By Leslie Brenner
[Editor’s note: This is Part I of our 2-part Ultimate Cookbook Gift Guide.]
We’re doing something a little different for our holiday cookbook gift guide this year.
Most roundups like this one exclusively cover books that are new this year, or this season. But that doesn’t address the way people really buy book gifts.
Most of us are more concerned with how much the giftee will love, use and treasure a cookbook than whether it was published this year or last — or five years ago or ten. Those older volumes, known in book publishing as “backlist” titles, are the ones with staying power. They’re the books that are good enough to keep selling for years (or decades), making it worth publishers’ while to keep them in print. Season after season, they’re some of the best cookbooks money can buy.
Meanwhile, as we have been testing the recipes from new books this particular year, we’ve bumped into an awkward problem. The books look wonderful, the photos are tempting and the dishes sound great. But a crazy number of the recipes don’t work, or have egregious mistakes. They seem not to have been tested at all, or only spottily tested. They might get a gazillion views on Instagram, they might even win an award, but they won’t be treasured backlist books.
That’s why this year, we’ve put together a gift guide in three parts. Part 1 rounds up our tried-and-true favorites, mostly backlist classic, but also newer treasures. Part 2 will recommend exciting new cookbooks from which we’ve tested at least one recipe, followed by promising titles whose recipes we haven’t yet tested.
Following the publication of Part 2, our guide will be updated periodically. Notable new books will be added, those that test well will move into favorites list, and others will drop out of the guide — if we have poor results or too much difficulty with the recipes.
One more thing: Cookbooks are a great gift any time of year, not just for the holidays. We’ll keep the guide pinned on the Cookbooks page of the site, for your handy reference year-round.
Baking with Dorie
Award-winning, best-selling cookbook author Dorie Greenspan is one of America’s most outstanding. Her 14th book, partly inspired by her travels and filled with must-bake recipes, encourages home bakers to riff and play. Read the review and purchase the book.
Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty and Simple, by Dorie Greenspan, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021, $35
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Classic Indian Cooking
I’ve cooked quite a bit from this encyclopedic book, published more than four decades ago, leaning on it when I want to remind myself of basics like the best way to make basmati rice, or making a wonderful rogani gosht (lamb braised in aromatic cream sauce). Sahni’s recipes work brilliantly, and she gives plenty of valuable context, including how to make them part of a meal. Here’s a sample recipe — for Yerra Moolee, a gently spiced, herbal dish of shrimp poached in coconut milk from Kerala.
Classic Indian Cooking, by Julie Sahni, William Morrow, 1980, $29
BUY ‘Classic Indian Cooking’ at Bookshop
BUY ‘Classic Indian Cooking’ at Amazon
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Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean
One of the revered author’s greatest works. Read the review and purchase the book.
Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean: Treasured Recipes from a Lifetime of Travel, Ten Speed Press, 2021, $40
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Every Grain of Rice
Dunlop's approachable, reliable book is one of our favorite cookbooks ever. Read the review and purchase the book.
Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking, by Fuchsia Dunlop, Norton, 2012
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Falastin
Exuberantly delicious recipes that work brilliantly fill the pages of this book about Palestinian cooking and culture, from Yotam Ottolenghi’s business partner (Tamimi) and a longtime member of the Ottolengi team (Wigley). Read the review and purchase the book. Watch CWB’s Q & A with Tara Wigley.
Falastin: A Cookbook, by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley, Ten Speed Press, 2020, $35
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Food of Life
Batmanglij is the undisputed queen of Persian and Iranian cooking. The recipes in her mammoth 1986 book, revised in 2020, are astounding in how much they delight — from the moment you start prepping the aromatic, beautiful ingredients, through the inevitably pleasurable cooking, through every last bite. Read more and purchase the book.
Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies, by Najmieh Batmanglij, Mage Publishers, 2020, $55
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Gâteau
This charming 2022 collection from Aleksandra Crapanzano speaks to people who love cakes but don’t want to fuss over them; you won’t think twice about whipping up these delightful and easy treats. Still, if you want to dive into an ambitious project, she has you covered; her baba au rhum recipe is a knockout. Review coming soon - for now, try a recipe and purchase the book.
Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes, by Aleksandra Crapanzano, ILLUSTRATIONS BY CASSANDRA MONTORIOL, SCRIBNER, $30.
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Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art
Still in print since 1980 for a reason: It's essential. Here’s a sample recipe.
Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art, by Shizuo Tsuji, Kodansha America, 2006, $45
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Jubilee
Tipton-Martin's award-winning 2020 book is already a classic. Read the review and purchase the book.
Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking, by Toni Tipton-Martin, Clarkson Potter, 2019, $35
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Mastering the Art of French Cooking
Julia Child’s essential 2-volume set. Of course I love Julia — she taught me to cook!
Mastering the Art of French Cooking, volumes i and ii, by Julia Child, knopf
BUY ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volumes I and II’ at Amazon
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Mother Grains
This groundbreaking book from L.A.’s star baker, the co-owner of Friends & Family, eloquently explicates the grain revolution. Organized around 8 “mother grains” (barley, buckwheat, corn, oats, rice, rye, sorghum and wheat), it’s filled with fabulous recipes that will change the way you think about baking. Since reviewing it, I’ve continued reaching for it regularly (the rye bagel recipe is fantastic). Read the review and purchase the book.
Mother Grains: Recipes for the Grain Revolution, by Roxana Jullapat, Norton, 2021, $40
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My Korea
The Michelin-starred New York-based chef hit a home run with his approachable and authoritative primer. Read the review and purchase the book.
My Korea: Traditional Flavors, Modern Recipes, by Hooni Kim, Norton, 2020, $40
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Ottolenghi Simple
This is probably my favorite book from the Israel-born London super-chef. Read my review and purchase the book.
Ottolenghi Simple, by Yotam Ottolenghi with Tara Wigley and Esme Howarth, Ten Speed Press, 2018, $35
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The Perfect Scoop
The Paris-based former Chez Panisse pastry chef, David Lebovitz, is the undisputed king of ice cream. His recipes are great for following to a T, but they're also imminently riffable. Read the review and purchase the book.
The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas and Sweet Accompaniments, by David Lebovitz, Ten Speed Press, 2007
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Peru: The Cookbook
Worth it for the ceviche chapter alone, this is the authoritative work from Peru’s most famous chef.
Peru: The Cookbook, by Gastón Acurio, Phaidon, 2015, $55
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The Rise
Marcus Samuelsson is one of the most talented and accomplished chefs of our time, and his recipes — inspired by Black chefs, activists and cooks — are thrilling. Osayi Endolyn’s essays about those cooks and activists are wonderful, enlightening reads. Read our review and buy the book.
THE RISE: BLACK COOKS AND THE SOUL OF AMERICAN FOOD, BY MARCUS SAMUELSSON WITH OSAYI ENDOLYN, RECIPES WITH YEWANDE KOMOLAFE AND TAMIE COOK, PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANGIE MOSIER, 2020, LITTLE, BROWN, $38
Tu Casa Mi Casa
If I could only own one book on Mexican cooking, this would be it. Read the review and purchase the book.
Tu Casa Mi Casa: Mexican Recipes for the Home Cook, by Enrique Olvera, Luis Arellano, Gonzalo Goût and Daniela Soto-Innes, Phaidon, 2019, $40
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Vegetarian India
Jaffrey’s 2015 classic is one of our all-time faves. Read the review and purchase the book.
Vegetarian India, by Madhur Jaffrey, Knopf, 2015, $35
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Via Carota
Cooks Without Borders’ 2022 Cookbook of the Year. Read the review and purchase the book.
Via Carota, by Jody Williams and Rita Sodi, with Anna Kovel, Knopf, 2022, $40
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Zuni Cafe Cookbook
From the late Judy Rodgers — filled with recipes culled from her legendary San Francisco restaurant — this is one of our favorite cookbooks ever. It’s just as valuable for the myriad quick ideas Rodgers talks through, not-quite-recipes like seven different crostini — one with bean purée and sardines in chimichurri, another with egg salad, fava beans and smoked trout. Of course you’ll find her famous Zuni roast chicken in its pages, and so much more. Try this recipe for her favorite New Year’s Eve hors d’oeuvre: gougères stuffed with bacon, pickled onions and arugula.