Lifestyle Books The 20 Best Cookbooks of 2022, According to F&W Editors Here are our top cookbook picks of the year, covering topics from easy weeknight cooking to the intersection of culture and cuisine. By Amelia Rampe Updated on December 6, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email As the year comes to a close it’s time to narrow down our favorite cookbooks of 2022. This year in cookbooks was filled with beautiful and inspiring options, featuring a few trends. Diaspora and cultural cooking took the spotlight with books like Budmo!, which highlights ancestral Ukrainian cuisine and the incredibly special Gullah Geechee Home Cooking, in which Edisto Island matriarch Emily Meggett shares her generations-old heritage recipes. Cooking with ease was also on our minds as we sought ways to prepare quick and delicious recipes with a few ingredients. Lukas Volger’s Snacks for Dinner helped us reimagine what dinner could be, while Melissa Clark showed us that we can prepare fantastic meals in a single cooking vessel in her one-pot wonder, Dinner in One. It was very difficult to pare down the books of 2022; we loved all the books in our Spring and Fall best cookbook lists. Here are the books we recommend most: 01 of 20 I Am From Here Amazon "The opening pages of Vishwesh Bhatt's cookbook feature beautiful photos of okra: green and purple, whole pods and sliced. It's a telling sign of what's to come from this first cookbook of the chef behind Snackbar in Oxford, Mississippi. Bhatt, who moved to the United States when he was 18, once told me that when he saw okra in the American South, he knew he would eat well; it was one of his favorite vegetables from growing up in Gujarat, India. In his book, he explains that in choosing to make the South his home and to become a chef, he's claimed the region for himself. Bhatt has long since established himself as a leader in the modern Southern restaurant scene. He uses techniques and preparations he learned from chefs like John Currence and Ashley Christensen while demonstrating the commonality between India and the South, such as similar debates over preferences for certain varieties of peanuts, rice, and greens. The recipes here — including Black-Eyed Peas Griddle Cakes, Okra Chaat, and Peanut Curry — straddle both cultures, making me grateful Bhatt knows how to savor them in a single bite." — Chandra Ram: Associate Editorial Director, Food Full Title: I Am From Here: Stories and Recipes from a Southern ChefAuthor: Vishwesh BhattEbook Available: YesPages: 320 View at Amazon ($37.50) 02 of 20 Black Power Kitchen Amazon "Featuring vibrant recipes, interviews, art, and photography, this is a compelling culinary manifesto about the nature of Black food. Here, the New York City collective Ghetto Gastro offers an awakening of what Black food was, is, and can become while demonstrating the sheer joy and creativity Black communities generate. With waves of crunch, heat, flavor, and umami, this Bronx-culinary collective also inspires discussions about race, history, and long-standing food inequality." — Alexandra Domrongchai, Editorial Fellow Full Title: Ghetto Gastro Presents Black Power KitchenAuthors: Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker with Osayi EndolynEbook Available: YesPages: 304 View at Amazon ($40) 03 of 20 I Dream of Dinner Amazon "Ali Slagle pays homage to her mom and nonna, whose cooking she describes as 'soulful, scrappy, confident and completely delicious,' as is every recipe inside I Dream of Dinner. A loose yet formulaic system of cooking guides the reader with just enough instruction to let each recipe run where it needs to despite a lack or abundance of ingredients or time." — Nikki Miller-Ka, former Interim Associate Editor Full Title: I Dream of Dinner (so You Don't Have To): Low-Effort, High-Reward RecipesAuthor: Ali SlagleEbook Available: YesPage Count: 400 View at Amazon ($29.99) 04 of 20 Woks of Life Amazon “The Woks of Life blog has been my go-to source for authentic Chinese home cooking for years. The blog which started as a way for the Leung family to share recipes while living abroad, turned into an internet sensation and has amassed over 250,000 followers on Instagram. Their site covers everything from restaurant recipes, how-to’s, to shopping and travel guides. I could not be more thrilled with this book.” — Amelia Rampe, Senior Food Editor Full Title: The Woks of Life: Recipes to Know and Love from a Chinese American Family: A CookbookAuthor: Bill Leung, Kaitlin Leung, Judy Leung, Sarah LeungEbook Available: YesPage Count: 320 View at Amazon ($35) 05 of 20 Masa Courtesy of Chronicle Books "There are few things in the world that smell better than fresh masa cooking on a griddle, whether it has been pressed into a tortilla, formed into sopes, or served up as piping hot arepas. This new cookbook from Masienda founder Jorge Gaviria demonstrates just how dynamic, versatile, and necessary masa is in any cook's kitchen. He jumps into the history and science of masa, but also turns to a who's who stable of chefs cooking Mexican food for their favorite recipes. It's a thorough look at one of the world's staple foods while making the cases for several exciting modern applications. The only hard part will be deciding whether to make memelas or flautas for dinner." — Khushbu Shah, Restaurant Editor Full Title: Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless StapleAuthor: Jorge GaviriaEbook Available: YesPages: 240 View at Amazon ($35) 06 of 20 Ammu Amazon "This cookbook is ultimately about the 'inextricable link between food and love,' writes chef Asma Khan, the force behind the wildly successful London restaurant Darjeeling Express. It's a book that honors not her restaurant, but her roots — and more specifically her mother and the food her mother raised her on. Ammu, which translates to mother, is filled with the Indian home cooking that swaddles you like a warm hug. Think fresh from the fryer aloo bonde, or deep-fried spiced potatoes and bowls of creamy and comforting spinach raita, spiked with pomegranate seeds. Ammu is a cookbook worth treating like a novel, starting from the first page and reading every single word as you go. Khan is an incredible story teller, weaving in touching personal details that will make you feel as if you were standing there next to her in her journeys throughout India and England." — K. Shah Full Title: Ammu: Indian Home Cooking to Nourish Your SoulAuthor: Asma KhanEbook Available: NoPages: 288 View at Amazon ($35) 07 of 20 Savory Baking Amazon "In the intro of Savory Baking, Erin Jeanne McDowell says the book is dedicated to 'the cheesy, the crispy, the melty, warm, and doughy,' what savory baking encompasses — and she's speaking my language. While I love sweet baked goods, my 'salt tooth,' as she calls it, is strong. So many of these recipes sound irresistible, like the Bacon-and-Eggs Dutch Baby, Parmesan Sablés, Chile-Crunch Gougères, Moules Frites Tart (yes, tart!), and Elote Fritters. There's some seriously tasty-sounding variations in there too, plus other advice — I'm absolutely stuffing my corn muffins with cheese. Check out the tantalizing cheese pull photo in the book, and you'll immediately see why." — Bridget Hallinan, former Associate Food Editor Full Title: Savory Baking: Recipes for Breakfast, Dinner, and Everything in BetweenAuthor: Erin Jeanne McDowellEbook Available: YesPages: 384 View at Amazon ($40) 08 of 20 Gullah Geechie Home Cooking bookshop.org "Emily Meggett is 89 years old, grandmother and great-grandmother of more than 50 people, and is the long-burning flame under the best dishes to come out of South Carolina's Edisto Island, where she's lived her entire life. The centuries-old Gullah Geechee culture was initially a community of enslaved people, isolated by geographic location, and to this day remains deeply tied to its West African roots, as well as the seasonality of the Lowcountry ingredients that abound on the island. Meggett's recipes for grits, collard greens, oysters, and other freshly-caught seafood, interwoven with her family's long and rich history, create an edible history of a singular and vital place and people, while ensuring the ongoing legacy of the matriarch who's nurtured it for so long." —Kat Kinsman, Executive Features Editor Full Title: Gullah Geechee Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto IslandAuthor: Emily MeggettEbook Available: YesPage Count: 288 View at Amazon ($40) 09 of 20 Arabiyya Bookshop "Chef Reem Assil's debut cookbook Arabiyya is an unapologetic celebration of being Arab and being Arab in diaspora. It's jam-packed with fresh flavors and is a book that ripples with energy, with particular nods to Assil's Syrian and Palestinian heritage. In many ways, Arabiyya is my new favorite source of dinner party inspiration. It's no surprise given that Arab hospitality and warmth are two huge themes at the center of the book. I've bookmarked what feels like nearly half of the recipes, including shish barak, or tender lamb dumplings in a yogurt sauce with mint oil, and hibaar mahshi, or stuffed squid in a tangy tomato sauce. I plan to serve these with a giant platter of ruz arabi, or spiced rice with sticks of vermicelli, and several dips like mutabal salak, or a chard and tahini spread. Dessert will most definitely be individual cups of mahalabiya, a milky custard topped with strawberry compote — with a few extra servings for myself." — K. Shah Full Title: Arabiyya: Recipes from the Life of an Arab in DiasporaAuthor: Reem AssilEbook Available: YesPages: 304 View at Bookshop ($35) 10 of 20 Snacks for Dinner Amazon "Even without that shout-out to Friday Night Lights in the title, this book owned my popcorn-loving heart from the beginning. Food writer and editor Lukas Volger dove deep into his fridge and pantry to create 100 recipes for snacks that double as a meal (but are just a little more refined than eating cheese and crackers over the sink). Volger encourages you to crunch on Crispy Parmesan-Pecan Strips and Lentil Snacking Granola, dunk bread and veggies into Chili-Ginger Jam and Creamy Sweet Potato Dip and eating them alongside Marinated Feta and Orange + Mustard Marinated Asparagus to turn a few snacks into a full meal. I love that Volger wants us to embrace the grazing life, but just make it a little tastier." — C.R. Full Title: Snacks for Dinner: Small Bites, Full Plates, Can't LoseAuthor: Lukas VolgerEbook Available: YesPage Count: 256 View at Amazon ($32.50) 11 of 20 Horn BBQ Amazon "In his first cookbook, Matt Horn, the chef/owner of Horn Barbecue in Oakland, California, and a 2021 F&W Best New Chef, showcases the beauty of what he calls 'West Coast Barbecue.' Recipes for beef cheeks and pickled pig feet are Horn's way of inspiring people to get out of their comfort zones, but there's also a roadmap for the kinds of dishes you'd see in a more traditional barbecue book, like ribs and brisket — all made with a California spin." — Nina Friend, Features Editor Full Title: Horn Barbecue: Recipes and Techniques from a Master of the Art of BBQAuthor: Matt HornEbook Available: YesPage Count: 224 View at Amazon ($30) 12 of 20 On the Himalayan Trail Romy Gill A comprehensive guide to regional Himilayan cuisine from chef Romy Gill, this stunner of a cookbook is filled with culinary knowledge that is highlighted with jaw-dropping photography of food and landscapes. This book will usher along your culinary journey from the basics of regions and spices to the food which will leave every kind of eater inspired to get cooking. Kat Kinsman called On the Himalayan Trail, “a deeply special book.” — A.R. Full Title: On the Himalayan Trail: Recipes and Stories from Kashmir to LadakhAuthor: Romy GillEbook Available: YesPage Count: 256 View at Amazon ($42) 13 of 20 Salad Freak Target "I confess that sometimes I love salads more in theory than in practice. I regularly crave a chilled bowl filled with the right mix of crunchy vegetables and greens, beautifully dressed to maximize their flavors and accented with bites of cheese and crunch to keep things interesting. But too often (meaning, as I write this), I find myself staring down a pile of lettuce with a couple of sliced radishes splashed with plain-old vinaigrette thrown together for a quick desk lunch. I know I can do better than this, which is why I'm excited that recipe developer and food stylist Jess Damuck created this book of beautiful salads. Recipes like Crunchy Citrus and Chicories with Turmeric Tahini Dressing, Shaved Radish Breakfast Salad with Jammy Eggs and Dukkah, and Asparagus, Peas and Cucumber "Cacio e Pepe" give me a little hope that I can step up my salad game in the future. I love that Damuck offers more than just recipes; the book includes her tips on washing and storing greens, a list of what to keep on hand for future salads, and even her Spotify playlist of music to make salads by. I'll be crunching along all spring and summer with this book." –C.R. Full Title: Salad Freak: Recipes to Feed a Healthy ObsessionAuthor: Jess DamuckEbook Available: YesPage Count: 272 View at Target ($30) 14 of 20 Mi Cocina Amazon.com "Rick Martínez calls Mi Cocina 'the story of where I went, who I met, what I learned, what I ate, and how to make it,' continuing 'it's also the story of who I am, and who I am becoming—past, present, and future.' He begins the book by writing about his experiences growing up Mexican American in Austin, Texas, and how he yearned to feel more connected to México. He'd traveled there numerous times before, including weekend trips with his late mother (who he says is 'the reason that I cook') to a town called Nuevo Progresso, but still felt that he had a 'very scattered, incomplete picture.' So in October 2019, he embarked on a 20,000-plus mile-journey throughout the country, hitting all 32 states and 156 cities in 586 days and trying all kinds of dishes along the way. 104 of those dishes — his favorites — made it into this book, reinterpreted by him with his 'own unique sazón.' He first dives into staple Mexican recipes in the Básicos chapter, like Tortillas de Maíz and Salsa Macha, before hopping from region to region. You'll find a recipe for Sopa de Lima in the Yucatán Peninsula chapter, Birria estilo Aguascalientes in El Norte: The Northern States, and Tortas Ahogadas in the Pacífico Central chapter. Between the transportive headnotes and the striking, colorful food photography, it's hard to pick which recipe to make first. This is a beautiful book from start to finish, particularly knowing where Martínez ends up in his journey — happily living in Mazatlán with his lab, Choco, by the beach."—B.H. Full Title: Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in MéxicoAuthor: Rick MartínezEbook Available: YesPage Count: 304 View at Barnes & Noble ($28.99) 15 of 20 Tanya Holland’s California Soul Amazon "Celebrated chef, TV host, and cookbook author Tanya Holland knows what it's like to fall in love with California: it happened to her when she was a kid living in Rochester, New York, visiting her great-aunt Vera in Oakland. Decades later, drawn by the land, the pace of life, and the farm-to-table movement, she moved there and started learning all she could about it, especially when it came to her new home's Black history. The enduring pull of California's culture, terroir, and the story of the contributions of Black people to the cuisine of California, can be felt throughout Holland's new cookbook. The recipes draw on Southern roots, put through the filter of Holland's seasonally-driven, farm-to-table sensibility. Hers is a vibrant and inventive yet deeply comforting California cuisine — think grilled shrimp with an avocado-enriched Alabama white sauce for dunking; Fried Artichoke Po'Boys consisting of remoulade-slathered rolls cradling fresh artichoke hearts that have been breaded and fried until crunchy; and apple cider-brined pork chops served with a lusty helping of crisp-bottomed country fried apples. The cookbook deserves a spot on your bookshelf for the recipes alone (and there are more than 80 of them), but you should save room for it on your nightstand — California Soul is a work of journalism and history as well. The book is written with journalist Maria C. Hunt and African diaspora studies scholar Dr. Kelley Fanto Deetz, and interweaves the history of Black people in California among Holland's gorgeous recipes, along with profiles of the Black farmers, food artisans, and food entrepreneurs who are shaping the Golden State's cuisine today."—Karen Shimizu, Executive Editor Full Title: Tanya Holland's California Soul: Recipes from a Culinary Journey WestAuthor: Tanya HollandEbook Available: YesPages: 256 View at Amazon ($35) 16 of 20 My America Bookshop "Kwame Onwuachi takes us on a journey through personal taste memories from the Bronx, down to Texas, and across to ancient lands of Nigeria and the Caribbean. Vibrant and unique recipes like Cucumber and Avocado Salad tempered with a gooseberry peri-peri call back ancestral knowledge that he marries with his own unique experiences and culinary genius. With photographs depicting his storied, tattooed hands, representation colors each page of this book." — N.M-K. Full Title: My America: Recipes from a Young Black ChefAuthors: Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David SteinEbook Available: YesPage Count: 304 View at Bookshop ($35) 17 of 20 Budmo! Amazon "If there ever was a time for a cookbook to spotlight and showcase the colorful traditions of Ukrainian cooking, it would be now. In the cookbook debut from Ukrainian-born, California-based chef Anna Voloshyna, the aptly named Budmo, meaning "cheers!", celebrates the ancestral traditions of the dishes every Ukrainian has experienced on their table that are now ready to be shared with the rest of the world. With dishes like Dark Cherry Dumplings to her Grandma's Roasted Duck, Anna brings the love of her family's gathering table to every cook who is passionate about using the freshest ingredients, exploring new flavors and aromas, and providing comfort and hospitality to any of their guests. When this book arrives this September, we will be sure to raise a glass!" — Andee McKenzie, Assistant Food Editor Full Title: BUDMO!: Recipes from a Ukrainian KitchenAuthor: Anna VoloshynaEbook Available: NoPages: 224 View at Amazon ($39.95) 18 of 20 Dinner in One Amazon "I am always, always looking for ways to minimize cleanup and dirty dishes when I cook, so I'm definitely clearing a spot on my bookshelf for Melissa Clark's Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals. It's broken up into nine different chapters, helpfully organized by vessel — Sheet Pans, Skillets, One-Pot Pastas & Noodles, Dutch Ovens, Casseroles, Soup Pots, Instant Pots & Multi-Cookers, One-Bowl Cakes, and finally, No-Pots, Go-Withs & Basics. Clark describes the recipes as 'simple but not simplistic, with complex, layered flavors that you can achieve with minimal stress,' and says they're do-able for weeknights, but also great for weekend entertaining. She simplified the techniques in the recipes, too, and even cut down on the number of bowls and utensils they use. As you flip through the book, you'll find recipes like Sheet Pan Thanksgiving: Roast Turkey Breast, Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes, and Brussels Sprouts; Blueberry Lime Crunch Cake with Demerara; Cavatelli with Butternut Squash, Ricotta, and Rosemary Brown Butter; and Green Shakshuka with Avocado, Chile, and Feta, with tips sprinkled throughout like recommended ingredient swaps and ways to make a vegetarian or vegan upgrade. There's 100 recipes total — I can't wait to work my way through them. And I'm sure my dishwasher will be grateful for the break." — B.H. Full Title: Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan MealsAuthor: Melissa ClarkEbook Available: YesPages: 256 View at Amazon ($29.99) 19 of 20 King Arthur Baking School Amazon "When it comes to high-quality ingredients and savvy baking how-to's, nothing beats King Arthur Baking Company. The Vermont-based brand has been educating bakers since 1790, and their most recent book celebrates both baking and learning. Made for newbies and baking-pros alike, Baking School has over 100 recipes from easy bakes to daunting projects. Baking School offers clear instructions that have been honed over the company's tenure for trickier projects like laminating pastry dough. The title of the book is so fitting: following King Arthur's carefully tested recipes, reading their detailed explanations, and looking at their gorgeous and informative photography will quickly hone your baking skills. Baking School is truly the essential guide to baking." — Lucy Simon, Editorial Assistant Full Title: The King Arthur Baking School: Lessons and Recipes for Every BakerAuthor: King Arthur Baking CompanyEbook Available: YesPages: 416 View at Amazon ($45) 20 of 20 Korean American Amazon "I am endlessly fascinated by the way cuisines evolve in diaspora, and this new cookbook from New York Times food writer Eric Kim is an incredibly charming look at Korean food in America today. There are plenty of recipes for classic dishes that take advantage of modern conveniences, like a sheet pan version of japchae, the wonderfully slippery and chewy noodle dish, or a bowl of luxurious steamed eggs, but made in the microwave. But the real magic is where Kim starts to play with his Atlanta upbringing and his Korean heritage, finding overlaps between the two that are hidden in plain sight but feel so natural when Kim points you in that direction. This means dishes like a brilliant riff on the Korean barbecue staple of corn cheese, transformed into a silky stovetop mac-and-corn cheese, fudgy chocolate lava cakes spiked with a bit of gochujang, the beloved Korean fermented chili paste, and crispy smashed potatoes sitting atop of a pool of seaweed and sesame oil-spiked sour cream. The cookbook is packed with photos and anecdotes of Eric's family, making you feel as if you're there, making kimchi with his mom Jean, or hearing stories about childhood snacks from his cousin Semi. A few pages in, and you'll be day dreaming of an invite to the Kim family Thanksgiving." — K. Shah Full Title: Korean American: Food That Tastes Like HomeAuthor: Eric KimEbook Available: YesPage Count: 288 View at Barnes & Noble ($32.50) Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit