Cookbooks You Need on Your Shelf from the Best Cookbooks of 2022
How does one proclaim that these are the best cookbooks of 2022, or even try to compete with that title in an SEO search without some absurd keywords that cater to the search engines and not necessarily the people reading this article? I wouldn’t have the time or resources to pour through every cookbook that came out this year, but I did go through well over seventy-five of them that ended up on my radar. I’ve put together this list that I may add to, when time permits, a list of cookbooks from a range of cuisines, styles of narrative and levels of skill required. I also compiled a list of Top Canadian Cookbooks of 2022 for Vita Daily, that article can be read here. You may also like to peruse my Best Cookbooks of 2021, which can be read here.
Every Night of the Week – Sanity Solutions for the Daily Grind – Lucy Tweed – Murdock Books
Every Night of the Week is a cookbook that we returned to repeatedly this year as the recipes are super practical and there are shortcuts and suggested deviations allowing us to take the dish in our own direction. The styling is perfect, she worked for Donna Hay, as a stylist and recipe developer, please check out her Instagram account for more inspiration. Tweed begins with a list of pantry and freezer essentials and chapters are divided into, you guessed it, days of the week. The Dan Dan Noodles were so delicious we didn’t have to order this dish from takeout again, as was the Red Curry Chicken Meatballs with Sweet Potato Noodles and the ooey gooey chocolate skillet cake topped with ice cream – A Chocolate Thing.
The Wok – Kenji Lopez-Alt – WW Norton
In his first book, The Food Lab, Lopez-Alt wrote the formula for home cooking using science-based techniques and breaking down the why’s of those techniques. In this second book, The Wok, he serves up fast, fresh cooking from one of the most versatile kitchen pans, the wok. There’s another element to cooking once the wok gets involved, hard to replicate at home, “wok hei”, the smoky aromas cooking from a blazing hot wok that infuses each dish. Lopez-Alt dives into this technique with recipes that use the wok to stir-fry, deep-fry, steam, simmer and braise, including Beef Chow Fun, dumplings, tempura vegetables and several no-cook sides. Notes on how to stock a pantry and knife skills are useful, with this book you’ll never run out of ideas for dinner.
Delectable – Claudia Fleming – Penguin
Fleming is the OG of pastry chefs, having opened Gramercy Tavern with Tom Colicchio and Danny Meyer in 1994, and is still baking up a storm, back at Danny Meyer’s Daily Provisions in New York. Her first book, The Last Course, recipes from the Gramercy Tavern, was sold out for eons and I was so excited to grab a copy of the re-release in 2019. In Delectable Fleming shares over 140 recipes baked from her home kitchen that range from savoury to sweet, along with essays on subjects such as yeast and frosting a layer cake. You’ll find Breakfasts & Bread, Doughnuts & Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and Savories that include delicious Eggplant Caponata Tart and Chickpea Crackers. Bakers, you need this one on your shelf.
Korean American – Food That Tastes Like Home – Eric Kim – Clarkson Potter
Eric Kim is a New York Times staff writer and a first-generation American, the son of two Korean immigrants. In Korean American he explores the Korean pantry, and the history of Korean food in America, and shares recipes alongside heartfelt stories and beautiful photography. Hybrid recipes are well thought out in this gem, Gochugaru Shrimp and Grits, Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Seaweed sour Cream Dip, and Gochujang Chocolate Lava Cakes are prime examples. Recipes honour the present and past and don’t worry, there is lots of kimchi!
Persiana Everyday – Sabrina Ghayour – Aster
Sabrina Ghayour is an Iranian-born food writer and a self-taught home cook turned chef. In Persiana Everyday, a follow-up book to Persiana, you’ll find easy-to-execute Middle Eastern recipes that are practical and creative. You can create a meal from the Small Plates and Salads for All Seasons sections, if you’re a cheese fan, try the Zucchini, apple, peanut and feta salad and Fried feta parcels with honey. Ghayour then covers Poultry & Meat, Fish & Seafood (don’t miss Marmalade prawns with barberry), Vegetables, Carbs and Something Sweet. This cookbook is full of flavour bombs that will lead you to reach for a whole new set of spices in your own everyday cooking.
Ammu: Home Cooking to Nourish Your Soul – Asma Khan – Interlink Books
Asma Khan is the chef and restaurateur of London’s Darjeeling Express and has been a force for social change in the food industry and beyond with programs such as training for immigrant women and has been given an amplified voice with her appearance in the series Chef’s Table. Ammu is a celebration of Indian home cooking, comfort food that Khan learned to cook in her childhood, and memories of food and family celebrations. Her flavourful versions of Chicken Biryani, Fish Korma and Chutney, along with many tempting photos will have you reaching for this cookbook often.
What’s For Dessert Simply Recipes for Dessert People – Claire Saffitz – Clarkson Potter
The charming video host Claire Saffitz has been the food editor at Bon Appetit magazine graduated from McGill with a Masters degree focusing on culinary history and studied pastry at École Grégoire Ferrandi in Paris. She knows a thing or two about recipe development and is a self-proclaimed “dessert person”, which was also the name of her first book. Her meals at home always end with the question “What’s For Dessert” and this new cookbook by the same name answers this question. With one hundred recipes that range from icebox cakes to cookies, puddings, and brownies, Saffitz encourages her disciples to create these straightforward concoctions with plenty of troubleshooting advice. Don’t miss the Glorious Morning Glory Cake or the Honey and Tahini Toffee Matzo.
The Vegan Chinese Kitchen: Recipes and Modern Stories from a Thousand-Year-Old Tradition: A Cookbook – Hannah Che – Appetite by Random House
Author Hannah Che discovered the tradition of Zhai cai, a Chinese cooking technique emphasizing vegetarian cooking using umami-rich ingredients that has its roots in Buddhist temple kitchens. In The Vegan Chinese Kitchen, Che replicates Chinese dishes in a meatless way, without sacrificing flavour. Chili oil, spicy mushrooms, nuts, and seeds add pizzazz to Sichuan chili-oil wontons, dan-dan noodles and scallion pancakes. Che also dives into cultural traditions, identity, and other important conversations around food and sustainable cooking.
Savory Baking – Erin Jeanne McDowell – Harvest
If you’ve cooked from McDowell’s Book on Pie or Fearless Baker, you will have been anticipating Savory Baking, from this baking expert. Her recipes are innovative and provide variations to so you can master a few of the creations and then riff on them. Divided up into chapters that cover dishes that can be served at all times of the day, we love the chapter Easy & Essential Bakes with quick breads, muffins scones, biscuits, and Dutch babies, with a section on techniques including preparing cake pans and egg washes. Of course, there are Pies and Tarts, including a galette of Broccoli Rabe, Sausage and Ricotta and some great Snacks, Bites & Apps. This book is so much fun to go through, McDowell is a treasure.
Arabiyya -Recipes from the life of an Arab in Diaspora – Reem Assil – Ten Speed Press
Arabiyaa, the debut cookbook from Chef Reem Assil, a James Beard Award finalist for Outstanding Chef and owner of the bakery Reem’s California, plays tribute to the aromas and flavours of Arab food. Her roots are Palestinian and Syrian, and her heritage translates into delicious recipes for platters to share, snacks, dips and a section specializing in the unique breads found in Arab bakeries. You’ll want to grab this one and head to the couch to pour over her writing about working towards a more equitable society and the power of nourishing meals to bring together a community that’s been through many hardships. Beautiful artwork and photography complete this collection of dishes you’ll want to present at your next dinner party.
For the Table – Easy Adaptable Crowd-Pleasing Recipes – Anna Stockwell – Abrams
Who wouldn’t want to host a dinner party that doesn’t take weeks to pull together? In For the Table, food stylist and recipe developer Anna Stockwell presents us with a simpler, healthier, and more organized way to entertain. It’s all about platters and side dishes and she breaks the book into sections based on seasons, because what’s better than eating what’s fresh and in season? Enjoy fuss-free, accessible menus and tips on planning and preparing, toasts and handling dietary restrictions. I particularly enjoyed the section on pre-dinner drinks and love that she suggested one of my favourites, Lambrusco!
I Dream of Dinner (so You Don’t Have to) – Low Effort High Reward Recipes – Ali Slagle Clarkson Potter
I’m not sure if you obsess over dinner as much as I do, but it sometimes becomes too much! If you cook from I Dream of Dinner, a new cookbook by recipe developer and stylist, Ali Slagle, some of the burden of what to make is now hers, as she delivers easy-peasy dishes for inexpensive and delicious meals. I love how she divided the sections according to ingredients because that’s the way I think when it comes to planning. My first question is do we want pasta, eggs, beans, chicken, beef, or seafood, then I drill down to the method of cooking and spices and seasoning preferred. Try the Fish & Chips Tacos, one night, the Bok Choy Gochujang Omelette the next and the shortcut Chicken Chili another. All recipes have eight ingredients or fewer and come together in 45 minutes or less. Now that’s a dream!
Smitten Kitchen Keepers: New Classics for Your Forever Files – Deb Perelman
Smitten Kitchen Keepers is all about what the title spells out, keeper recipes that you will want to make repeatedly. Deb Perelman is a food blogger with two best-selling cookbooks that I of course own because she thoroughly tests each tasty recipe to make it as seamless and straightforward as possible. This is a great one for cooks just starting out, but it’s also one for those looking to simplify their cooking without sacrificing flavour. My favourites here include the Perfect Spaghetti and Meatballs, Broccoli Cheddar Quiche, and the Butterscotch Apple Crisp. You’ll be adding all these recipes to your cooking repertoire.
Half Baked Harvest Every Day: Recipes for Balanced, Flexible, Feel-Good Meals: A Cookbook – Tieghan Gerard – Clarkson Potter
There is a reason Tieghan Gerard and her Half Baked Harvest Blog and Instagram account have millions of followers, her tried and true recipes and charming storytelling that goes along with them are addictive. In her third cookbook, Half Baked Harvest Every Day, you’ll discover 120 recipes ranging from breakfast to dessert recipes that keep her promise “‘to make food that is delicious, usually healthy, and always satisfying”. For breakfast, the Sheet Pan French Toast is brilliant, as is the Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake, for lunch try the flavourful Chipotle Cheddar Corn Chowder, and for dinner the Crispy Carnitas Taquitos, or Spicy Pretzel Chicken Fingers with Hot Honey are both a grand idea, finish with a dessert of Chocolate Olive Oil Cake.
Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico: A Cookbook – Rick Martinez – Clarkson Potter
Rick Martínez is the host of Food52’s video series Mi Cocina and Sweet Heat and a regular contributor to The New York Times. Mi Cocina is full of colourful recipes that honour Mexican cuisine as Martinez travels from Mexico City through the thirty-two states in the country, sharing his edible experiences. The book begins with Basicos, staples of the Mexican table before journeying through the country’s region of El Bajio, El Norte, Oaxaca, Pacifico, Yucatan, Baja and El Gulfo. We’re super jazzed about the Ceviche de Almejas (clams), Tacos Gobernador, filled with shrimp, cheese, coriander, onions, and tomatoes, and all his salsas and condiments. Delicious photography and entertaining essays make this cookbook a keeper.
