Must-Have Cookbooks and Cocktail Books

The year is almost over but there are still so any cookbooks and cocktail books to add to your shelf! Here’s a round up of the ones we’re most looking forward to devouring.

No. 1

Ottolenghi Test Kitchen: Shelf Love

Recipes to Unlock the Secrets of Your Pantry, Fridge, and Freezer: A Cookbook

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the bestselling author and his superteam of chefs, this is Ottolenghi unplugged: 85+ irresistible recipes for flexible, everyday home cooking that unlock the secrets of your pantry, fridge, and freezer

ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR: Boston Globe, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Epicurious, Serious Eats

Led by Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad, the revered team of chefs at the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen gives everyday home cooks the accessible yet innovative Middle Eastern-inspired recipes they need to put dinner on the table with less stress and less fuss in a convenient, flexibound package. With fit-for-real-life chapters like “The Freezer Is Your Friend,” “That One Shelf in the Back of Your Pantry,” and “Who Does the Dishes?” (a.k.a. One-Pot Meals), Shelf Love teaches readers how to flex with fewer ingredients, get creative with their pantry staples, and add playful twists to familiar classics.  

All the signature Ottolenghi touches fans love are here—big flavors, veggie-forward appeal, diverse influences—but are distilled to maximize ease and creative versatility. These dishes pack all the punch and edge you expect from Ottolenghi, using what you've got to hand—that last can of chickpeas or bag of frozen peas—without extra trips to the grocery store. Humble ingredients and crowd-pleasing recipes abound, including All-the-Herbs Dumplings with Caramelized Onions, Mac and Cheese with Za'atar Pesto, Cacio e Pepe Chickpeas, and Crispy Spaghetti and Chicken.
 
With accessible recipe features like MIYO (Make It Your Own) that encourage ingredient swaps and a whimsical, lighthearted spirit, the fresh voices of the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen will deliver kitchen confidence and joyful inspiration to new and old fans alike.
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No. 2

Tasty Over the Top

High Drama, Low Maintenance: A Cookbook

Have fun in the kitchen and wow your friends with 75 of Tasty’s biggest, boldest, and most show-stopping “Over the Top” recipes that are easy to make for any occasion.

Tasty is the online and Instagram go-to for creative, playful, and mouthwatering recipes. Tasty Over the Top is peak Tasty, with eye-catching recipes that are sure to impress (and no one needs to know that they’re easier than they look!).

Here you’ll find seventy-five recipes that raise the bar with minimal effort, like Breakfast Biscuit Nachos (yes, split biscuits baked on a sheet pan with all the fixins), a sloppy joe/bacon cheeseburger mash-up, a BLT deconstructed into the salad of your dreams (think maple-glazed bacon and mayo-toasted croutons!), and more delicious, out-of-this-world ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. This book is your all-access ticket to proving your chops and pulling out all the stops. Not only are these dishes unexpected and stunning, but they will also inspire you to explore a world of bold flavor combinations and to experiment with new techniques that will make you feel like a tried-and-true Tasty chef.
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No. 3

Sparkling Wine for Modern Times

A Drinker's Guide to the Freewheeling World of Bubbles

This is the definitive guide to sparkling wine today, complete with profiles of exemplary producers, bottle recommendations, colorful infographics, and illustrated guides.

Sparkling Wine for Modern Times considers sparkling wine traditions and offerings from around the world. This approachable book explores our perpetual fascination with sparkling wine and places each regional expression within the wider wine zeitgeist—from the radical grower revolution reshaping the highly conservative area of Champagne to Prosecco's overnight transformation into a multi-million-dollar brand to the retro appeal of natural wine's cult-hit pétillant naturel to the next generation of "real wines" from Lambrusco, and beyond.

The book covers the essential information for each growing region and highlights up-and-coming areas such as Jura in France, as well as can't-miss trends including traditional-method Sicilian sparklers and Califorinian pét-nat. For each region, renowned wine writer Zachary Sussman gives expert bottle recommendations to seek out—wines that truly capture the style and spirit of the place. Fun and informative illustrated timelines, color charts, and production-method breakdowns from illustrator Nick Hensley appear throughout for quick learning. For anyone who's ever wondered why bubbles are confined to birthdays and holidays, Sparkling Wine for Modern Times is your go-to guide to enjoying sparkling wine all year long.
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No. 4

A New Take on Cake

175 Beautiful, Doable Cake Mix Recipes for Bundts, Layers, Slabs, Loaves, Cookies, and More! A Baking Book

Turn a cake mix into a cake masterpiece! Discover 175 decadent and quick modern recipes with from-scratch flavor from the bestselling author of The Cake Mix Doctor.

Anne Byrn is known for her cake mix magic, and A New Take onCake makes baking from a boxed mix as inspiring as it is easy—everything from vegan tortes to gluten-free cakes, doughnuts to cake pops, and whoopie pies to a wedding cake. All for snacking, celebrating, and everything in between!

With 50 modernized classics and 125 brand-new recipes, no one will believe your Ice Cream Cone Cake, Vegan Chocolate Cake with Creamy Nutella Frosting, or Blood Orange Loaf with Campari Glaze were made from boxed mixes. Whether you are following a gluten-free, sugar-free, or plant-based diet, or are just a fan of a good old-fashioned yellow layer cake with chocolate fudge icing, you’ll find your calling—and won’t have to spend all day making it.
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No. 5

Death & Co Welcome Home

[A Cocktail Recipe Book]

JAMES BEARD AWARD NOMINEE • The ultimate guide to choosing ingredients, developing your palate, mixing drinks, and leveling up your home cocktail game—with more than 600 recipes—from the bestselling team behind Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails and James Beard Book of the Year Cocktail Codex: Fundamentals, Formulas, Evolutions

“The mad geniuses behind Death & Co have elevated cocktail creation to punk-rock artistry. This dazzling book brings their brilliance home.”—Aisha Tyler

IACP AWARD FINALIST ONE OF THE BEST COCKTAIL BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Minneapolist Star Tribune, Slate

Imagine you’re a rookie bartender and this is your handbook. Your training begins with a boot camp of sorts, where you follow the same path a Death & Co bartender would to discover your own palate and preferences, learn how to select ingredients, understand what makes a great cocktail work, and mix drinks like an old pro. Then it’s time to invite your friends over to show off the batched and ready-to-pour mixtures you stored in the freezer so you could enjoy your guests instead of making drinks all night.

More than 600 recipes anchor the book, including classics, low-ABV and nonalcoholic cocktails, and hundreds of signature creations developed by the Death & Co teams in New York, Los Angeles, and Denver. With hundreds of evocative photographs and illustrations, this comprehensive, visually arresting manual is destined to break new ground in home bars across the world—and make your next get-together the invite of the year.
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No. 6

World Food: Paris

Heritage Recipes for Classic Home Cooking [A Parisian Cookbook]

“This book embodies the culinary soul of Paris. It describes the incredible diversity of France’s capital’s food scene and markets and provides quintessential French recipes, as well as stories from passionate home cooks and bistros alike. Accompanied by superb photos of the city, dishes, and ingredients, from cheeses to wines to bread, World Food: Paris is useful and fun to read and cook from.”—Jacques Pépin

A definitive user’s guide that unlocks the secrets to real Parisian cooking, while the beautiful photography tells the tale of the world’s most dazzling food city.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

Seasoned cooks and beginners alike will be inspired by this authoritative and delightful book, a new classic for everyone who loves Paris. With more than fifty accessible recipes and contributions from the city’s leading home cooks and chefs, World Food: Paris—part of the World Food series from award-winning author and food expert James Oseland—intimately captures the Parisian way with food as never before.

Included are recipes for time-honored dishes such as Burgundy-style beef braised in red wine and bacon, as well as new ones like roast pork seasoned with preserved lemon and ginger. Readers will also find fundamentals such as how to grill a bistro-style steak to perfection along with tips for recreating a classic Parisian apéro, or appetizer party, complete with wine, cheese, and small plates. There are also desserts such as crème brûlée and Grand Marnier soufflé, a dish as luscious as it is makeable.

Paris has long been synonymous with the best
 in dining. But until now no single book has explained why it continues to matter so much to cooks and food lovers. With more than one hundred fifty photographs, information about ingredients and history, and a comprehensive glossary, World Food: Paris captures a vital modern city where cooks from all walks of life are continuing a glorious culinary tradition.
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No. 7

Fix It with Food: Every Meal Easy

Simple and Delicious Recipes for Anyone with Autoimmune Issues and Inflammation : A Cookbook

NATIONAL BESTELLER • 120+ simple, delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to help you manage autoimmune issues all day—plus a​n all-new 10-day, 30-recipe reset to identify your food triggers—from the New York Times bestselling author of Fix It with Food.

During the first few months of 2020, Michael Symon religiously posted "Symon Dinners" on Instagram every day to help his fans keep pantry-inspired meals fun and varied. The response was so great and his followership so engaged that creating a cookbook of simple weekday breakfasts, lunches, and dinners became a priority for him. In Fix It with Food: Every Meal Easy, Michael combines simple dishes for busy weekdays and meals that address autoimmune triggers for a collection of 120+ health-supportive recipes.

The chapters are divided by what trigger you're avoiding, including No Meat, No Dairy, and No Flour. If you're not sure what your food triggers are, the ten-day reset will help you figure out which foods to avoid. After the reset, Michael offers guidance about how to reintegrate foods into your routine. ​Through fan feedback, Michael discovered that most people using his first book didn't need four servings—most wanted just enough for two meals, so in Every Meal Easy, all of the main recipes yield two meals or enough for one meal plus leftovers. And since sometimes you have a crowd to cook for, Michael offers helpful information regarding how to double recipes when needed. Readers will also find a list of his favorite 30 anti-inflammatory friendly ingredients to keep in stock all the time and a master ingredient substitution list, so if you don't have kale or black beans on hand, you can swap in whatever you have in your fridge or pantry.

With Michael's encouraging voice and ​flexible recipes, Fix It with Food: Every Meal Easy is a must-have for anyone who is looking to feel better without compromising eating well.
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No. 8

Running on Veggies

Plant-Powered Recipes for Fueling and Feeling Your Best

More than 100 delicious, nourishing, and mostly plant-based recipes for peak athletic performance, from the triathlete and nutrition coach behind the popular Running on Veggies blog

After finishing treatment for stage III Hodgkin's lymphoma at the age of fifteen, Lottie Bildirici fell in love with running and completely transformed her lifestyle with a mindful approach to eating and exercise. As an Adidas nutrition coach, she has led teams around the globe to healthier mindsets by leveraging their diets for enhanced performance. In her first book, she shares these recipes and tips to help fellow athletes eat well, feel well, and live life to its fullest potential.

Running on Veggies contains more than one hundred mostly plant-based, dairy-free, meat-free (with five pescatarian) recipes to maximize workouts and enhance nutrition to perform at peak levels. Indulgent recipes that leave you feeling satisfied and energized include Almond Berry Overnight Oats, Energized Mocha Crunch Smoothie, Thai Crunch Salad, Pesto Farro Risotto with Sugar Snap Peas and Asparagus, Date Bites, and many more.

In addition to Bildirici's recipes, Running on Veggies also features recipes contributed by world-class athletes including Kara Goucher, Colleen Quigley, Emma Coburn, and many more. With pre-run and recovery recipes, a two-week peak performance plan, and supplemental sidebars throughout, it's designed to be inclusive of all levels of athletic performance, from novice to expert.

Running on Veggies is the guide athletes and the rest of us need to fuel up and kickstart a lifetime of healthy habits, one delicious meal at a time.
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No. 9

Brave New Meal

Fresh as F*ck Food for Every Table: A Vegan Cookbook

The New York Times bestselling authors of the Bad Manners cookbook series are back with a message for you (yeah, you): Eating less meat, saving the planet, and cooking at home don’t have to be so f*cking boring—or expensive. 

If it feels like everything’s so f*cked that you just wanna lay down and let the earth reclaim your body, we understand. A global pandemic forced all of us back into the kitchen but our fridges were full of by-products and fake flavors. It seems like half the ingredients and produce we buy goes in the trash while people starve, the planet burns and also somehow floods. And our culinary chaos is partly to blame. This sh*t isn't sustainable. 
 
Enter Brave New Meal: a chance for food to be not just different but better. Because here’s the dirty little secret about eating vegan (or plant-based, meatless, flexitarian, whatever the hell they’re calling it this week): done right, it’s the cheapest, healthiest, most environmentally friendly, and tastiest (did we stutter?) food you could possibly put into that temple you call a body. Brave New Meal shows you the way: 
 
100+ life-changing vegan recipes including Orange Peel Cauliflower, Beeteroni Pizza, Nashville Hot Shroom Sammie, Jackfruit Pupusas, and Plum-Side-Down Cake 
Killer photos so you’ll know for sure you didn’t f*ck it up 
Tips on how to stretch your budget, limit food waste, and incorporate every edible piece of the plant into your meals (or finally find a use for that wilted kale in your fridge)
Shortcuts and substitutions for when the grocery store is sold out or you need help getting dinner on the goddamn table already 
A produce glossary that breaks down everything you probably never knew (but most def should) about all the fresh stuff in your market
 
Look, we’re not asking you to go vegan. We’re not even asking you to give up bacon (do whatever you gotta do). But just be real honest when you answer this question: What do you have to lose?
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No. 10

Waffles + Mochi: Get Cooking!

Learn to Cook Tomato Candy Pasta, Gratitouille, and Other Tasty Recipes: A Kids Cookbook

Explore the globe with Waffles + Mochi and learn about the stories behind the food we eat in this accessible, child-friendly cookbook, based on the Netflix children’s show from Higher Ground, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s production company in partnership with Netflix.
 
Join Waffles and Mochi for recipes and cooking adventures that take you around the world—from Delicioso Stew inspired by Peru to a Pani Puri Party in California to making Hands-on Onigiri in Japan. These best friends discover how chefs mix fresh ingredients to create delicious dishes that make our taste buds happy. 
 
Each chapter begins with a simple recipe to master—like creating magical salts to dust over your dishes, boiling eggs four ways, and baking a potato that’s anything but ordinary. Then the recipes build from there. Before you know it, you’ll be whipping up Tenacious Tomato Salad, Chicken Sancocho, Kimchi Grilled Cheese, and Cloud Meringues. Are you ready? 
 
3 - 2 - Yum, BLAST OFF!
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No. 11

Bread Book

Ideas and Innovations from the Future of Grain, Flour, and Fermentation [A Cookbook]

Visionary baker Chad Robertson unveils what’s next in bread, drawing on a decade of innovation in grain farming, flour milling, and fermentation with all-new ground-breaking formulas and techniques for making his most nutrient-rich and sublime loaves, rolls, and more—plus recipes for nourishing meals that showcase them.

“The most rewarding thing about making bread is that the process of learning never ends. Every day is a new study . . . the possibilities are infinite.”—from the Introduction

More than a decade ago, Chad Robertson’s country levain recipe taught a generation of bread bakers to replicate the creamy crumb, crackly crust, and unparalleled flavor of his world-famous Tartine bread. His was the recipe that launched hundreds of thousands of sourdough starters and attracted a stream of understudies to Tartine from across the globe.

Now, in Bread Book, Robertson and Tartine’s director of bread, Jennifer Latham, explain how high-quality, sustainable, locally sourced grain and flours respond to hydration and fermentation to make great bread even better. Experienced bakers and novices will find Robertson’s and Latham’s primers on grain, flour, sourdough starter, leaven, discard starter, and factoring dough formulas refreshingly easy to understand and use.

With sixteen brilliant formulas for naturally leavened doughs—including country bread (now reengineered), rustic baguettes, flatbreads, rolls, pizza, and vegan and gluten-free loaves, plus tortillas, crackers, and fermented pasta made with discarded sourdough starter—Bread Book is the wild-yeast baker ’s flight plan for a voyage into the future of exceptional bread.
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No. 12

Skinnytaste Air Fryer Dinners

75 Healthy Recipes for Easy Weeknight Meals: A Cookbook

75 recipes dedicated to making air fryer dinners easier and healthier, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook

Gina Homolka returns with a must-have collection of deceptively healthy dinners for the beloved air fryer appliance. Air fryers allow you to cook meals with less oil and little clean-up by using hot, well-circulated air to evenly cook and crisp up foods in record time. In Skinnytaste Air Fryer Dinners, Gina delivers 75 air fryer meals that are the perfect quick solution to weeknight meals, hearty dinners that are satisfying served as is or with just a simple salad or side. 
 
True to Gina's signature “light on calories, big on flavor” promise, the recipes allow you to indulge in creative and crave-worthy dishes, including crispy fried fish with hush puppies, juicy chicken breasts stuffed with brie cheese, California-style burritos made with steak and fried potatoes, and a perfectly cooked salmon topped with mustard and dill. All recipes include helpful icons for different diets (such as keto, gluten-free, and vegetarian) and nutritional information, with the most up-to-date Weight Watchers points available on the Skinnytaste website.
 
The recipes in Skinnytaste Air Fryer Dinners are sure to satisfy the whole family and show you just how versatile the air fryer is!
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