Rounding Up the Best Cookbooks of 2021
This was certainly a stellar year for cookbooks and narrowing down the list to the Best Cookbooks of 2021 was an extremely challenging task. So many great ones made their debut, but here are more than a few that are worthy of a spot on your shelf, in no particular order. We will dive deeper into some of these and provide recipes shortly here.
Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love Recipes to Unlock the Secrets of Your Pantry, Fridge, and Freezer: A Cookbook by Noor Murad and Yotam Ottolenghi
I’m often guilty of purchasing packages of this of that for a recipe I might make just once because I’m always experimenting, then I’m onto the next shiny thing, abandoning the previous ingredients along the way. As a result, I’m left with ageing spices, half boxes of grains, and have meat or fish stashed in my freezer, along with a rotating selection of soon-to-expire veggies in the fridge. Seems like a great recipe for a soup, but surely there’s more. Enter Ottolenghi Test Kitchen – Shelf Love which is prefaced with an index of things you might find in your pantry, fridge or freezer with Middle Eastern-inspired recipes that use up these bits and bobs!
Star Anise jumped out at me, as I have a large package, bought for braising pork belly, but at risk of losing its deep licorice, clove, fennel, and anise flavours, and so I flip to the book’s first suggestion – soda bread with figs, star anise, and orange. This recipe also handily takes care of some dried figs I’ve abandoned, leftover from whisky tasting a few months back, and I have all the other ingredients on hand. Next on the list is a sweet, spiced mushroom and rice pilaf, and again there’s many an ingredient already in my possession that are calling for attention – green onions, dried mushrooms, cinnamon sticks, and ancho chiles, will meet their demise, along with the star anise.
This cooking guide teaches you to adjust as you go, giving you suggestions to substitute and improvise along the way and is just what we need in an age when reducing food waste and being resourceful continues to be more than just a trend. Purchase
Baking With Dorie – Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan
I adore Dorie Greenspan, she’s the baking queen and has authored thirteen cookbooks, cleaning up in the awards department along the way. Baking with Dorie is complete with step-by-step instructions allowing even a new baker to participate. The breakfast chapter leads this gorgeously photographed work with Brioche Sticky Buns, Blueberry Biscuits and a selection of Scones, and the there’s Cakes, Cookies, Pastries, Pies, and some Suppers, including a Clam Chowder Pie that is genius!
Included in the book is a revision of her famous World Peace Cookies (chocolate sables), Park Avenue Brownies, a nice assortment of dinner tarts/pies, including Vegetable Ribbon, and a show-stopping Double-Decker Caramel Cake. This medley of basic recipes with familiar and unfamiliar twists, complete with insights and variations on techniques and ingredients, will make you a more accomplished baker. Greenspan’s even pointed out her favourite recipes, indicated with a heart and the word “sweetheart” at the top. Purchase
Amber & Rye: A Baltic Food Journey: Estonia – Latvia – Lithuania by Zuza Zak
In Amber & Rye: A Baltic Food Journey, a gloriously colourful love letter to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, author Zuza Zak guides us through this charming region. As she stopped in the various cities along the way, stories of culture and history take shape and delicious recipes that are steeped in tradition but modernized are presented. Zak’s childhood included holidays on the Baltic coast, and she returned here to thoroughly research the book, meeting farmers, growers and artisan producers who are leading the “New Wave”, as Zak refers to this movement of culinary evolution. There are breakfasts, appetizers, mains, salads ad sides along with a nice section on fermenting and pickling, desserts, and drinks. I highly recommend the Crispy Duck Breast with red currants and roast pumpkin, and the Apple Cheesecake, but there are so many recipes to explore here if you can put this entertaining book down and get into the kitchen. Purchase
Pasta – The Spirit and Craft of Italy’s Greatest Food, with Recipes by Missy Robbins and Talia Baiocchi
Immediately upon opening this book, I knew that I’d be spending hours reading and cooking from these meticulously written guides and recipes. Chef Missy Robbins is a New York restaurateur who studied pasta through travels through Italy. She operates Lilia and Misi, renowned pasta restaurants that are often called two of the best in the world. The illustrations within Pasta depict how to handmake forty pasta shapes and there are one hundred recipes guiding readers through the regions of Italy as well as Italian American options and her own renditions.
Pasta making is magical and this book will be sure to inspire you to hand roll pasta sheets for lasagna, stamp out ravioli and master gnudi. The guide to equipment and flours is extensive and the photos of pasta and of Italy may have you planning a trip to a cooking school there shortly. Purchase
Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean: Treasured Recipes from a Lifetime of Travel by Claudia Roden
Claudia Roden is a food writer, and the OG of Middle Eastern Cooking, having travelled the region extensively, exploring home and restaurant cooking and then revolutionizing Western attitudes towards this cuisine. With her newest book in a lineup of twenty plus, she focuses on the Mediterranean, diving into a wide range of cuisines with recipes you’ll cook repeatedly for friends and family. Her decades of travel and research bring tried and true favourites from France, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Morocco, and Egypt – Roden’s birthplace. These recipes evolved from Roden’s intimate experiences. On the Greek Island of Skopelos, she found men bashing octopus on rocks and was consequently invited into a nearby family dinner for an Octopus and Potato Salad that she graciously shares. The Citrus Salad with Greens was inspired by a Sicilian ceramicist Roden came across, who created life-sized citrus trees. Another recipe, Eggplants with Pomegranate Dressing, is an homage to the foods of Aleppo that her father’s family cooked, full of the textures and flavours of the spice trade. It’s refreshing to read a book written with such wisdom, full of words and photographs that conjure a definitive sense of place. Spend some time with this one. Purchase
Canelle et Vanille Bakes Simple by Aran Goyoaga
Baking books were popular this year, once again, as we cozied into our homes looking for comfort in any way we could find it. Author Aran Goyoaga explores artisan gluten-free baking in this collection of recipes that will satisfy cravings while also being approachable for a home baker. The book is divided into six chapters, organized by type of baked goods, and offers up sections on pantry ingredients and tools, as well as her all-purpose baking mix recipe. Dive into Lemon Meringue Tartlets, try a Crispy Potato, Leek, and Kale Focaccia Pie, or make one of the many cookie recipes such as the Double Melting Chocolate variety. Many recipes are dairy-free and naturally vegan as well. Purchase
The Korean Vegan by Joanne Lee Molinaro
When I first picked up this cookbook, by TikTok sensation Joanne Lee Molinaro, I reluctantly logged into my very inactive TikTok account expecting to be annoyed because, well, it’s TikTok. In sharp contrast to my narrow-minded thinking, her account is entertaining, insightful, and full of interesting life stories along with cooking tips and advice. The book echoes this playful narrative, introducing us to Molinaro’s Korean family, her Korean pantry and then diving into some basics starting with Vegetable broth, BBQ Sauce and a Fishy Sauce that will add flavour to the book’s recipes. The following sections are divided into bread, including that pillowy soft milk bread, sides, kimchi, salads, soups, noodles, street food, mains, and sweets. Ranging from “easy” to “practice makes perfect” the book dives deep into traditional Korean dishes and reimagined classics with delightful storytelling along the way. Soon you’ll be plating up Mushroom “Short Ribs”, Braised Tofu, Bean Sprout Ramen and snacking on Seaweed Rice Rolls and Chocolate Chip Red Bean Cookies. And please don’t miss @thekorenvegan on TikTok. Purchase
To Asia with Love: Everyday Asian Recipes and Stories from the Heart by Hetty McKinnon
In To Asia with Love, author Hetty McKinnon presents vibrant vegetarian recipes that are creative, yet highly cookable. New and seasoned cooks will find inspiration here, and nothing is exact, so you won’t feel trapped if you are missing an ingredient. The recipes draw from her Chinese heritage with influences from the west and her travels. We were drawn to dishes such as the Smashed Cucumber Salad, which benefits from the edition of tahini for added creaminess, Springtime Rolls with a miso kale pesto, and Flourless soy sauce brownies had an insane depth. Who would have thought to add soy sauce to brownies? McKinnon shares stories along the way as you’re led down the path to dumpling mastery, noodle making and all the “delicious possibilities of modern Asian Cooking”, as she most eloquently puts it. Purchase
Italian American by Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli
The couple behind New York’s acclaimed Don Angie restaurant, Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli, put a respectful contemporary spin on Italian classics in Italian American. This book makes me wish I grew up in an Italian family with tables full of antipasti and pasta, with recipes passed down from generations before. I’m thankful these chefs are sharing here and can easily see Shrimp Parm Meatballs and Spicy Clams Francesco being cooked on the regular in our home. The stories are a treat to read and the photos, stunning. Cold and Hot Antipasti, Salads, Sauces, and a Pasta chapter lead the book, followed by a whole section devoted to Meatballs, then Mains, Vegetable and Dessert. This book could keep you busy for a while! Don’t miss the Don Angie Pinwheel Lasagna they’re famous for and make sure you plan as this one will take some time. Purchase
Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora [A Cookbook] by Bryant Terry
Food activist Bryant Terry curated contributions from over 100 Black writers, chefs, cooks, and artists from around the globe in this stunning book that pays tribute to Black culture and community. While recipes such as Jerk Chicken Ramen, Okra and Shrimp Purloo and Peach Hand Pies will nurture your body, the essays, poems, and illustrations that pay homage to Black culinary art will nurture your soul. Travelling from West Africa to Jamaica and across America the sections of this book travel from Migration to Radical-Care and Conclude with a chapter on Black Future, skillfully telling the stories and immense struggles faced by the African Diaspora. Purchase
Mooncakes and Milk Bread: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Chinese Bakeries by Kristina Cho
One of the things I love about Vancouver is the numerous Chinese Bakeries we have access to, providing access to steamed buns and pineapple buns and custard tarts, however, I’ve never attempted replicating these treats at home, until now. Food Blogger Kristina Cho (eatchofood.com) guides us through Chinese bakery cooking with uncomplicated versions of classics ranging from sweet to savoury. This one is on the Best Cookbooks of 2021 for several reasons, but it’s important as it’s one of the first Chinese Bakery cookbooks published. Dumplings are explored, breakfast dishes, drinks, bread, cookies, and roll cakes. There are lots of tips including how to pleat those dumplings, infusing creams with aromatic teas and Cho provides variations on many recipes that will leave you with many additions to your baking repertoire. Purchase
Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ: Every Day Is a Good Day: A Cookbook by Rodney Scott and Lis Eric Elie
Pitmaster, Rodney Scott has been cooking whole hog BBQ since he was eleven years old, beginning at his family’s BBQ spot in Hemingway South Carolina. His own place, in Charleston, Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ, is now one of the most awarded and talked about in the country. In the cookbook, Scott delves deep into pit-smoking with turkey and spareribs as he brings to life the Southern spirit associated with food. Traditions come to life as Scott expertly guides us through recipes, breaking them down to become manageable as co-writer Lois Eric Elie adds flavour to the narrative. Not just meat in this one, sides such as Macaroni and Cheese, Hushpuppies and Potato Salad are worthy of mastering, and Banana Pudding and Layer Cakes round out the sweet category. There are even a couple of cocktails as something stronger than just a beer may be necessary when manning the pit. Purchase
Treasures of the Mexican Table: Classic Recipes, Local Secrets by Pati Jinich
Pati Jinich is the host of Pati’s Mexican Table and a James Beard and IACP Award winner and the resident chef at the Mexican Cultural Institute. If that doesn’t sell you on the fact that she may know a few things on authentic Mexican cooking, flipping through these pages of classics alongside stories of each will. This collection of more than 150 iconic dishes delves deep into regional specialties and begins with a tribute to chiles, tomatoes and onions, the pillars of the Mexican pantry before branching off into soups, tacos, salsas, beans, meats, salads, vegetables, and desserts. There is an immensely rich culinary culture in Mexico that is often overlooked, and this book entices us to think outside the taco box. Purchase
My Shanghai: Recipes and Stories from a City on the Water by Betty Liu
Author Betty Liu takes readers through a journey to Shanghai with 100 recipes, based on tradition, but thoroughly modernized. With stunning photography, this is a complete gastronomic tour through this city’s abundant cuisine, and the people, their stories and traditions. Liu divides the book in seasons, demystifying Chinese cuisine for home cooks with noodle and dumpling dishes, salted duck, wontons, pork belly and fried rice. Techniques, pantry staples and kitchen equipment are discussed before she dives into the Jiangnan region, where her family has deep roots on both sides. Recommended dishes? Scallion ginger clams, pan-fried pork bao and sweet and sour lotus root. Purchase
The Arabesque Table: Contemporary Recipes from the Arab World by Reem Kassis
Reem Kassis’s cultural knowledge of Arabic cuisine draws me back to this book to linger over each dishes’ description and I often refer to the ingredient list and ponder the history of spice, olive oil and something as simple and equally complicated as rice. Did you know that chillies are native to South and Central America but made their way to the Middle East along the Silk Road? There’s much to learn here and this is why this is one of the Best Cookbooks of 2021. Take your time with this treasure and you’ll learn the history of the region told from a culinary perspective. Kassis takes inspiration from tradition, organizing these 130 recipes by primary ingredient, narrating a cooking journey as she interprets this vibrant cuisine. Recommended dishes? Tahini cheesecake and caramelized butternut squash raggeh with za’atar. Purchase
Cook Real Hawaii by Garrett Snyder and Sheldon Simeon
Chef Simeon has created a stunningly beautiful cookbook full of photos, stories and recipes that showcase his native Hawaiian cuisine and the cultures that have influenced menus there today. The immigration of the Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese and Filipino people brought techniques and ingredients that have resulted in the diversity of dishes represented in the book. A two-time Top Chef finalist, Simeon understands the building blocks that make these feasts a success and his passion shines through in recipes that range from a classic Hawaiian sweet potato with coconut cream and dry aku, to a Chinese-style house cake noodle with oyster sauce. This book has so many recipes I want to cook up, but I guarantee the pocho steamed clams with Portuguese sausage will have you convinced to read—and cook—on. The dish is a perfect example of fusion; clams, not traditionally found in Hawaii are now raised in the islands, sustainably—by aquafarmers—and combined with Portuguese sausage, Thai basil and Japanese sake. Purchase
Cook This Book: Techniques That Teach and Recipes to Repeat by Molly Baz
Molly Baz is super entertaining, while she breaks down the essentials clearly in these uncomplicated recipes packed full of flavour. There are QR codes scattered through Cook This Book that lead you to videos for further instruction. Baz is inspiring a new generation of home cooks through modern media while pulling in more seasoned cooks with her takes on staples. A prime example is her roast chicken, kicked up with seasoning of schmaltzy onions and dill. Focusing on cooking fundamentals, this cookbook will teach you the basics and encourage you to expand your technical skills and feel comfortable improvising if you must. Recommended recipes? Minty lamb meatballs with crispy cabbage and Tahini sauce, pasta salad with morty-d, mozz and pistachios and the Niçoise Sando with smashed egg and black olive mayo.
Zoe Bakes Cakes: Everything You Need to Make your Favourite Layers, Bundts, Loaves and More by Zoe Francois
You really can judge a book by its cover—and title—with this epic resource for all things cakes. Zoe Francois is the expert baker behind the series Zoë Bakes, and she teaches us how to celebrate large with this epic collection of everything from baked Alaska to apple cake with honey-bourbon glaze. Spend some time in the preview section reading up on all her tips and tricks. She’s the queen of taking complex creations and breaking them down so that even beginners can follow along. After you read all about meringue and its distinctive styles, you’ll be ready to dive into her baked Alaska. As Julia Child said, “Every woman should own a blowtorch”, and Francois suggests you have several. Recommend recipes? That baked Alaska, the coconut–candy bar cake and chocolate devil’s food cake. Purchase
What did you cook from this year and what were your pics for Best Cookbooks 2021?
