It seems inevitable that many of us will be stuck inside during the Corona COVAD-19 outbreak. Whether you find that happening to your family – and you feel well enough to cook – take the opportunity to dive into a new cookbook. You can order groceries to be delivered. Heck, we’ll even ship a cookbook you’d like to order. If you’re local, mark your order COVAD-19, and we’ll toss the book onto our doorstep like a paperboy.
Whether you’re trying out a dietary shift to lose a few pounds, going vegan for “Veganuary,” experimenting with new tools and techniques, or simply trying to incorporate more real cooking into your life, there are, thankfully, plenty of fantastic new cookbooks out there to help you meet your goals and find inspiration. Read on for some of our picks for exciting recent cookbooks for the home chef, whether you’re new, experienced, or somewhere in between.
Vegetables Unleashed: A Cookbook
by José Andrés
Anthony Bourdain/Ecco, $39.99, 368 pages
Chef and humanitarian José Andrés is on a mission to get people to eat more vegetables, and to appreciate the many versatile ways they can be prepared and served. It’s a mission he’s been working towards for years, with his many restaurants and a non-profit that works to reduce hunger and poverty. Now, the next step for him is this new cookbook, which offers plenty of tips and tricks to help readers develop or fine-tune their love of the plant kingdom, not to mention a wealth of recipes. This cookbook is a game changer for any at-home chef who is looking to incorporate more plants into their rotation.
Knives and Needles: Tattoo Artists in the Kitchen
By Molly A. Kitamura
Schiffer, $29.99, 224 pages
For a different kind of inspiration, check out this book, which features a number of tattoo artists who also happen to be big on food and cooking. The pages contain both an eclectic array of recipes and beautiful color photography of the food–and of the body art. The recipes are mostly simple enough for anyone to prepare and cover a wide range of tastes and eating styles. And the photographs give readers a close-up view of all kinds of beautiful tattoos, large and small, all tastefully photographed. This is not a cookbook to pick up if you’re looking for a specific recipe, but it’s one that is sure to be enjoyed by both foodies and body art enthusiasts.
Rustic French Cooking Made Easy: Authentic, Regional Flavors from Provence, Brittany, Alsace and Beyond
By Audrey Le Goff
Page Street Publishing, $25.00, 176 pages
Many people have the impression that French cuisine is fussy and complicated, and that certainly is true of some well-known dishes. But that is definitely not the case for all French food. Recipe developer, photographer, and blogger Audrey Le Goff was born and raised in France, and she’s worked hard to introduce countless readers to the delightful fare she grew up with; this cookbook is simply the logical next step for her. Le Goff explores the many regions of France and offers up delicious, relatively simple recipes that celebrate the flavors and culture of each area.
Half Baked Harvest Super Simple: More Than 125 Recipes for Instant, Overnight, Meal-Prepped, and Easy Comfort Foods: A Cookbook
By Tieghan Gerard
Clarkson Potter, $29.99, 288 pages
If your New Year’s resolution is to find more balance in the foods you cook and eat, there’s no better place to look than Tieghan Gerard’s newest offering. This beautiful cookbook features a selection of delicious eats from her popular blog, Half Baked Harvest, all of which are intended to make preparing food quicker, easier, and more delicious than ever. To that end, Gerard focuses on dishes that can be prepped ahead of time, that come together overnight, or that use time-saving tools like the Instant Pot. Readers will find a truly balanced mix of recipes in these pages!
The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook
By Nisha Vora
Avery. $22.00, 320 pages
Whether you’re a new vegan, an experienced vegan, or not even a vegan at all, readers agree that blogger Nisha Vora’s beautiful new cookbook is worth adding to your collection. With plenty of recipes to choose from, Vora excels at making healthy, flavorful cooking as simple as can be. Those who have been using the Instant Pot, or a similar pressure cooker, already will delight in having some new meals to add to their repertoire, while newbies will appreciate the many tips and tricks Vora has to offer. This wonderful cookbook includes delicious recipes for all times of day, including dessert.
The Farmhouse Culture Guide to Fermenting
By Kathryn Lukas & Shane Peterson
10 Speed Press, $35.00, 368 pages
In recent years, the art of fermenting foods has been getting its time in the spotlight, and with good reason. Fermented foods are packed with health benefits, and bright, bold flavors appeal to a wide range of taste buds. But many people don’t know where to start, and they may be wary of trusting blogs or older, dated-looking books on preservation. This beautiful, expansive book delves into every facet of fermenting, from history to safety and everywhere in between, and includes a wide variety of recipes to get readers started. You’ll be making pickles, kimchi, hot sauces, and even mead in no time!
South: Essential Recipes and New Explorations
By Sean Brock
Artisan, $40.00, 376 pages
There are certain foods and flavors that are strongly associated with the South, including grits, corn bread, fried green tomatoes, and okra. Readers who love southern food–or who simply want to learn how to cook it–will delight in this cookbook from chef Sean Brock, who breaks down these classics one at a time into their essentials so that they can be mixed and matched into a complete meal or simply enjoyed one at a time. Readers will also enjoy simply learning the important skills inherent in southern cooking, including how to care for cast iron and how to successfully fry foods. This cookbook covers it all!
Cedar and Salt: Vancouver Island Recipes from Forest, Farm, Field, and Sea
By DL Acken
Touchwood Editions, $35.00, 320 pages
Vancouver Island, off the western coast of Canada, is home to a unique food scene all its own, and the artisan goods, heritage grains, and wild foods prevalent in the local cuisine make this island home to a paradise of delicious foods. Readers both familiar and unfamiliar with the area will love this gorgeous cookbook that is packed full of one-of-a-kind recipes that utilize the foods this area is known for while still honoring the local culture and the producers who work to sustainably produce these ingredients. Beautiful photographs and sumptuous dishes are guaranteed to make food lovers hungry.
