Best cookbooks of 2024, according to chef Kathy Gunst

Well, here we are at the end of another year. And what a year it’s been. It's as if the publishers and cookbook writers looked into the proverbial crystal ball and knew this would be a year we would definitely need comfort food, fresh flavors to wake us up, and, of course, new ways of looking at our diets (and the effects of climate change) and the foods we eat.

Right now, my office looks like a library after it’s been ransacked. Tall piles of books tumbling over everywhere. Baking books in one corner. Vegan and vegetarian and “diet” books in the opposite corner. A towering pile of German, Chinese, Korean, Italian and French books near the door. This year, I sifted through close to 100 new cookbooks to come up with this 2024 collection of books I think deserve attention. I hesitate to use the word “best,” because there are so many other books that didn’t make this list that I look forward to exploring.

It was nearly impossible to choose my top three books. But after much consternation, I chose a baking book, a book about islands and island cookery, and a book focused on comfort. I tested several recipes from each of these books and can attest to the fact that these collections of recipes work and will have an ongoing presence in my kitchen.

Buy a cookbook for someone you love who needs new ideas, to get out of a rut or technical guidance. Someone who needs new flavors and ideas. Reading through cookbooks can be like armchair travel, introducing you to new places, new flavors and new ways to make your time in the kitchen more inspired.

"Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking: 125 Recipes from the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Ocean Islands" by Von Diaz (Chronicle Books)

I have admired Von Diaz’s cookbooks, articles and essays for many years, and her new book only solidified that feeling. In full transparency, I am lucky to call Diaz my friend. (After four decades in food journalism many of these authors are “friends” and “acquaintances.”) Diaz’s new book, "Islas," is a gorgeous collection of recipes, stunning photography and essays about islands around the world and their culinary heritage. Through the lens of food, Diaz explores the ways in which climate change is making its mark on the world’s islands. This is also a book about island fragility and the environment. Recipes focus on marinating, pickling and fermentation, frying, grilling, roasting, smoking and steaming, and in-ground cooking.

“What most people think of as island cuisine is documented by tourists, and often focuses on seafood and tropical fruit,” writes Diaz. “These are indeed signature flavors of island cooking, but so too are earthiness, richness, intensity, saltiness, sourness and brininess … These islands..share more than just fruits, vegetables, spices, meat and seafood. Island nations also struggle with isolation and environmental vulnerability, which forces inhabitants to get creative with layering flavors using local produce and shelf-stable ingredients.”

I bundled up in my warmest jacket and went outside to fire up my grill for lemongrass adobo grilled chicken with pineapple and served it with aros di coco (coconut rice) from Aruba and my dinner guests swooned. “Talk about layering flavors using local produce!” On a blustery day in Northern New England, these island flavors were bright and welcome. I’m looking forward to trying papaya stoba (braised green papaya stew) from Curacao,  pumpkin fish curry (cari de poisson et potiron) from Seychelles, kelaguen uhang (citrus-marinated shrimp with coconut) from Guam, and pernil (marinated roast pork shoulder) from Puerto Rico. The essays and profiles on island chefs — from Guam to Madagascar to Puerto Rico and Hawai’i.

"Zoë Bakes Cookies: Everything You Need to Know About Making Your Favorite Cookies and Bars" by Zoë François (Ten Speed Press)

When I first saw Zoë Bakes Cookies I asked myself: Do we really need another cookie book? I flipped through the pages and saw the requisite chocolate chip cookie, biscotti, macaroons, chocolate cookies. But then one cookie caught my eye: chocolate crinkle cookies. A crisp-looking chocolate cookie with a sugar split middle coated in confectioners’ sugar. It looked like the holidays and something you might spot in a pastry case and know you had to go in and try. This cookie looked like every childhood cookie you ever dreamt of. But, again, I thought: “Really a chocolate cookie? What could be so special?”

I tried that chocolate crinkle cookie and everything I thought I knew about cookies quickly faded. This cookie was bursting with chocolate and a fudgy consistency. But it also had crunch and sugar and dimension. And it’s a stunning cookie. OK, I thought, let's try another one.

Next up was smash cookies, full of cocoa powder, brown sugar, toasted pecans and bittersweet chocolate. A thick, oversized cookie, this one was, also, extraordinary. One more try: chocolate chip cookies. I mean what could possibly be special about another recipe for chocolate chip cookies? This one was crisp and chewy and brimming with chocolate. The ideal texture and size.

OK, I quickly admitted, this book is a game-changer for bakers and cookie lovers. Not only do the recipes work beautifully but there is an authoritative voice to the writing here that makes you feel like you’re taking a private cookie class with François, a TV baking show host, pastry chef and teacher. The first part of the book is devoted to teaching you about the science behind baking cookies: how do sugar and fats get along with eggs and flour? How does a cookie change when you add brown sugar versus white sugar or add eggs at room temperature versus chilled? If you’re ready to up your cookie baking skills this is the volume you need.

“Ottolenghi Comfort” Copyright ©2024 by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller, and Tara Wigley. Photographs copyright ©2024 by Jonathan Lovekin. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

"Ottolenghi Comfort: A Cookbook" by Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley (Ten Speed Press)

Another Ottolenghi book? Really? That was my thought as I cracked open this new volume. I already have a shelf of Ottolenghi books that I rely on for inspiration when I want to cook with Middle Eastern flavors. But this new collection was a surprise. Endless recipes that spoke to me, taunting me to try them. I tried several dishes and the results were extremely positive. Ottolenghi, the famed London writer and restaurateur, creates books with recipes that work. Meatballs with nuoc cham, cucumber and mint took less than an hour and made for a perfect, bursting-with-flavor Monday night dinner. Butter-braised kohlrabi with olive chimichurri made me understand and appreciate kohlrabi in a new, almost revelatory way. If, like me, you have always passed up kohlrabi because you weren’t quite sure what to do with it, here the root vegetable is braised in butter and then served on a bed of creme fraiche with a piquant and powerfully delicious olive chimichurri.

What differentiates this book from the rest of Ottolenghi's collection may, in fact, be the presence of women and the focus on comfort. A long, well-written essay at the front of the book discusses the idea that when it comes to comfort in the kitchen everyone has a different way to define it. “What makes food comforting can be about where and how we eat, why we eat, and who we eat with as much as what you’re eating in the first place.”

Co-written with Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller, and Tara Wigley, the influences you’ll find in the recipes in “Comfort” come from Asia, Germany, as well as the Middle East. “When done with awareness, acknowledgement, relish, and respect, this is, for us, cultural appreciation, not appropriation. That’s what comfort food means to us. It’s about our journeys and all the stories contained in them. This book is a celebration of that: of movement, of immigration, of family, of home– of people.”

Let it Rise: Two books about bread

These two volumes will teach you all you need to know about the art and science of successfully making all types of bread in a home kitchen.

A Cajun life

"Bayou: Feasting Through the Seasons of a Cajun Life" by Melissa M. Martin (Artisan Books).

Martin, the owner of New Orleans’s beloved restaurant, Mosquito Supper Club, has written a gorgeous, personal volume focused on her life and work with Cajun food and culture. “The seasons on the bayou are not necessarily summer, fall, winter, and spring. They are marked by nature, traditions, and distinct emotions. They are rituals playing out on a stove every day,” writes Martin in the introduction. The photography is as stunning as her writing and the chapters – divided into categories like abundance, simplicity, warmth and grace. Rabbit and dumplings. Lump crab, spinach and artichoke dip. Milk-soaked fried eggplant. Pecan cake. Each dish feels like a passport into a part of the world that you’ll want to learn more about by diving into this deeply personal book.

How to cook for a vegan

"Mastering The Art of Plant-Based Cooking: Vegan Recipes, Tips and Techniques" by Joe Yonan (Ten Speed Press)

There is more and more attention on the health benefits of cutting meat and dairy out of your diet. And there are many more cookbooks released each year focused on vegetarian and vegan eating. But this is the new “bible” for anyone who wants to incorporate more plant-based eating into their daily life. At close to 500 pages, you’ll find everything from recipes for making your own oat milk, coconut milk, cheese substitutes, tempeh, salad dressings and fermented vegetables. But there are also breakfast and brunch ideas (lemon blueberry scones, pumpkin-ginger oats, and butternut squash rice porridge), appetizers and snacks (kale chips, tahini dip, smoky eggplant harissa dip), salads, soups, stews, bowls, pasta, casseroles, dumplings, tacos, main courses, desserts and drinks. And just in case you’re thinking the recipes are all going to be weirdly healthy and esoteric, think again. Stuffed green chile peppers and tortellini in charred onion and carrot brodo are dishes I’ll be trying this winter.

What’s for dinner? Pizza, of course

"Pizza Night: Deliciously Doable Recipes for Pizza and Salad" by Alexandra Stafford (Clarkson Potter)

One wouldn’t expect a book filled with pizza and salad recipes to begin with this intriguing paragraph: “I was 7 when my parents divorced. It was the 1980s, everyone was getting divorced, but I remember feeling sad anyway, sitting with my older sister on her bed while my mother, gently rubbing our backs, consoled us…But then came ‘When we move, we’ll have pizza every Friday.’” For Stafford, pizza became something grounding and important. Her new book divides recipes according to season and the salads are every bit as appealing as the pizza. Fall wedge salad with bacon, pear, and blue cheese dressing next to a mashed potato and bacon pizza. Sauteed radicchio pizza with fig jam and gorgonzola alongside escarole salad with apples and walnuts. Her dough recipe looks solid and combinations of all pizzas and salads intrigue.

Lunch anyone?

"Stacked: The Art of the Perfect Sandwich" by Owen Han (HarperCollins Books)

Do not look through the pages of Stacked on an empty stomach. Seriously. The Turkey Crunch Sandwich with Frico Crisps and Nonna’s Meatball Sandwich sent me over the edge. And Moroccan potato cakes with harissa mayonnaise in pita is calling me to the kitchen. Wait, the snapper po’boy looks amazing. For sandwich lovers everywhere.

"Soups, Salads, Sandwiches" by Matty Matheson (Ten Speed Press)

You may know him as the handyman Neil Fak on the television series, The Bear. (He’s also the show’s executive producer.) But when he’s not acting and creating award-winning TV series, Matty Matheson is a Canadian chef and cookbook author.

His newest book, a collection of soup, salad and sandwich recipes offers hearty and appealing recipes. Broccoli salad with bacon vinaigrette dressing, fried egg, and gorgonzola; roasted squash and mozzarella grilled cheese with honey and bee pollen; and pork katsu sando should get you started.

Sauerbraten and weiner schnitzel

"Classic German Cooking: The Very Best Recipes for Traditional Favorites, From Semmelknödel to Sauerbraten" by Luisa Weiss (Ten Speed Press)

German cuisine doesn’t get much love. But this new book, by Luisa Weiss, who writes the Substack newsletter,  Letter from Berlin, is authoritative and appealing. Think of it as a book of German comfort food. From breakfast, snacks and spreads, to soups and stews to meat and fish, vegetables and dumplings and desserts, the world of German food is far more complex and interesting than you might have guessed.

Culture blend

"Chinese Enough: Homestyle Recipes for Noodles, Dumplings, Stir-Fries, and More" by Kristina Cho (Artisan)

In the introduction to this appealing collection of  recipes, Cho writes a beautiful essay about growing up Chinese in this country: “Minorities in this country often get asked insidious questions like ‘Where are you really from…?’ The recipes in this book highlight the multiple facets of what it means to be Chinese-American through my personal lived experience.” Combining traditional Chinese recipes with family favorites and a kind of hybrid Chinese-American bent, the recipes range from Cho family dumplings to chili crunch salmon fresh rolls.

Dreaming of a French lifestyle?

"Le Sud: Recipes from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur" by Rebekah Peppler (Chronicle Books)

Can a cookbook be sexy? Can it lure you in with photographs of sparkling turquoise blue water, bikini-clad bodies and … oh, gorgeous food? Yes, yes it can. Peppler’s new book has splendid photography but the recipes are also thoroughly appealing. Anchovy aioli, ratatouille, salade nicoise, whole roasted fish, tarte au citron. The recipes, for the most part, are simple and straightforward and rely on really good ingredients. It’s a dreamy book that you can also cook from.

Down-to-Earth cooking with charts and flexibility

"What Goes With What: 100 Recipes, 20 Charts, Endless Possibilities" by Julia Turshen (Flatiron Books)

I don’t love charts. They make me dizzy and remind me of 5th grade math (which, it should be noted, was not a great time for me). But these charts, found within a cookbook, break down the possibilities of what pairs with what in your kitchen. Turshen, an award-winning cookbook author, offers down-to-earth recipes that are thoroughly appealing followed by, or preceded by, a chart of charts showing you many other possibilities within that generic recipe. For instance, in the meatball chapter, there’s a recipe for springtime chicken meatballs with dill, mint, tahini and lemon juice. But then there’s a meatball chart explaining how you might use ground turkey with sesame oil and soy sauce or ground pork with ricotta and parmesan and marinara sauce. Think of it this way: master recipes with charts that offer “endless” alternatives.

Sacred rituals

"Elysian Kitchens: Recipes Inspired by the Traditions and Tastes of the World’s Sacred Spaces" by Jody Eddy (Norton)

Sometimes I think there isn’t a single original idea left in the world. Particularly when it comes to cookbooks. But this book, filled with gorgeous photographs, takes you on a pilgrimage from monasteries in Lebanon, India, and Spain to an abbey in Minnesota to a Buddhist temple in Japan, a Sikh temple in New Delhi, and on to a Moroccan Sufi temple. As Eddy writes in the introduction: “Monasteries, temples, mosques, and synagogues have long safeguarded our culinary traditions, not only ensuring that a region’s gastronomic heritage endures but, in many instances, defining it and facilitating its evolution…My intention is to celebrate the culinary traditions embraced by the world’s religious peoples.” Eddy is a natural storyteller and each chapter brings you into a new world, complete with recipes. From green shabbat dips and flatbread with pears, bleu cheese and hazelnuts to artichoke and pea tajine and saffron rice pudding with walnuts and ginger.

Beans, beans, beans

"The Bean Book: 100 Recipes For Cooking with All Kinds of Beans from Rancho Gordo Kitchen" by Steve Sando with Julia Newberry (Ten Speed Press)

Steve Sando, owner of Rancho Gorda, an heirloom bean company based in northern California, knows a thing or two about beans. He sells some of the best beans in the world, sourcing from small farms across the globe. This book introduces you to beans that are familiar – black turtle, cannellini, cranberry, great Northern and Jacob’s cattle– as well as more esoteric varieties like Hidatsa red, good mother stallard and anasazi. The recipes, which all feature beans, are appealing and diverse. I’m very anxious to try breakfast soup with white beans, chicken stock and chorizo; Santa Maria barbecue-style pinquito beans; and heirloom bean and caramelized fennel gratin. A great resource and collection of unique recipes.

Challah, matzah ball soup and memories

"My Life In Recipes: Food, Family, and Memories" by Joan Nathan (Knopf)

Nathan has long been known as a leading authority on Jewish food and the influences that have blended to form what we know as Jewish cuisine. This memoir, a mix of essays, memories and recipes, is a good read and an enticing collection of recipes.

Southern women unite

"When Southern Women Cook: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes with Contributions from 70  Women Writers" by America’s Test Kitchen and Toni Tipton-Martin (America’s Test Kitchen)

This is a thoroughly appealing book focused on women and the foods of the South. There are recipes for southern classics like biscuits, fried okra, tomato sandwich, and fried chicken, but you’ll also find “non-traditional Southern food” from women who grew up in other cultures and make their home in the American South like beef yakamein, pad thai, and lemongrass chicken banh mi. The Shrimp Remoulade was stunning ( a recipe I will definitely cook again and again) and I plan on cooking my way through much of this book in the coming months. In the introduction, by award-winning food writer Toni Tipton-Martin, she writes: “...this collection, written by scholars, journalists, chefs, restaurateurs, farmers, and poets brings you authentic truths shared by women who are resisting marginalization with determination and supporting each other with tales of female perseverance. They do so while making amazing food.”

Cookies and bread

"Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World" by Ben Mims (Phaidon)

Over 400 pages of cookie recipes from around the world from familiar varieties like American snickerdoodles, soft spiced gingerbread cookies from the Czech Republic, and Danish vanilla butter cookies to the more esoteric like Haitian cassava shortbread cookies and Swirled “Pig’s Ears” cookie from Vietnam.

Palestinian treasures

"Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food" by Fadi Kattan (Hardie Grant North America)

This stunning volume reminds us that culinary history needs to be recorded and shared. A deeply personal book that focuses on the beautiful food of Palestine organized by seasons: fig jam, aubergines roasted with tahinia, lentil soup with cumin and turmeric, and dibs and tahinia shortbread. Essays featuring great home cooks, olive oil production, and other local, seasonal foods of Palestine make this a very readable book.

Seoul style

"Koreaworld: A Cookbook" by Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard (Potter)

This hip, colorful, beautifully-photographed book pays homage to the wildly creative Korean food coming out of Seoul as well as the U.S. As the authors write in the introduction, “You are about to read the story of a culinary revolution.” You’ll find recipes for pickles and BBQ, Korean chicken teriyaki, dumplings, kimchi, and so much more. Flipping through these pages is like taking a food tour through Korea with some friends who really know how to cook and eat.