Every year Becky Krystal of the Washington Post and staff writer of “Voraciously”, a food column with a strong ‘how-to’ focus, chooses the best cookbooks of the year for us. In 2021, she’s focusing on books about baking, an activity she’s passionate about—and many of the rest of us have been doing more of in the past year or two.

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.

America’s master griller chooses books on the world’s oldest cooking method. He discusses why brown tastes better, and how our primal urge to play with fire helped us evolve.

The authors of Prospero’s Kitchen take us on a culinary tour of Greece and explain how the country’s history has influenced its cuisine in sometimes surprising ways

Claire Ptak, owner of the Violet Bakery in London and former pastry chef at Chez Panisse, recommends some of her own favourite cookbooks. [Since speaking to us in 2015, Claire Ptak has subsequently designed Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake]

In this interview two celebrated chefs discuss the best books to help you capture the complex flavours and colours of Persian food. Along the way they describe their favourite Persian treats, including mouth-watering lattice window syrup cakes and rice with saffron and morello cherries.

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.

Cook and bestselling author Diane Seed selects five books on Mediterranean cuisine. From the forgotten spices of Turkey to the stews served to Greek freedom fighters, the variety of the region’s food is unsurpassed

The author and food writer talks about honey pancakes, mushy peas, drop scones, choux pastry, baked onions and Winnie the Pooh. Perfect lunch-break reading (as long as you’re having a good lunch)

The author, chef, and actress Madhur Jaffrey recommends five of her favourite cookbooks.

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 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

Yotam Ottolenghi, the accomplished chef and owner of several high-end London eateries names the cookbooks he loves the most.

The London Times award-winning food columnist takes an irreverent look at the world of food writing, from restaurant critics to celebrity chefs

The Puritans got modern American cuisine off to a bad start. But the food writer and critic says subsequent immigrants have helped create a culture where food is appreciated.

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

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!

Samantha Clark, co-founder of the award-winning restaurant Moro, tells us about the camper van trip to Morocco that inspired her, and why we should all get acquainted with chicharrones and calzots!

The food writer and journalist says it was a Pole, Edouard de Pomiane, who taught the French housewife how to cook.

The Michelin-starred chef Bruno Loubet chooses the book that taught him the shortcomings of everything he had learned in catering school, and four other favourites. Two are by Australian chef Stephanie Alexander

The best cookbooks according to food editor of The Week. Raves especially about the Chez Panisse cookbooks. Says she’d like “it was my pleasure” carved on her gravestone