Matt's Favorite Cookbooks of 2023
Dec 06, 2023
Each of these books earned its place on this list because it surprised me. After more than 32 years of bookselling, I know I have not seen it all. But I have seen many familiar things dressed up in shiny new threads. This has made me most interested in books which do something differently.
Many other wonderful, interesting cookbooks were released in 2023, including some that fought hard for a place on this list. But if I am forced to call something a Best Cookbooks of 2023 list, I can defend this list with confidence.
Here they are, in alphabetical order by author:
JJ Johnson with Danica Novgorodoff.
THE SIMPLE ART OF RICE: Recipes from Around the World for the Heart of Your Table
Michał Korkosz.
POLISH’D: Modern Vegetarian Cooking from Global Poland
Tradition and modernity intersect in Korkosz’s creative kitchen, resulting in food which seems unmistakably Polish but also very aware of the rest of the world.
Josh Niland.
FISH BUTCHERY: Mastering the Catch, Cut, and Craft
Boldly adapting techniques from traditional meat cooking, Niland makes fish much more versatile, reducing waste and creating exciting new foods.
Katie Parla.
FOOD OF THE ITALIAN ISLANDS: Recipes from the Sun-Baked Beaches, Coastal Villages, and Rolling Hillsides of Sicily, Sardinia, and Beyond
Energetic and adventurous, this survey of food from Sicily, Sardinia, Elba, Capri and other famed locales is a culture dive with the power to refresh your interest in Italian cookbooks.
Natasha Pickowicz.
MORE THAN CAKE: 101 Baking Recipes Built for Pleasure and Community
It’s all about the flavor here: bold combinations developed by a baking professional with the technical skills to make wild ideas fly.
Kate Reid.
LUNE: Croissants All Day, All Night
If you’re ready to forget almost everything you’ve learned about making laminated dough and take instruction from a former aerospace engineer who is now a world-famous baker, this book will reward you mightily.
Garret Richard & Ben Schaffer.
TROPICAL STANDARD: Cocktail Techniques & Reinvented Recipes
Daiquiris, Mai Tais, Mojitos, Piña Coladas—all the high-flavor favorites are rebuilt from the ground up with scientifically-inflected rigor. If you make your own bitters, this is your fantasy land.
Nik Sharma.
VEG-TABLE: Recipes, Techniques & Plant-Science for Big-Flavored, Vegetable-Focused Meals
A complete vegetable refresh: flavors, techniques, ingredient combinations, all employed to revitalize your vegetable repertoire. The most imaginative cookbook of the year?
Seadon Shouse.
FROM THE HILL BY THE SEA
A self-published chef’s cookbook which is entrancing, self-effacing, and thoughtful enough to make the northeast Atlantic seaboard seem like undiscovered country.
Bee Wilson.
THE SECRET OF COOKING: Recipes for an Easier Life in the Kitchen
A book for people who love to cook, who probably follow a recipe only the first time they make it, and might read a dozen recipes before they cook at all.
