The Best Cookbooks to give as gifts
If you're searching for the perfect gift for the home cook in your life, look no further than the world of cookbooks. With their plethora of delicious recipes, helpful tips, and culinary inspiration, cookbooks make excellent gifts that can be treasured for years to come. Whether you're looking for go-to dinners, brand-new recipes, or a love letter to a favorite cuisine, there's a cookbook out there to suit every taste. I'm excited to share some of the best cookbooks on the market that are sure to delight any food lover.
Cookbooks have long been a beloved staple in kitchens around the world, and they continue to be a source of inspiration for both novice and experienced cooks alike. From classic favorites to innovative new ideas, cookbooks offer a wealth of culinary knowledge and creativity. Whether you're a fan of Italian food, weekday vegetarian meals, or simply love the idea of creating delicious dishes with minimal ingredients, there's a cookbook out there to suit your needs.
In this post, I'll be exploring the best cookbooks to give as gifts during the holiday season and beyond. We'll delve into the go-to cookbooks of renowned food writers including the Barefoot Contessa and Alison Roman, as well as discover new and exciting releases from emerging authors. Whether you're in search of the latest New York Times bestseller or a hidden gem that hasn't yet made it onto the coffee table, I've got you covered. So, let's get started and find the perfect cookbook gift for that special someone who loves to whip up amazing meals in the kitchen.
1. Signature Cocktails
“Explore a captivating collection of iconic cocktails, from classics like the Bellini to modern creations like the Twin Cities from New York's Dead Rabbit bar, all accompanied by their fascinating stories and easy-to-follow recipes. Whether you're a cocktail enthusiast, entertainer, or industry professional, this book offers a delightful journey through nearly 600 years of cocktail history.”
2. More is More
“It’s time to crank up the heat and lose the measuring spoons because the secret to cooking is hiding in one simple motto: MORE IS MORE. In her bestselling debut cookbook, Cook This Book, Molly Baz taught the cooking essentials and put her love for mortadella and dill on blast. In More Is More, she’s teaching cooks how to level up their cooking, loosen up in front of that ripping hot pan, and seek deliciousness at all costs. (And yes, there will be more mortadella.) More Is More is a philosophy that encourages more risk-taking, better intuition, fewer exact measurements, and a “don’t stop ‘til it tastes delicious” mentality.”
3. Pasta Every Day
“In Pasta Every Day, Meryl Feinstein has created the world’s easiest-to-follow guide to making pasta doughs, shapes, fillings, and sauces. A celebrated pasta instructor, professional pasta maker, and founder of Pasta Social Club, she has years of experience helping thousands of cooks bring the pleasure of fresh pasta home.”
4. The Encyclopedia of Cocktails
“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.”
5. Let’s Eat
“@GrossyPelosi is your best friend in the kitchen—actually, he’s family. In his debut cookbook, larger-than-life personality Dan Pelosi offers up a warm hug of home cooking, sharing both comfort food and connection with 101 of his nearest and dearest Italian-American recipes. Some have been passed down through his family, and others have been cooked up from scratch—but all are made with love and accompanied by fun, meaningful stories to warm your heart while filling your belly.”
6. Keepers
“Drawing from two decades of trial-and-error in their own kitchens, as well as working alongside savvy chefs and talented home cooks, former Saveur editors Caroline Campion and Kathy Brennan offer 120 appealing, satisfying recipes ideal for weeknight meals. They include classic dishes with options for substitutions, updated old favorites, one-pot meals, “international” dishes, and others that reheat well or can be cooked in individual portions.”
7. Salt Fat Acid Heat
"Just reading [Samin Nosrat’s] Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat will make you a better cook, adept at seasoning, balancing, understanding what it really is you’re doing and why... Make room on the bedside table—and the countertop." — Bon Appetit
8. Cookies
Move beyond the same-old chocolate chip, peanut butter, and oatmeal cookies with Jesse Szewczyk’s collection of 100 brand-new, boldly flavored, and intriguing yet familiar recipes. Sophisticated and approachable—many don’t even require an electric mixer—these new classics are divided into chapters by flavors and attributes such as Chocolaty, Boozy, Fruity, Smoky, and Savory.
9. Pasta
New York City chef Missy Robbins fell in love with Italian food and pasta twenty-five years ago. She has been cooking, researching, and studying her way across Italy ever since, which led her to open two of America’s most renowned pasta restaurants, Lilia and Misi. With illustrated step-by-step recipes for handmaking forty of the most versatile pasta shapes and one hundred recipes for Italian American, regional Italian, and Robbins’s own best pasta dishes, plus two dozen vegetable sides, this is the hard-working manual for home cooks who aspire to master the art of pasta cooking.
10. The Chutney Life
The 100 easy-to-make recipes in this cookbook not only celebrate the Indian food Palak Patel grew up eating but 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. Busy moms and curious cooks alike will find new, exciting flavors here, inspired by souvenirs of Patel’s travels, makeovers of classics, and Indian remakes of favorites, including Coconut Shrimp Po’ Boys with Panang Curry Remoulade; Crispy Barbecue Chicken Keema Tacos; Masala Pot Pies covered in beautiful delicious golden puff pastry; and secret recipes for Patel’s unbeatable chutneys.
11. Sweet Enough
Casual, effortless, chic: These are not words you’d use to describe most desserts. But before Alison Roman made recipes so perfect that they go by one name—The Cookie, The Pasta, The Lemon Cake—she was a restaurant pastry chef who spent most of her time learning to make things the hard way. She studied flavor, technique, and precision, then distilled her knowledge to pare it all down to create dessert recipes that feel special and approachable, impressive and doable. In Sweet Enough, Alison has written the book for people who think they don’t have the time or skill to pull off dessert. Here, the desserts you want to make right away, you can make right away.
12. Tartine Bread
Tartine — A bread bible for the home or professional bread-maker, this is the book! It comes from Chad Robertson, a man many consider to be the best bread baker in the United States, and co-owner of San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery. At 5 P.M., Chad Robertson’s rugged, magnificent Tartine loaves are drawn from the oven. The bread at San Francisco's legendary Tartine Bakery sells out within an hour almost every day.
13. Dinner in One
“Melissa Clark brings her home cook’s expertise and no-fuss approach to the world of one-pot/pan cooking. With nearly all of the recipes being made in under one hour, the streamlined steps ensure you are in and out of the kitchen without dirtying a multitude of pans or spending more time than you need to on dinner.”
14. Ottolenghi Simple
“In Ottolenghi Simple, powerhouse author and chef Yotam Ottolenghi presents 130 streamlined recipes packed with his signature Middle Eastern–inspired flavors, all simple in at least (and often more than) one way: made in 30 minutes or less, with 10 or fewer ingredients, in a single pot, using pantry staples, or prepared ahead of time for brilliantly, deliciously simple meals.”
15. Start Here
“Change the way you think about cooking! In this epic guide to better eating, the chef, recipe developer, and video producer Sohla El-Waylly reimagines what a cookbook can be, teaching home cooks of all skill levels how cooking really works.”
16. The Essential NYT Cookbook
“Ten years after the phenomenal success of her once-in-a-generation cookbook, former New York Times food editor Amanda Hesser returns with an updated edition for a new wave of home cooks.”
17. The New Way to Cake
“Unlock a whole new world of flavor with Benjamina Ebuehi’s signature cakes. Inspired by her journey to The Great British Bake Off and beyond, Benjamina’s groundbreaking recipes put flavor at the forefront by letting the star ingredients―toasted nuts, fragrant spices, bold herbs and ripe fruit―do all the work. Creations like Plum & Black Pepper Cake, Masala-Chai Carrot Cake and Caramelized Plantain Upside-Down Cake are as impressive as they are simple. Beautiful, minimal finishing touches make a big impact, highlighting the exciting ingredients within.”
18. Americas Test Kitchen The Best Simple Recipes
“Just because time is short, it doesn't mean you have to settle for a can of soup or a sandwich for dinner, or making one of the many boring and flavorless fast recipes (which often aren't even as fast as they promise). Our test cooks have created more than 200 recipes that keep the ingredients and cooking time to a minimum and offer tons of flavor and plenty of variety.”
19. Modern Comfort Food
“In Modern Comfort Food, Ina Garten shares 85 new recipes that will feed your deepest cravings. Many of these dishes are inspired by childhood favorites—but with the volume turned way up, such as Cheddar and Chutney Grilled Cheese sandwiches (the perfect match for Ina’s Creamy Tomato Bisque), Smashed Hamburgers with Caramelized Onions, and the crispiest hash browns that are actually made in a waffle iron!”
20. The New York Times Essential Book of Cocktails
“Cocktail hour is one of America’s most popular pastimes and a favorite way to entertain. What better place to find the secrets of craft cocktails than The New York Times? Steve Reddicliffe, the “Quiet Drink” columnist for The Times, brings his signature voice and expertise to this collection of delicious recipes from bartenders from around the world, with a special emphasis on New York City.”
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