October 2023 New Cookbook Review

October is the busiest month of the year for those of us in the cookbook world and those who work in Halloween costumes and candy! Most books are either published on October 10th or October 24th making it a crazy time for publishers, bookstores and EYB!

Last week, I published the preliminary 2024 Cookbook Preview and don’t forget that you can create a wishlist here and share it with your loved ones. Our November 2023 Great Cookbook Club Summary and October 2023 EYB Cookbook Club Summary can be found at the links provided.

In May we announced that we have connected the EYB database to ckbk’s library of digital cookbooks. ckbk is a cookbook subscription site where you can access the full content of 770 great cookbooks, the majority of which are indexed here on EYB (and more will be indexed every week). For all the details, please see Jane’s post. If any of this month’s books are a part of the ckbk library, we have identified them as such: ckbk.

If you would like to order any of these titles (or preorder/order any other books or items) using our affiliate links below or BUY BOOK button on the book details page, earns Eat Your Books revenue as an Amazon Associate from qualifying purchases when using our links:

 USA * Canada * UK * Australia 

Please also remember your local bookstores – for preorders as well.

If there is an   available for a cookbook, look for the orange icon in the blurb. Clicking on that link will take you directly to the Preview.

Lastly, if events are planned for particular books/authors, I have included a link. Be sure to check our Calendar frequently for new entries there are loads of events around the world as more in-person and virtual events are being planned.

To jump to a particular country’s listing, please click on the links below.

I have written short blurbs for those titles that I have reviewed and which are not reissued books or now being published in a different country. Any others are listed in the Other titles of interest section. Click on the book’s record to see the publisher’s description. This month contains many books which I have yet to review so publisher’s descriptions may be shared for a major title.

United States

An Chua: Simple Vietnamese Recipes That Taste Like Home by Julie Tran: An chua? (Did you eat, yet?) is a common Vietnamese greeting that expresses affection through the everyday necessity, nourishment and comfort of food. In this special collection of time-honored recipes, Julie Mai Tran, a first-generation Vietnamese-Chinese American and the creator of Share My Roots, celebrates Vietnamese cuisine and culture inspired by her mother’s cooking.

A Booze & Vinyl Christmas: Merry Music-and-Drink Pairings to Celebrate the Season by André Darlington: Whether you’re planning your finest Ugly Christmas Sweater Party or spending a quiet evening by the stocking-lined fireside at home, make the season bright with this guide to 40 favorite holiday albums from the 1940s to the present. Each entry features liner notes on the album and accompanying boozy beverage recipes that complement the music or connect the drink to the artist. Select holiday food recipes throughout complete the experience.

Bake Your Heart Out: Bakeshop Favorites and New Classics You’ll Make on Repeat – A Baking Cookbook by Dan Langan is a lovely book filled with traditional baking recipes and twists on the classics. Marbled cherry blondies, Toasty coconut lime bars, and Lemon mascarpone cream pie are a few examples of the “twists” you will find here. There are five online recipes in the index for you to try now – those Butterscotch blondies are calling my name.

Basics with Babish: Recipes for Screwing Up, Trying Again, and Hitting It Out of the Park by Andrew Rea: In his wildly popular Basics with Babish YouTube series, Rea attempts, often fails, but always teaches cooking techniques for all levels of cooks. He’s explained everything from how to make challah bread and English muffins to Asian dumplings and homemade bacon. Now those classic, essential recipes (and many more) are compiled into an authoritative cookbook which contains hundreds of step-by-step photographs with tips and tricks to help you troubleshoot anything from broken butter to burnt bread to bony branzino. Events

Beautiful Bread: Create & Bake Artful Masterpieces for Any Occasion by Theresa Culletto: In this accessible, step-by-step guide, the author, a professional baker, shows us how to transform artisan breads into show-stopping creations by shaping, twisting, painting, and embellishing them into edible masterpieces. (GBBO Showstopper anyone?) Base recipes include challah, cracker, focaccia, pita/naan, pretzel, pumpernickel, and savory and sweet buttermilk doughs. Have fun making bread stalks, edible baskets, leaf branches, quilted buns and bread bowls, savory or sweet confetti bread, sunburst breads, and even a van Dough focaccia garden.

Big Heart Little Stove: Bringing Home Meals & Moments from The Lost Kitchen by Erin French: With more than 75 recipes and her favorite hospitality “signatures,” the author of The Lost Kitchen cookbook and the New York Times-bestselling memoir Finding Freedom invites readers to bring a piece of her beloved restaurant, The Lost Kitchen, home with them. These recipes are more approachable for the home cook with recipes like Fennel fried chicken and & backyard biscuits; Morning buns with pistachio and apricot; and Rosemary French frites. Events

Bread and Roses: 100+ Grain Forward Recipes featuring Global Ingredients and Botanicals by Rose Wilde: From buckwheat, barley, and brown rice to spelt, sonora, and sweet corn, Bread and Roses is a comprehensive guide to choosing ingredients with an impact beyond the plate, resulting in delicious results. Wilde’s recipes are inspired by her global travels and include more than 100 unique bakes. Readers will learn the origins and basic science behind more than fifteen ancient, heirloom, and alternative grains; how to enhance depth of flavor by tasting for tannins, body, acidity, strength, and hydration; and the proper way to source and preserve ingredients from local farmers and their own backyard. Just because ancient grains are featured doesn’t make the results any less delectable with recipes that include Sonora madeleines with fennel white chocolate shell, Buckwheat brown sugar crumble carrot peach icebox cake, and Quinoa upside-down cake with pineapple & candied hibiscus. Look for a big promotion on this title soon. Events

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Book: Classic, Creative, and Must-Try Recipes for Every Kitchen by Katie Jacobs: The artist and cookie expert offers 100 recipes for every gift-giving season and reason, from fancy dinners to lunchbox goodies. Besides her expert advice on why some recipes don’t work, she offers delicious vegan, paleo, dairy-free, and gluten-free recipes as well. In addition to cookies, there are recipes for pies, cakes, muffins and more.

The Chutney Life: 100 Easy-to-Make Indian-Inspired Recipes by Palak Patel celebrates the Indian food the author grew up eating and also the loving hands that made that food. Filled with anecdotes, love notes to Patel’s favorite kitchen tools, and many time-saving tips, Patel’s recipes find inspiration in resourcefulness. I have a confession – I am not a fan of Indian cuisine. However, the recipes in this book are a perfect fusion of Indian and American cuisine and I will definitely be making some of these recipes. Coconut shrimp po’ boys; Sweet & spicy turkey meatballs and Shiitake mushroom cheesesteaks are just a few examples. Events

Cooking Con Claudia: 100 Authentic, Family-Style Mexican Recipes by Claudia Regalado: Join YouTube’s Claudia Regalado as she creates 100 Mexican recipes that she has served to her husband and five children for years. Family favorites, new classics, delectable desserts, and so much more from Claudia’s kitchen are present in the pages of this book. Whether you’re looking to prepare the perfect tortillas from scratch, serve a delicious queso dip appetizer, or assemble everyone’s favorite tacos, Claudia is here to help! With her authentic Mexican ingredients and expertise, Claudia will have you feeling like a Mexican cuisine expert in no time!

Cooking with the CrunchBros: Casual and Fun Korean- and Japanese-Inspired Recipes from Our Kitchen to Yours by Jeff & Jordan Kim: Hundreds of millions of people have had fun watching the playful kid-and-dad duo, Jordan and Jeff Kim – better known as The CrunchBros – make, eat, and enjoy amazing Japanese- and Korean-style meals and treats on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram and now we can make more of their delicious foods in our own kitchens.

The Dish by Andrew Friedman introduces readers to all the people and processes that come together in a single restaurant dish, creating an entertaining, vivid snapshot of the contemporary restaurant community, modern farming industry, and food-supply chain.

Disney: Cooking with Magic by Brooke Vitale and Lisa Kingsley and Jennifer Peterson: Experience delicious dishes inspired by your favorite Disney animated films from 1937 to now with this new book. Featuring Disney’s classic films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Encanto, fans will delight in the enchanting, easy-to-prepare recipes in this cookbook, from magical main courses to delectable desserts. Featuring beautiful full-color photography, helpful cooking tips, and recipes ranging from simple to advanced, this cookbook is perfect for home cooks of all skill levels.

The Encyclopedia of Cocktails: The People, Bars, and Drinks, with More Than 100 Recipes by Robert Simonson is a lively A-to-Z compendium of the notable drinks, bartenders, and bars that shaped the cocktail world and produced the vibrant spirits culture we enjoy today, from two-time James Beard Award-nominated author and New York Times cocktail and spirits writer, Robert Simonson.

Familia: 125 Foolproof Mexican Recipes to Feed Your People by Marcela Valladolid: Former Food Network star and four-time cookbook author Marcela Valladolid is back with a brand new approach to traditional Mexican cuisine, this time with a focus on deep, authentic flavors and recipes that celebrate the breadth of Mexican cooking. Building off of the success of her hit online cooking show that she runs with her sister – The Marcela and Carina Show – whose foolproof recipes have been tested and loved by thousands of viewers, Familia is an ode to reclaiming traditions for the modern cook, paired with a more relaxed tone that speaks directly to Marcela’s readers.

The Global Pantry Cookbook: Transform Your Everyday Cooking with Tahini, Gochujang, Miso, and Other Irresistible Ingredients by Scott Mowbray and Ann Taylor Pittman is the guide to global ingredients that all cooks have been longing for. The book begins with a glossary (with photos) of ingredients such as: fish sauce, sambal, kimchi, gochujang and so forth. Then chapters are organized with recipes utilizing these ingredients beginning with Wow a crowd snacks & apps; Crunchy vibrant salads; all the way to Seductive sweets and frozen treats. The Global Pantry Cookbook is packed with great recipes and information, be sure to check it out!

The Great British Baking Show: Kitchen Classics: Signature Bakes from the Heart of the Home was published last month in the UK (UK edition) and features 80 mouth-watering recipes from Paul, Prue, and the bakers from the 2023 season of the show. Their creations – with a brief to add a fresh twist to the classic recipes we all know and love – are truly awe-inspiring signature dishes.

Have You Eaten? by Verna Gao brings together more than 70 of Verna’s all-time favorite Asian-inspired recipes. Each dish is simple to make and sumptuous to eat, with something for every mood or occasion – whether you want to be slurping spring onion noodles in a matter of minutes, sinking into a comforting bowl of congee, or sharing a round of vegan baos with friends.

A History of the World in 10 Dinners: 2,000 Years, 100 Recipes by Victoria Flexner and Jay Reifel: In ten chapters – each an important moment in food history, from Ancient Rome to Al-Andalus in Spain, from the Ethiopian Empire to nineteenth-century New York City – the authors pair menus with immersive retellings of historic culinary breakthroughs, and present the ingredients and modern techniques adapted for today’s kitchens to allow cooks of all abilities to entertain with dishes that were created and enjoyed hundreds of years ago but remain relevant to today’s food tastes and values. This is a book for food lovers and historians alike.

Holiday Coupetails by Brian Hart Hoffman and Brooke Bell: This festive collection of recipes crafted by Brian and Brooke includes all the best seasonal flavors served up in the preferred glass of imbibers everywhere: the coupe. This book answers the call of home bartenders who have been asking for more since Brian’s first sold-out cocktail book, The Coupe, premiered in 2016. In addition to favorite drinks inspired by the author’s international travel and memories with family and friends, Holiday Coupetails also offers appetizers and desserts to keep your holidays merry and bright.

Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food by Fuchsia Dunlop explores the culture, history and philosophy informing real Chinese cookery. Each chapter examines the way a particular dish expresses a singular aspect of Chinese gastronomy, from the importance of soup to the history of Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. Starting with sweet-and-sour pork, that classic of British Chinese takeaway cooking, Fuchsia examines the ways in which Chinese food has been understood and misunderstood in the West since its earliest days as an immigrant cuisine. Then the real feast begins: a journey into Chinese food as it is made, cooked, eaten and considered in China itself, through a diverse series of dishes including Mapo tofu, Dongpo pork, Knife-scraped noodles and Pomelo pith with shrimp eggs.

Joshua Weissman: Texture Over Taste by Joshua Weissman: Joshua is one of my “new” favorite cookbook authors. His latest title is brilliant, covering all aspects of texture – crunchy, chewy, aerated, creamy, fluid and fatty. When I have a craving it is almost always for something crunchy. That crispy shattering bite into a crispy piece of fried chicken is perfection. I always order my fries well done and feel there is nothing worse than an anemic floppy French fry – if I am going to have fries then they had better be worth every well-deserved bite. Joshua Weissman’s books need to be on our bookshelves.

Kneaders Bakery & Cafe: A Celebration of Our Best Recipes and Memories by Colleen Worthington: The recipes that made Kneaders famous are now shared in one amazing book. Find out more about this title and enter our giveaway in our promotional post.

Kung Food: Chinese American Recipes from a Third-Culture Kitchen by Jon Kung is exciting and unexpected collection of 100 recipes that re-examines Chinese American food. From dumplings to the most decadent curried mac and cheese, Jon inspires millions through his creative recipes and content. Events

Latinísimo: Home Recipes from the Twenty-One Countries of Latin America by Sandra A. Gutierrez is an encyclopedic cookbook celebrating Latin American home cooking – the first to cover the cuisines of all twenty-one nations. Divided by ingredient, Sandra delivers over 300 recipes with many variations along with an extensive pantry section that establishes the fundamentals of Latin American cooking. This is the book on all things Latin American – a must have. Events

Bad Manners (Thug Kitchen): Hungry as Hell: Meals to Live by, Flavor to Die For: A Vegan Cookbook by Bad Manners, Michelle Davis and Matt Holloway: The Thug Kitchen has evolved to Bad Manners and gives you a home-cooking reboot with this fresh collection of more than 100 great-tasting, good-for-you plant-based recipes for any occasion. With fantastic photos and illustrations, creative ideas for turning leftovers into meals you’re actually excited to eat, and field notes that offer life-changing tips, this book is a how to cook and eat more plant-based meals.

Let’s Bake Bread!: A Family Cookbook to Foster Learning, Curiosity, and Skill Building in Your Kids by Bonnie Ohara, the best selling author of Bread Baking for Beginners, is back with a cookbook for families with kids of age three and up filled with delicious, foundational, foolproof recipes for baking that double as teaching opportunities for everything from organization and sensory awareness to history, science, math, and nutrition.

Let’s Eat Paris!: The Essential Guide to the World’s Most Famous Food City by François-Régis Gaudry: From the same team that created Let’s Eat France! and Let’s Eat Italy!, comes this obsessively complete, energetically designed, love letter of a book, dedicated to the food and culinary culture of Paris – the most romantic and delicious city in the world! These guides are mini vacations that can be taken from the comfort of your couch. Experience the beauty of Paris through myriad photographs, recipes and narrative.

Liquid Dessert: Cocktail Confections from Around the World by Bryan Paiement is an invitation on a trip around the world to discover cocktails inspired by the best desserts on the planet. This isn’t your average cocktail or dessert book but a combination of the two. Traditional desserts can be heavy and overwhelming after a meal. Or you may be wavering on whether or not to have another beverage or a dessert – now the decision is easier! From cocktails-inspired favorites like Bananas Foster or Cannoli, whether you’re a fan of rich, decadent chocolate or you have more of a citrusy-tart palate, the simple-to-follow recipes in here have you covered, no matter your craving.

Magnolias Classic Southern Cuisine: Collected Recipes from the Heart of Charleston by Don Drake, the author of Uptown Down South Cuisine: Magnolias Restaurant, is back with another cookbook that includes more than 100 recipes, from pantry items to poultry and meats, and sides to sweets, along with bits of history and anecdotes from the storied restaurant.

Make It Japanese: Simple Recipes for Everyone by Rie McClenny teaches the building blocks of authentic Japanese home cooking with 85 satisfying, soulful, everyday recipes from the beloved BuzzFeed Tasty food personality, I really love this book that makes Japanese cooking approachable with spot on instructions and lovely images. Events

Maman & Me: Recipes from Our Iranian American Family by Roya Shariat and Gita Sadeh is a lovely cookbook filled with 78 delicious cook-at-home Iranian American recipes from beloved mother-and-daughter duo Roya Shariat and Gita Sadeh. Look for a Quick Bites and giveaway coming soon. Events

Milk Street Simple by Christopher Kimball shares 200 simple, clever recipes you can just cook: the world’s greatest culinary ideas, distilled to their essence and simplified for weeknight meals by the James Beard Award-winning team at Milk Street. This title is one of our options in the EYB Cookbook Club in December.

More Is More: Get Loose in the Kitchen by Molly Baz: In her bestselling debut cookbook, Cook This Book, Molly Baz taught her readers cooking essentials and here in her second title, she’s teaching us how to level up our cooking, ditch measuring spoons and discover that more is more. With recipes like Stuffed focaccia with spicy greens and cheese, Crispy salmon with coconut rice and crackle sauce, and Drunken cacio e pepe – she doesn’t disappoint. My only issue with this book is the photography. It may be my old eyes but the “new” photography that looks retro-ish and over processed is difficult for me – I love food photos in books except when they are like this. I will suffer these images because Molly’s recipes are so good even if she names recipes Brocc & greens or Raw & roasted cauli salad. Yes, I am old. Get off my lawn.

My Everyday Lagos Kitchen: Nigerian Cooking at Home and in the Diaspora by Yewande Komolafe, acclaimed chef and food writer, celebrates the many cuisines found in Lagos, Nigeria’s biggest city, with 75 recipes that mirror her own powerful journey of self-discovery. This title is an in-depth exploration of a cuisine as well as the definitive book on Lagos cuisine that reveals the nuances of the regions and peoples but also tells the author’s own story of gathering the scattered pieces of herself through understanding her home country and food.

Natasha’s Kitchen: 100+ Easy Family-Favorite Recipes You’ll Make Again and Again by Natasha Kravchuk is an accessible collection of more than 100 weeknight recipes from the creator of the wildly popular website Natasha’s Kitchen, featuring trusted family favorites and enticing new dishes.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinner’s Ready!: 112 Fast and Fabulous Recipes for Slightly Impatient Home Cooks by Ree Drummond shares new dishes to fit your schedule, whether you’re in a hurry to get supper made or simply want to get out of the kitchen quicker to spend time doing other things you enjoy. Events

Plant Forward: 100 Bold Recipes for a Mostly Healthy Lifestyle by Jazmin & Richard Blais: Here the Blaises open their kitchen and their lives to show you how they eat and maintain healthy habits when the cameras are off. Each recipe features Blais’s creative signature style and allows veggies and whole grains to move center stage without giving up meat entirely. With an array of innovative flavor combinations and flexibility – prepare to embark on the ultimate cooking and eating adventure. Events

Polish’d: Modern Vegetarian Cooking from Global Poland by Michal Korkosz, author of Fresh from Poland, explores Polish cooking’s rich cuisine with 100 modern recipes. Filled with the author’s beautiful photography and exciting new dishes, this is a book loaded with inspiration to cook more vegetarian recipes.

The Ranch Table: Recipes from a Year of Harvests, Celebrations, and Family Dinners on a Historic California Ranch by Elizabeth Poett: The first cookbook from Magnolia Publications shares recipes from a year of harvests, celebrations, and family dinners at Rancho San Julian, a historic California cattle ranch, by the host of Ranch to Table on Magnolia Network. This book celebrates the ranch in both its past, including beautiful archival images of Elizabeth’s family’s history on the land and recipes adapted from her ancestors’ notebooks, and present, organizing the book around the ranch’s most important work days, family traditions big and small, and annual celebrations. Each chapter will begin with a description of an event or a special day – the work of a branding, the joys of the annual family reunion, the fun of fall’s cider press and back-to-school dinner, the quiet beauty of a winter evening spent at the kitchen table – and will provide recipes for the dishes that Elizabeth makes for those occasions.

Rintaro: Food and Stories from a Japanese Izakaya in California by Sylvan Mishima Brackett is the debut cookbook from one of San Francisco’s most acclaimed restaurants and translates the experience of a Tokyo izakaya to the home kitchen. This beautiful book shows a cross section of Japanese food that isn’t usually shown in American cookbooks. The book showcases exciting but simple food that tastes both like Japan and California – not fusion food – but the food that you’d expect if the Bay Area were a region of Japan. With gorgeous photography and special design and production touches, this is a book that will live in the kitchen as well as on the coffee table.

Scandinavian from Scratch: Rustic Yet Refined Recipes for Buttery Cookies, Tender Cakes, Flaky Pastries, and Hearty Rye Bread by Nichole Accettola is a collection of 75 recipes for luscious cookies, cakes, tarts, pastries, breads, and smørrebrød at the heart of Scandinavian baking traditions. I was so excited to get this stunner of a book in my hands and look forward to baking these beautiful recipes soon. This title is one of our options in the EYB Cookbook Club in November.

ScheckEats: Cooking Smarter by Jeremy Scheck: This author has charmed a new generation of home cooks with his simple yet remarkably tasty recipes and his reliable culinary know-how. Now, in this stunning and personal book brimming with approachable recipes and step-by-step guidance, Jeremy shares the building blocks of what he calls culinary literacy: understanding why a recipe works and empowering readers to cook with confidence every day. Recipes are designed to minimize single-use ingredients and equipment (for example, all baking recipes are no-mixer-required), encouraging versatility with easily available essentials and Jeremy’s favorite kitchen staples. Promotion coming soon. Events

Seafood Simple by Eric Ripert demystifies the chef’s signature cuisine, making delectable fish dishes achievable for home cooks of all skill levels -yet still with elegance and panache. Breaking down cooking techniques into their building blocks, along with images to illustrate each step in the process, this title teaches readers how to master core skills, from poaching and deep frying to filleting a fish and shucking an oyster. Each recipe is accompanied by a gorgeous image by renowned photographer Nigel Parry, as well as step-by-step photos for each of the twenty techniques taught in the book. Events

Simple Pleasures: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Everyday Indulgence by Emma Fontanella delivers 100 recipes for breakfasts, breads and baked goods, pasta dishes, and celebration cakes as well as simplified versions of classics such as Authentic fettuccine Alfredo, Fluffy cinnamon rolls, and Instant donuts.

SuperChef Family Cookbook by Darnell Ferguson and Eric Bentley is more than a superhero-themed family cookbook! It’s two books in one! The story of the rising Food Network star’s life and a cookbook of favorite family recipes written. The book is jam-packed with creative and approachable recipes that the entire family will love to cook as well as to eat. Culinary tips and techniques are featured to help children learn and features information about knife-cutting techniques as well as safety in the kitchen. There are QR codes that will take kids to online videos showing Darnell demonstrating the techniques and sharing other inspirational helps.

Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook: A Cookbook by Sohla El-Waylly is practical, information-packed, and transformative guide to becoming a better cook and conquering the kitchen, Start Here is a must-have master class in leveling up your cooking. I am awe-struck by this volume! 656 pages of the brilliance that is Sohla. Across a dozen technique-themed chapters – from “Temperature Management 101” and “Break it Down & Get Saucy” to “Go to Brown Town,” “All About Butter,” and “Getting to Know Dough” – Sohla explains the hows and whys of cooking, introducing the fundamental skills that you need to become a more intuitive, inventive cook. Events

Sweet Vietnamese Bakes: A Dessert Lover’s Tour of Southeast Asia by Tara Nguyen: I love almost all baking titles but am especially excited by books that focus on international flavors. This book is beautifully photographed with recipes such as Salted egg yolk savory cake; Pineapple cookie rolls; Coconut jelly with coconut pearls dessert; and Coconut milk buns.

Tiny Bakes: Delicious Mini Cakes, Pies, Cookies, Brownies, and More by Jennifer Ziemons: Join the creator of Jenny’s Mini Cooking Show to explore the world of miniature baking-turning out cakes, cookies, and pies as eye-catching as they are delicious. Whether you’ve seen them on YouTube or other channels on TikTok and Instagram, there’s no denying the appeal of bite-size cakes and other assorted baked goods. Now, Tiny Bakes offers in one accessible volume all the techniques and tips you need to set up a miniature worktable and start creating your own super cute food right in your own kitchen!

Veg-table: Recipes, Techniques, and Plant Science for Big-Flavored, Vegetable-Centered Meals Nik Sharma, bestselling author of The Flavor Equation and Season, is a fascinating exploration of the unique wonders of more than fifty vegetables through captivating research, stunning photography, and technique-focused recipes. This book is everything we have grown to expect from Nik! This title is one of our options in the EYB Cookbook Club in November. Events

A Very Chinese Cookbook: 100 Recipes from China and Not China (But Still Really Chinese) by Kevin and Jeffrey Pang and America’s Test Kitchen: Storytelling meets foolproof technique as the father and son behind America’s Test Kitchen’s Hunger Pangs YouTube series celebrate the joys of Chinese cooking. With an informative mix of humor and clear instruction, the Pangs show how to build a pantry, teach how to use a wok and cleaver, review popular brands of instant noodles, and offer a visual guide to dim sum.

Ultimate Air Fryer Perfection: 185 Remarkable Recipes That Make the Most of Your Air Fryer by America’s Test Kitchen: The best-selling Air Fryer Perfection has been fully updated and expanded with all-new equipment ratings and 50 more great new recipes. ATK cooks share what they learned as they created new impressive recipes. They expanded the range of food that can be air fried and share the simple techniques they developed so that you can use bowls to bake eggs, skewer chicken, fish, and vegetables, and bake a fantastic cheesecake in a small cake pan.

The Way of the Savoury: The Official Umamido Cookbook by Guy Quirijnen and Femke Vandevelde presents authentic Japanese ramen recipes and closely guarded secrets from the Umamido kitchen, with photos and tips and tricks to create authentic ramen dishes at home. The recipes are created by Guy Quirynen, the man behind the Umamido ramen shops and restaurants in Belgium and Switzerland. In every shop, Guy and his team aim to immerse their guests in their passion for Japan by serving pure and authentic ramen.

Zingerman’s Celebrate Every Day: A Year’s Worth of Favorite Recipes for Festive Occasions, Big and Small by Zingerman’s Bakehouse brings that same depth of knowledge, clear instructions, fun spirit, and range of favorite recipes as their first cookbook Zingerman’s Bakehouse. Within these pages are 80 meticulously tested, delicious, and fun recipes, with more than 100 photographs and spunky sidebars.

Other titles of interest:

Canada

Craving Vegan: 101 Recipes to Satisfy Your Appetite the Plant-Based Way by Sam Turnbull: Here, the 2022 Taste of Canada winner pulls out all the stops and shares tricks you will turn to again and again to create epic vegan meals. We’re talking picture-perfect plant-based versions of Sunday morning eggs and gooey cheese, and even how to prepare the perfect vegan steak.

A Very Prairie Christmas Bakebook: Cookies, Candies, Cakes & More: Vintage Baking to Celebrate the Festive Season by Karlynn Johnston is the quintessential vintage holiday baking book, with over 120 festive and classic recipes to celebrate the Christmas baker in all of us! Take a step back in time as you flip through these pages to plan your holiday baking.

Chocolate All Day: From Simple to Decadent, 100+ Recipes for Everyone’s Favorite Ingredient by Steven Hodge, chocolatier, pastry chef, and TV star, shares over 100 meticulously tested recipes that will inspire home bakers of all skill levels. In addition to his showstopping recipes, Steve also gives plenty of advice on buying, storing and working with chocolate. He’ll show you how to temper it, how to create chocolate decorations and how to fix your desserts if something goes wrong! You’ll learn to taste chocolate and build a chocolate-based entertaining board that’s sure to impress. But most importantly, you’ll come away with the confidence to tackle any kind of chocolate recipe and make it your own. 

In Mary’s Kitchen: Stress-Free Recipes for Every Home Cook by Mary Berg: Canada’s most beloved home cook is back with a cookbook of 100 all-new recipes guaranteed to become your stress-free sidekick in the kitchen. With every recipe Mary writes, her goal is to show you that cooking for yourself, your friends, and your family doesn’t have to be boring, difficult, or stressful. No matter the time of day, or day of the week, with In Mary’s Kitchen, you’ll find everything you need to make the kitchen your happy place too.

Okanagan Eats: Signature Chefs’ Recipes from British Columbia’s Wine Valleys by Dawn Postnikoff and Joanne Sasvari is a collection of more than 70 signature recipes from the Okanagan Valley’s best chefs, restaurants, cafés, bakeries and wineries.

For the Love of Cocktails: The Everyday Guide to Delightful Drinks for Anyone, Anytime by Evelyn Chick provides readers with access to a world of flavors and sensations – those typically reserved for high-end cocktail bars – without having to leave home. Readers will quickly learn that a good cocktail is not found in how complex it is to create, the rarity of spirits, or the quality of the barware they have. A good cocktail is about joyful pursuit: being unafraid to make mistakes and the willingness to try something new.

Sweet Greek: Authentic Recipes for Every Occasion by Kathy Tsaples is a collection of 90+ traditional Greek recipes that will help you master classic favourites like spanakopita and baklava, and add dozens of new treats to your repertoire.

United Kingdom/Ireland

Slow Drinks by Danny Childs teaches home cooks, industry pros, homebrewers, and foragers how to transform botanical ingredients – whether foraged or purchased from the store – into incredibly unique beverages and cocktails. Organized by season, Slow Drinks demonstrates how to make drinks that tell a story of botany, history, culture, and terroir, while honoring beverage traditions both old and new.

Open Kitchen: Top Chefs Share Inspirational Recipes to Try at Home by Great British Chefs: 30 of the UK’s top chefs showcase the diversity and breadth of Britain’s culinary landscape through 50 inspirational, exclusive recipes.

Flavour by Sabrina Ghayour is a new collection of simple, delicious, crowd-pleasing recipes from the bestselling Middle-Eastern chef. Over 100 fabulously flavourful recipes with a Middle-Eastern twist. (US release March 2024) Events

World Atlas of Cocktails: Travel the World of Drinks Without Leaving Home – 200 Cocktail Recipes by Olly Smith serves up the best cocktail recipes the world has to offer. From the prohibition-inspired speakeasy drinks of the US to the art of the Japanese Izakaya, Italian spritzes and amaro, Mexican margaritas, Korean soju sippers, Brazil’s many caipirinha-based classics, to Singapore slings and West Indian rum punches, every country has its own signature concoctions.

The New Ballymaloe Bread Book by Darina Allen: At the world-renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School, making the daily bread is a living tradition. Now Darina brings a new generation of home bakers on a journey to learn bread techniques, from simple yeast bread and speedy soda bread through to sourdough from scratch. This title will take the mystery out of breadmaking, passing on all the knowledge that you need to make superb loaves at home. An accessible and achievable collection of failsafe recipes for every kitchen.

Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery by Madhur Jaffrey: The 40th-anniversary edition of the beloved classic book on Indian home cooking, with 11 new recipes and gorgeous illustrations. Originally published in 1982, Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian Cookery was the book that accompanied the TV series that inspired a generation to cook real Indian food, not the watered down version of it that had persisted in Britain for years.

Giuseppe’s Easy Bakes: Sweet Italian Treats by Giuseppe Dell’Anno: The GBBO winner has been very busy – yes it was just one year ago that Giuseppe’s Italian Bakes: Over 60 Classic Cakes, Desserts and Savoury Bakes was published and now he is back with another gorgeous book filled with accessible, easy bakes and Italian flavours. Most of the recipes take no more than 20 minutes to prepare and are ideal for both the novice baker and seasoned cooks looking for some Italian inspiration. Events

James Martin’s Spanish Adventure: 80 Fantastic Recipes From Around Spain: This new title is inspired by the fine dining, rustic eateries, fresh ingredients and traditional recipes of Spain with James cooking his own take on local dishes to create stunning recipes for the home cook. From padron peppers and pulpo to olives and oranges, this book is a celebration of Spain’s top-quality produce and showcases the best recipes from the series, along with exclusive photography from behind the scenes on James’s culinary adventure. Events

Signature Cocktails by Amanda Schuster is a collection of 200 iconic drinks from around the globe, each of which has changed the culture of the cocktail.  Each unique drink in this collection is accompanied by the name of the creator, place and date of invention, alongside a specially commissioned image, easy-to-follow recipe, and a fascinating insight into its unique story. Covering almost 600 years of cocktail history, this elegant and uniquely focused collection will appeal to a wide range of readers – from lovers of cocktails to everyone who enjoys entertaining, food, and culture, to mixologists, bartenders, and industry professionals.

Slow Food, Fast Cars: Casa Maria Luigia – Stories and Recipes by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore shares the story and recipes of Casa Maria Luigia, Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore’s idyllic guest house, set in the heart of the Italian countryside. The book features 85 recipes for dishes and drinks served at Casa Maria Luigia to make at home, including jams and preserves, cakes and pastries, frittatas and focaccias, salads, and drinks, as well as a selection of fish, meat, and vegetable dishes. 

East Winds: Recipes, History and Tales from the Hidden Caribbean by Riaz Phillips, author of 2022’s West Winds: Recipes, History and Tales from Jamaica, is back with award-winning recipes in his latest title. His food and travel writing is interwoven throughout and gives full focus to the both violent and vibrant stories of the indentured Indian and Chinese, Indigenous tribes and African heritage of Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana, Suriname and beyond. This book equally reflects the kaleidoscope that is Caribbean food today.

Ginger Pig Christmas Cook Book by Tim Wilson and Rebecca Seal: From the award-winning Ginger Pig butchers, here are all the recipes you need for the most important meal of the year, plus all the other get-togethers of the festive season. In addition to delicious dishes there’s a wealth of helpful advice, from how to stuff a bird to the art of building a festive cheese board.

The Korean Cookbook by Junghyun Park and Jungyoon Choi celebrates traditional regional dishes and everyday food found in home kitchens from Seoul to Jeju Island. This stunning collection features more than 350 recipes organized into traditional Korean meals, including pantry staples, fermented foods, rice, vegetable dishes, raw food, noodles, stir-fries, grilled meats, soups, stews, hotpots, noodles, dumplings, porridges, rice cakes, and desserts. Acclaimed Atomix chef JP Park and culinary historian Jungyoon Choi share their years of research and expertise, together with their knowledge of the ingredients, culture, and traditions of Korean food in this, the first comprehensive book on Korean home cooking, expansive in breadth and approach and filled with tasty and achievable authentic recipes for the home cook.

Repertoire: A Modern Guide to the Best Vegetarian Recipes by Alice Hart shares over 90 of the author’s gutsiest, most flavourful vegetarian recipes to celebrate vegetables and make them the star of every dish. From brunches that are just as good for supper to characterful sides that can double as mains and an entire chapter of sauces to add true oomph to your kitchen, this is a real mix and match affair that will have you cooking with confidence.

The Hebridean Baker at Home by Coinneach MacLeod has 75 sumptuous recipes. Coinneach is serving up the very best of the islands, from beaches to bedtime stories as the perfect accompaniment. Delight in the folklore, family history, songs and poems that season each chapter, alongside the special guests who showcase the true magic of the islands – its people. Events

Home Kitchen: Everyday Cooking Made Simple and Delicious by Donal Skehan: In his new book, Donal brings us into the heart of his kitchen, showing us how he cooks for his family and what inspires him – from his granny’s handwritten recipes and his Irish heritage to his time living in LA. Donal shares delicious recipes from his many experiences and travels, as well as his decades as a home cook, that you’ll want to make time and again.

Rick Stein’s Simple Suppers by Rick Stein shares his simple suppers in his latest title. Recipes that are straightforward and informal – yet effortlessly delicious. Stein says: “The idea of supper appealed to me because it suggests an ordinary meal. When one is not trying too hard; maybe something you’re going to cook in your jeans and Polo shirt, a glass of vinho verde on the worktop”. Events

The Story of Pasta and How to Cook It! by Steven Guarnaccia is a playful, fact-filled exploration of the fascinating history of 35 famous pasta shapes with a delicious, child-friendly recipe perfectly suited to each shape.

Preserved: Condiments: 25 Recipes by Darra Goldstein showcases 25 recipes for some of the world’s most delicious sauces, spreads, relishes, and chutneys. It is the first in a series of six short books devoted to all things food preservation.

Preserved: Fruit: 25 Recipes by Darra Goldstein brings together 25 recipes for jams, syrups, shrubs, and pickles from all over the world. This is the second of six short books devoted to all aspects of food preservation.

The Gingerbread Book: 50 Spiced Bakes, Houses, Cookies, Desserts and More by Helena Garcia conjures up inspiring recipes for cakes and bakes, cookies, desserts, drinks and gingerbread houses. From everyday bakes like Maple and ginger cupcakes, Sticky toffee gingerbread pudding and Ginger spiced banana bread, to spooky creations such as Ginger pumpkin pie-thon, Baba Yaga’s hut and a terrifying Gingerbread demogorgon, Helena Garcia’s inventive recipes take gingerbread flavours to new heights.

Curry Guy One Pot: Over 150 Curries and Other Deliciously Spiced Dishes from Around the World by Dan Toombs pulls together over 150 recipes from a lifetime of global travels, spending over five months on the road researching this book. Collaborating with local chefs and restaurants all over the world, he has developed an extraordinary collection of spicy delights.

Frontieres: Food and Cooking from the French Borderlands by Alex Jackson is a book about the cooking of France’s borderlands: from the geographical to the historical, linguistic and metaphorical. In it, Alex Jackson sets out to investigate the cooking of these borderland areas with a view to exploring the similarities between the food on either side of the borders.  With over 80 mouth-watering recipes and fascinating introductions to each region, Frontières will take you on a delicious gastronomic journey through France’s varied borderlands, adding many interesting dishes to your repertoire along the way.

Supa Ya Ramen by Luke Findlay, founder of cult-status restaurant Supa Ya Ramen, is all about celebrating the craft of ramen without limits – this is a masterclass in infusing traditional techniques with the ingredients you love, while Luke effortlessly gives you the confidence to experiment with flavour to create your own perfect bowl and revolutionize your ramen game.

The Dinner Table: Over 100 Writers on Food by Kate Young and Ella Risbridger: In this big, beautiful anthology, award-winning writers Kate Young and Ella Risbridger present you with their ultimate fantasy dinner party. Here you’ll find authors, cooks and poets from Laurie Colwin, Salman Rushdie and Jack Underwood, to Rachel Roddy, Audre Lorde and Nigella Lawson. The individual pieces in this book each have something to say to their neighbours on either side; just like a real-life dinner party, the collection is designed to flow from one topic to the next. You’ll find old friends as well as new, discussing eggs, bread, fridge-raid suppers, wedding feasts and much, much more.

The Hairy Bikers’ Ultimate Comfort Food by Si King and Dave Myers (The Hairy Bikers): The nation’s favourite cooking duo are back to bring you the ultimate collection of comforting recipes – perfect for those cosy times spent with friends and family. Inspired by the dishes that Si and Dave loved to eat growing up and that they cook with their families now, this is comfort food at its best. Recipes that are guaranteed to deliver on flavour, even when you’re short on time, all made with readily available and affordable ingredients. Real, everyday food to enjoy and share.

Other titles of interest:

Australia

7 Days Of Dinner: Easy Recipes From Meat-free Monday to Sunday Roasts by Adam Liaw: Get delicious dinners on the table every single night with this new guide to cooking for the whole family. This inspiring collection keeps the ideas coming with a theme for every day of the week, featuring over easy 80 recipes taken from the set of his hit SBS series The Cook Up.

Kindred: Recipes, Spices & Rituals to Nourish Your Kin by Maria and Eva Konecsny: Sisters Maria and Eva, founders of the beloved Gewuerzhaus spice stores, know that spices have the power to transform our everyday cooking. They also believe that cooking to feed our kin – whether it’s chocolate semolina porridge, tender fennel roast pork or a tray of spiced Christmas cookies – can be a deeply nourishing and connective force in our lives. In Kindred, Maria and Eva take you into their homes to share the spices, seasonal rituals, traditions and recipes from their German heritage that bring their families around the table. Learn how to use spices in simple ways to elevate your cooking and discover key principles for spicing different types of food. 

A Seat at My Table: Philoxenia: Vegetarian and Vegan Greek Kitchen Recipes by Kon Karapanagiotidis: Join the author at his table in his beautiful and inspiring Greek vegetarian and vegan cookbook. Featuring more than 100 recipes passed down through the generations, this book will teach you to cook with community at your heart, filled with the knowledge and wisdom of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre’s (ASRC) inspiring founder and his mother, Sia.

The Kitchen Appliance Cookbook: The Classic Companion for the Modern Kitchen by taste.com.au shares 250 recipes for delicious and clever dishes designed to make the very most out of our favourite and time-saving kitchen appliances.

Even More Basics to Brilliance by Donna Hay is where you’ll find foundation recipes with simple flavour switch-ups and shortcuts to take you from basics to brilliance in the kitchen. Each recipe is followed by clever variations and flavour shortcuts to make them even easier to master, while giving home cooks the confidence to elevate their cooking to delicious new heights. And in true Donna style, there are plenty of clever change-ups along the way!

CDMX: The Food of Mexico City by Rosa Cienfuegos is the follow-up cookbook to Comida Mexicana. It is a celebration of the food of Mexico City and the dishes that Rosa grew up eating and now recreates in her two Sydney restaurants: Tamaleria and Icatate. It is the food that chilangos (residents of Mexico City) enjoy at home, on the streets, in markets, and in cafes and bars. Authentic and often unique to Ciudad de Mexico, as the locals call it, CDMX’s colorful recipes reflect the vibrancy, history, and modern urban life of Mexico’s liveliest city. Filled with stunning food photography and on-the-scene shots of Mexico City, this is more than a cookbook. In addition to the unique dishes found only in the capital, CDMX is also where the country’s regional cuisines come together, giving you the opportunity to eat your way through Mexico without ever having to leave the city.

The Vegan Baker: The Ultimate Guide to Plant-based Breads, Pastries, Cookies, Slices, and More by Zacchary Bird: For any vegans struggling to veganize their favorite savory treats, sweets, or desserts, Zacchary Bird is here to take you on a cooking experience like no other. Each recipe is explained with Bird’s signature humor and easy-to-follow instructions. Veganism isn’t about missing out – it’s about getting creative, and with Bird’s ingenuity, baked goods are no longer forbidden.

Now & Then: A Collection of Recipes for Always by Tessa Kiros is the eleventh book from the globally beloved food writer. Now & Then is a collection of more than 150 recipes and recollections inspired by Tessa’s Tuscan table and stalwart favourites from meals past.

Recipes for a Lifetime of Beautiful Cooking by Danielle Alvarez and Libby Travers: Across seven chapters, 100-plus recipes, insightful asides on the stories of key ingredients and multiple lyrical and instructive short essays, the book celebrates Danielle’s Cuban heritage, her time spent cooking in California and then Australia, her love of French and Italian food and all the incredible Asian influences that have coloured her cooking journey. Wherever readers live, if they have a basic grocery store, they can make most of the recipes (or work with the substitutions). The ideas are designed to help them find happiness in their kitchen; with the best that is available to them.

New Zealand

Bluebells Cakery Classics: Cakes, Cookies and so Much More by Karla Goodwin contains classic recipes with modern twists plus instructions on how to create stunning icing effects to wow your friends and family. Karla has grown her business from a Saturday market stall to a number of fully developed cafes and a thriving online store. In this, her third book, she revisits some of her earlier recipes and adds new ones, plus detailed instructions on how to create some of her amazing signature decoration effects.

Dish Sweet by Sarah Tuck: Following on from the highly successful Dish Fast & Dish Summer, Dish Sweet is all about baking, slices, desserts, tarts and ice-cream.

Plated: A Lifetime Love Affair with Food by Tina Duncan: Tina’s lifetime love affair with food has finally culminated in this outstanding collection of some of the most delicious plates from Tina’s sixty years of cooking. She shares how to prepare, cook and present your food for maximum effect and minimal stress, ensuring you spend less time in the kitchen and more time at the table with guests. Each recipe comes with time-saving tips as to what can be made ahead or kept on standby in your freezer. Whether you’re just starting out, or a confident cook looking for fresh inspiration, cooking just got easier.

Modern Chinese: 70+ Easy, Everyday Recipes from the Winner of MasterChef NZ by Sam Low demystifies modern Chinese cooking with a collection of accessible, simple recipes that can be cooked with ingredients from the supermarket. Low describes in detail how to build your pantry of classic Chinese ingredients, setting the foundation for cooking. Having grown up in a diasporic Chinese household, Sam creates recipes with a unique take on nostalgic traditional classics, while adding a new narrative to what it means to cook modern Chinese.

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4 Comments

  • averythingcooks  on  October 26, 2023

    And the wish list gets a workout…again 🙂

  • gamulholland  on  October 26, 2023

    @Jenny —I’m with you on the new bright, loud, cluttered, over saturated style of food photography— not my thing. I don’t think I’m that old, but I definitely have ADHD, and the whole style is just really distracting— not just this book, but a lot of cookbooks in the last few years. For the same reason that I keep a clean, open desk at work without lots of stuff on it, I like food photography that focuses on the food. Not the cutlery, the flowers, the glasses, the plates, the harsh shadows, the loud/ clashing colors of stuff in the vicinity, all the other food and condiments in the picture, and especially the tablecloth and napkins and wallpaper that are so heavily patterned that the food kind of blends into them. A very VERY minor complaint, in the grand scheme of things, but I won’t miss it when this trend passes. 🙂

  • bookpoet  on  October 31, 2023

    Thanks for the rundown, Jenny! I am totally with you on the overly bright, blown out, trend in food photography. (1973 called and it wants its orange and avocado back). While I’m clearly a voracious cookbook buyer, in the last year or so I’ve put nearly all of the books that have chosen this look right back on the bookstore shelves. I think I may have made only one or two exceptions. The bottom line is that this food, as presented, simply does not look appetizing to me. I hope they reshoot some of these books in the future.

  • IvyManning  on  January 3, 2024

    I’m in complete agreement with you, the brash, cluttered photo thing is tiresome and unhelpful. Give me the good old days of Donna Hay’s “white on white” style, where the focus was the food!

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