Every year, hundreds of new cookery books are published, but which are the best cookbooks ever written, the ones cooks and chefs themselves turn to again and again? Over the years, we've asked many of our favourite cookery writers to recommend their own favourite recipe books, books that have stood the test of time.
We've had some of the world's greatest cooks give their recipe book recommendations, including Nigel Slater, Yotam Ottolenghi, Mary Berry, Ruth Rogers and Ruth Reichl. BBQ expert Steven Raichlen and British restaurant critic Giles Coren have also recommended books for us, and you can find all their choices listed below.
You can also browse for cookbooks listed by country/national cuisine, including the best Greek, Persian, French, Italian and American cookbooks. Whether you're looking to bake a cake or make pastry, host a BBQ, or delve into French cuisine or try tapas for the first time, you can find the cookbook you're looking for below.
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1
Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit
by Abra Berens -
2
The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z
by Tamar Adler -
3
Still We Rise: A Love Letter to the Southern Biscuit with Over 70 Sweet and Savory Recipes
by Erika Council -
4
Comfort and Joy: Irresistible Pleasures from a Vegetarian Kitchen
by Ravinder Bhogal -
5
Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen
by Leah Koenig
The Best Cookbooks of 2023, recommended by Becky Krystal
The Best Cookbooks of 2023, recommended by Becky Krystal
Casting their expert eyes, experience—and taste buds—across this year’s new cookery titles, Becky Krystal of the Washington Post and colleagues have come up with a list of the best cookbooks of 2023. They cover everything from baking American-style biscuits to making the best use of leftovers, and a celebration of the unique cuisine of the Jewish-Roman community.
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1
Flour Power: The Practice and Pursuit of Baking Sourdough Bread
by Tara Jenson -
2
Watermelon and Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations
by Nicole A. Taylor -
3
Good Enough: Embracing the Joys of Imperfection and Practicing Self-Care in the Kitchen
by Leanne Brown -
4
The Complete Chinese Takeout Cookbook: Over 200 Takeout Favorites to Make at Home
by Kwoklyn Wan -
5
That Noodle Life: Soulful, Savory, Spicy, Slurpy
by Mike Le & Stephanie Le
The Best Cookbooks of 2022, recommended by Becky Krystal
The Best Cookbooks of 2022, recommended by Becky Krystal
Do you enjoy cooking up a storm in the kitchen? If so, you’ll love food writer Becky Krystal’s selection of the five best cookbooks of 2022—including a guide to sourdough bread, a fun exploration of all things noodle, and a collection of Juneteenth celebration foods.
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1
Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook
by Isa Chandra Moskovitz -
2
The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples
by Miyoko Schinner -
3
Dirt Candy: A Cookbook: Flavor-Forward Food from the Upstart New York City Vegetarian Restaurant
by Amanda Cohen -
4
Raw
by Charlie Trotter & Roxanne Klein -
5
Sweet + Salty: The Art of Vegan Chocolates, Truffles, Caramels, and More from Lagusta's Luscious
by Lagusta Yearwood
The Best Vegan Cookbooks, recommended by Alicia Kennedy
The Best Vegan Cookbooks, recommended by Alicia Kennedy
Vegan cooking has been transformed over the past 20 years. No longer is it trying to replicate non-vegan tastes and dishes or provide an alternative to meat. As the food writer Alicia Kennedy explains, the best vegan cooking is just excellent cooking, on its own terms. She recommends five vegan cookbooks to help you get to grips with vegan cooking techniques and to understand the range of vegan culinary possibilities.
The best books on Italian Food, recommended by Ruth Rogers
A culinary tour of Italian food, with co-founder of the acclaimed River Café restaurant Ruth Rogers. She tells us about the books that have inspired her, including the one she asks all her chefs to read!
Yotam Ottolenghi recommends some of his Favourite Cookbooks
Yotam Ottolenghi, the accomplished chef, bestselling author and owner of several high-end London eateries, names the cookbooks he loves the most.
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1
One Tin Bakes: Sweet and Simple Traybakes, Pies, Bars and Buns
by Edd Kimber -
2
The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained in More Than 100 Essential Recipes
by Nik Sharma -
3
Vegetable Kingdom: The Abundant World of Vegan Recipes
by Bryant Terry -
4
In Bibi's Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean
by Hawa Hassan & Julia Turshen -
5
Ottolenghi Flavor: A Cookbook
by Ixta Belfrage & Yotam Ottolenghi
The Best Cookbooks of 2020, recommended by Becky Krystal
The Best Cookbooks of 2020, recommended by Becky Krystal
If nothing else, 2020 has at least given many of us a lot of time to experiment in the kitchen. Here Becky Krystal, lead writer for the Washington Post’s Voraciously, recommends cookbooks relevant for a year in which grocery shopping has been complicated and the world has become more interconnected than ever.
Wonderful Cookbooks, recommended by Rose Levy Beranbaum
The bestselling author of The Cake Bible, Rose Levy Beranbaum, explains why English cakes don’t rise, how to make the perfect croissant, and how to get holes the size of radishes in your artisan breads
Mary Berry recommends her Favourite Cookbooks
Mary Berry has written over 70 books—but what are the cookbooks she returns to, time and again? Here she shares her top five with us.
Best Cookbooks of All Time, recommended by Nigel Slater
Which is the one cookbook the cookery writer can’t do without? Who writes the best recipes? Who is the best writer? Who does he turn to for a breath of fresh air? Nigel Slater picks his all-time favourite cookbooks.
The best books on Desserts, recommended by David Lebovitz
Great desserts can be amazingly simple, and even low in fat. The pastry chef and author cooks up a mouth-watering reading list to bring your recipes up to date