the flavors are out-of-this-world.
We are in process of testing recipes for a review of The Rise, which will be coming soon. In the meantime, here is a story about The Rise’s smashing recipe for shrimp and grits.
Vegetables Unleashed: A Cookbook
Superhero chef José Andrés unleashes his powers on the vegetable kingdom, and the results are delectable. This one's great for experienced cooks, who will appreciate Andrés' technique-driven approach and should be able to spot the recipes that might need a tweak or two.
Buy ‘Vegetables Unleashed’ at Bookshop.
Buy ‘Vegetables Unleashed’ at Amazon.
Vietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True Fresh Flavors
Andrea Nguyen is the undisputed queen of Vietnamese home cooking in America, from experienced cooks who grew up in Vietnam to those just diving in. Her latest book is filled with dishes that can be made from ingredients you can get in any good supermarket. Highly recommend.
Read a story about a rice noodle salad bowl we love from Vietnamese Food Every Day.
Would you like more suggestions? Visit our Holiday Pop-Up Bookshop or our Cookbooks We Love Shop at Bookshop.