15 of the Most Anticipated and Best Cookbooks Of 2022
This year, one of my New Year’s Day resolutions was to cook more meals at home. The goal here was not to eat out less, exactly, but to enjoy cooking as a therapeutic activity. Because my work can extend the usual 40 hours a week, I sometimes find myself exhausted or even a little frazzled by the end of the day. Cooking helps me be in the moment, an opportunity to stop thinking about the day’s events and focus on chopping vegetables or baking bread instead. Whether you set a similar resolution for yourself as a beginner or already have plenty of experience, the best cookbooks 2022 has to offer can help. Not only can they give you new recipe ideas, but they also often contain techniques that can help you improve as a cook.
I’ve compiled 15 of the most anticipated cookbooks of 2022, both new releases and upcoming picks. Included are selections by award-winning chefs, cooking show stars, and successful bakery or restaurant owners. Each of these picks has something to offer to new and experienced chefs alike.
If you’re new to cooking and looking for more resources, this round-up of funny cookbooks can help you work on your cooking skills with some truly clever recipes. For families, these cookbooks for kids are all written with young chefs in mind. And, if you’re curious about the cookbook genre itself after looking for recs, this essay on the history of cookbooks offers a fascinating survey from the first known cookbook in 1700 BC to the present.
The Wok: Recipes and Techniques by J. Kenji López-Alt (March 8)
Written by the author of 2015 bestseller The Food Lab and and managing culinary director of Serious Eats, this cookbook features over 200 recipes that utilize a wok. In addition to the recipes and accompanying photographs, The Wok also explores the science behind how the cooking techniques mentioned work.
Dessert Can Save the World: Stories, Secrets and Recipes for a Stubbornly Joyful Existence By Christina Tosi (March 8)
Part recipe book and part memoir, this book by the founder of Milk Bar centers desserts, which Cristina Tosi views as more essential to life than people realize. They celebrate important milestones and provide comfort in times of loss. Between recipes and personal stories, Dessert Can Save the World shares how to be stubbornly joyful and true to who you are.
A Good Day To Bake: Simple Baking Recipes For Every Mood by Benjamina Ebuehi (March 17)
With both sweet and savory recipes included, Great British Baking Show quarter-finalist Benjamina Ebuehi’s cookbook explores mindfulness and simplicity through baking. Each recipe celebrates the ritual of baking as therapeutic and as important as the finished product.
Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home by Eric Kim (March 29)
This cookbook by New York Times staff writer Eric Kim is a celebration as well as an exploration of Korean American identity and cuisine. Along with over 200 pages of recipes, this cookbook includes essays that reflect on how his upbringing as part of a first-generation immigrant family and his love of cooking shaped how he tells his story.
The Unofficial Studio Ghibli Cookbook: 50 Delicious Recipes Inspired by Your Favorite Japanese Animated Films by Jessica Yun (April 12)
If you (like me) have always thought those bacon and eggs from Howl’s Moving Castle looked delicious, keep an eye out for this cookbook in April. The Unofficial Studio Ghibli Cookbook rounds up over 50 fan-created recipes inspired by Studio Ghibli films, from herring and pumpkin pot pie (Kiki’s Delivery Service) to steamed red bean bao (Spirited Away).
To the Last Bite: Recipes and Ideas for Making the Most of Your Ingredients by Alexis deBoschnek (April 19)
Buzzfeed’s Chef Out of Water host Alexis DeBoschnek shares recipes that can help you cut back on food waste by making the most out of every ingredient. From spatchcock paprika chicken to green skillet pie, you’ll find over 100 recipes that utilize parts of ingredients that are often needlessly thrown away.
The Flexible Baker by Jo Pratt (April 12)
This latest installment in the Flexible cookbook series offers recipes for bakes where the ingredients can be substituted based on allergies, dietary needs, or eating preferences. If you often cook for people with different dietary restrictions, The Flexible Baker can be a helpful resource.
Ammu: Indian Home Cooking to Nourish Your Soul by Asma Khan (April 19)
From the star of Chef’s Table, Ammu honors Asma Khan’s family, and her mother in particular, with recipes and personal recollections of food from her childhood. By sharing family recipes and memories, this cookbook celebrates the power of food to bring people together as an expression of love.
Good Eats: The Final Years by Alton Brown (April 26)
The last installment of Alton Brown’s four-volume cookbook collection compiles recipes from the Good Eats TV series along with new and updated material. Each recipe includes helpful tips and variation ideas as well as accompanying photographs.
My America: Recipes From a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein (May 3)
Following Kwame Onwuachi’s award-winning memoir Notes from a Young Black Chef, this cookbook features over 125 recipes celebrating food of the African Diaspora. In addition to the recipes, Onwuachi also shares personal stories that explore the diversity of American cuisine as well as its connection to place and culture.
Snacks for Dinner: Small Bites, Full Plates, Can’t Lose by Lukas Volger (May 3)
This cookbook presents an alternative to dinner as a large and often exhausting meal to prepare. Instead, Snacks for Dinner features delicious, bite-sized recipes that you can mix and match for dinner — many of which include simple ingredients that you may already have in your pantry.
Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives by Kitty and Al Tait (May 24)
When Kitty Tait was 14 years old, she started to experience overwhelming anxiety. Her anxiety felt unrelenting and unassailable until she discovered bread making. With over 80 recipes and stories included, this cookbook shares how Kitty and her father Al were able to open The Orange Bakery in England thanks to their shared love of baking.
Omari McQueen’s Best Bites Cookbook by Omari McQueen (June 7)
This cookbook by the star of BBC’s What’s Cooking, Omari? rounds up the best plant-based recipes for cooks of all ages. If you’re looking for vegan meals that your whole family will enjoy or cookbooks that are sure to inspire young chefs, this recipe collection is well worth checking out.
Modern Jewish Comfort Food: 100 Fresh Recipes for Classic Dishes from Kugel to Kreplach by Shannon Sarna (August 30)
By the author of Modern Jewish Baker and editor of The Nosher, this cookbook offers a selection of Jewish comfort food recipes from around the world. Also included are variations on different recipes since, as the author notes, comfort food can vary by region and family.
The Cookie Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum (October 18)
Cookie lovers, this book is for you. Making cookies for any occasion is easy with this helpful companion, which offers over 400 pages of recipes including simple crowd-pleasing chocolate chip cookie recipes and fresh spins on classic desserts, like brownie doughnuts.
Hungry for more? Check out our Cookbook Showdown series, where the best recipes from popular cookbooks are put to the test.
