We already asked Celia Sack, owner of Omnivore Books in San Francisco, for her favorite cookbooks of 2023. Now, we're bringing you our highly subjective picks. Technically, a few of these selections aren't cookbooks — they're more like food memoirs — but you will glean techniques and recipes if you read them.
And if you need more food-related gift ideas, check out Good Food's 2023 Holiday Gift Guide.
For the person who loves exploring culture through cuisine
In his first cookbook "Parsi," Farokh Talai explores the culinary history and dishes of his roots. Credit: Photo by Bloomsbury Absolute
Parsi: From Persia to Bombay: recipes & tales from the ancient culture
I love when cookbooks teach me about a whole culture through the medium of food.
Parsi people follow the Zoroastrian faith, one of the oldest monotheistic religions, dating back 3,500 years. Around the 7th century in Persia, in the area that is now known as Iraq, an Arab uprising forced the Zoroastrian community to convert to Islam or leave the country. Many ended up in Gujarat, India, where they became known as Parsis. Their cuisine developed over time as they adopted local ingredients and flavors. "The beauty of Parsi cooking is the fact from our origins, we have all this dried fruit and subtle spicing, saffron, rice, pulaos, and gently stewed meats," says London-based chef Farohk Talati. His book, Parsi: From Persia to Bombay, is filled with recipes that will delight and surprise. Learn More -E.K.
For the person who wants to lead a more plant-based life without being militant about it
Veg-table" concentrates on making produce the focus of the meal. Credit: Photo courtesy of Chronicle Books
Veg-Table: Recipes, Techniques, and Plant Science for Big-Flavored, Vegetable-Focused Meals
Like a lot of people, I'm always looking for new and interesting things to do with vegetables. That's why Nik Sharma's latest book, Veg-Table, is such a blessing. The recipes — like this one for Kung Pao Sweet Potatoes — are creative yet approachable. This isn't a vegetarian cookbook but it is extremely plant-centric. Nik includes recipes for Indian Lamb + Lentil Stew alongside ones for Broccoli Za'atar Salad and Kimchi Creamed Corn. I like that flexibility. I also like how his palate travels the globe and helps all of us look at vegetables in a new way. Learn more -E.S.
For the person who treats yogurt as a complete meal
Homa Dashtaki expands the world of yogurt in "Yogurt & Whey." Credit: Photo courtesy of W. W. Norton & Company
Yogurt & Whey: Recipes of an Iranian Immigrant Life
Homa Dashtaki's recipe for yogurt, begins with, "Play music you listen to when you feel like you are totally in love — with your family, a wonderful moment, a partner, a time in your life." I read those words and trusted her immediately. Yogurt & Whey is my kind of book. It helps that I already love Dashtaki's White Moustache yogurt, but now I am equally excited to make my own version at home. (The process involves wrapping your incubating pot of yogurt in flannel blankets overnight, a visual that I love.) Every page has a new recipe I want to try, including countless creative ideas for how to use leftover whey, from pancakes to sorbet, and cocktails too. Learn more -G.F.
For the person who processes grief through cooking
"For most of my life, these words that I wrote on paper were not even thoughts I was bold enough to think," says Hetty Lui McKinnon of her latest work, "Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds." Credit: Photo courtesy of Alfred A. Knopf
Tenderheart: A Cookbook About Vegetables and Unbreakable Family Bonds
Tenderheart, Hetty Lui McKinnon's tribute to her late father, a man defined by his solid work ethic and commitment to family, weaves together memories suspended in time with recipes that permit vegetables to be the hero of the meal. McKinnon somehow balances her grief while praising mushrooms in her "Not Your Traditional Sunday Roast." Deeply personal, it's a book I know I'll keep turning to for more than its utility. Learn more -L.G.
For the person who grills in any kind of weather
"Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling" offers a wealth of recipes for grilled meats and salsas as well as starters, sides, salads, aguas frescas and sweets. Credit: Photo courtesy of Abrams
Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling
Some cookbooks I buy because they're pretty, others because they're aspirational (I will make a Beef Wellington… someday) and others because I hope they'll push me out of my culinary comfort zone. Then, there are the cookbooks I get because I think I'll actually use them. Asada by Bricia Lopez (of Guelaguetza in Koreatown) and Javier Cabral (the editor of LA Taco) falls into that final group. If you want to do a better job of grilling meat and veggies, this book has all sorts of practical recipes. Because Carne asada is more than a taco filling. In Los Angeles, it's a way of life. Learn more -E.S.
For the person who craves a great food memoir
In "California Soul: An American Epic of Cooking and Survival," chef Keith Corbin paints a picture of life on the streets to time in his West Adams kitchen. Credit: Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House LLC
California Soul: An American Epic of Cooking and Survival
I found Alta chef Keith Corbin's memoir California Soul riveting. Keith talks about his difficult upbringing, how he ended up in prison and what it took to create a life of purpose once he got out. He outlines his culinary achievements and the origins of his vision for "California soul food" to tell the story of how he became head chef of Alta Adams, one of America's best restaurants. Learn More -E.K.
For the person who wants to decolonize their diet
Chími Nu'Am: Native California Foodways for the Contemporary Kitchen helps home cooks embrace native ingredients. Credit: Photo courtesy of Heyday
Chími Nu'Am: Native California Foodways for the Contemporary Kitchen
The idea of "decolonizing my diet" sounds intriguing but also overwhelming. So I appreciate Sara Calvosa Olson's advice to take "small but urgent steps" and start with one thing. She's the author of Chími Nu'Am, focusing on the Native foods of California, and I love a good regional cookbook. "Pick one thing that you see around you in your backyard or one particular native ingredient, native plant, native food (native to your backyard, to your area) and learn all there is to know about it," she recommends. I'm starting with acorn flour and manzanita flour, which she calls for in her recipe for Acorn Manzanita Waffles. Learn more -E.S.
For the person who bakes before bingeing The Crown
Taking inspiration from her Northern California upbringing to the roots she planted in England, Claire Ptak enchants bakers with new recipes in "Love Is a Pink Cake." Credit: Photo courtesy of W.W. Norton
Love Is a Pink Cake: Irresistible Bakes for Morning, Noon, and Night
I'm not much of a baker (see above) but I'll always root for a hometown girl. Northern California meets East London, where Claire Ptak opened Violet Bakery after a stint at Chez Panisse. Upon crossing the pond, she gained notoriety by making the lemon and elderflower wedding cake for Harry and Meghan. Dig into that while watching the final season of The Crown. But it's her recipe for chocolate babka buns, which you'll find in Love Is A Pink Cake, that may turn the biggest night owl into an early bird. Learn more -L.G.
For the person who wants a great underdog story
"The Hungry Season" follows Ia Moua's attempts to bring a variety of Hmong rice to life in California. Credit: Photo courtesy of Little, Brown and Company
The Hungry Season: A Journey of War, Love and Survival
The Hungry Season, by Lisa Hamilton, follows the journey of one woman, Ia Moua, from the mountains of Laos to the flatlands of Fresno, where she builds a life for herself and her family in her adopted homeland. At the center of the story is Ia's determination to bring a beloved variety of Hmong rice to life in California. -E.K.
For the person who believes fruit makes the best dessert
Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit" is a toolkit for using raw and cooked fruit in sweet and savory preparations. Credit: Photo courtesy of Chronicle Books
Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit
Baking a few apples is about the extent of my experience when it comes to cooking with fruit. (Don't tell the pie judges.) Abra Berens has made me consider fruit differently each season at the farmer's market. The recipes in Pulp are fresh while being non-threatening — from chocolate pudding with coffee-soaked black cherries to baked grapes schmeared on a Midwestern church basement staple of ham and butter sandwiches. Learn more -L.G.
For the person who wants to reduce food waste
The Everlasting Meal Cookbook" embraces leftovers with everything from broken candy canes to stale doughnuts. Credit: Photo courtesy of Simon & Schuster
The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A to Z
Tamar Adler's Everlasting Meal Cookbook has made nearly every Best Of list I've seen this year, and for good reason. Organized by ingredient, Adler offers ideas on how to breathe new life into whatever bits and bobs are hiding in your fridge, whether it's basil stems or leftover nachos. There are no photos, just her beautiful prose cajoling you to save your potato cooking water for a velouté. It is a practical, clever and timeless book, and in my opinion, an instant classic. Learn more -G.F.
For the person who wants to elevate their baking game
Part inn, restaurant, and cooking school, Ballymaloe House pastry chef Ryall shares his recipes for biscuits, pies, trifles and more in a new cookbook. Credit: Photo courtesy of Phaidon
Ballymaloe Desserts: Iconic Recipes and Stories from Ireland
Ok, technically this came out in 2022, but it wasn't on my radar until we interviewed JR Ryall in March of 2023. I had to include it because Ballymaloe is a magical place. A sprawling old country estate in East Cork, Ireland, the property includes at least 10 gardens, adjacent woodlands, a cooking school, an inn and a restaurant where the main event is a dessert trolley, wheeled to your table at the end of the meal. In Ballymaloe Desserts, pastry chef Ryall shares recipes and gorgeous photos of each dessert that graces the famous trolley. While it may seem that an Irish town, where summer temperatures never exceed 70 degrees, wouldn't have a lot in common with Southern California, the seasonal, simple and fruit-forward recipes are a perfect fit for any LA farmers market fan, whether it's a summer berry salad with geranium leaves or mandarin givrées, aka tangerine sorbet served inside frozen tangerine skin. Learn more -G.F.
For the fanciest person you know
A Sweet Floral Life" showcases the sugary creations of artist and photographer Natasja Sadi. Credit: Photo courtesy of Clarkson Potter
A Sweet Floral Life: Romantic Arrangements for Fresh and Sugar Flowers
While not a cookbook, A Sweet Floral Life shows off Natasja Sadi's exuberant old world style of flower arranging, which includes out-of-season sugar flowers that she uses to expand bouquets. More than that, she explores the nature of creativity and how to tease out your own. A gorgeous coffee table book for flower lovers. Learn More -E.K.