This fall, there’s no shortage of exciting new cookbooks. Ina Garten is back with her 14th title, which is all about smart streamlining because store-bought is fine. Yotam Ottolenghi is dipping back into simple cooking with a sequel to his popular 2018 title, Ottolenghi Simple. And Lucas Sin is transporting us to Hong Kong’s iconic diners. The heavy hitters came to play! Read on for more standout titles of the season (organized by release date), hand-chosen and cooked from by our staff.
No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World by Meherwan Irani
After a spellbinding meal at chef Meherwan Irani’s Chai Pani in Washington, DC, and many years spent electrifying my taste buds with his Spicewalla blends, I leapt at the chance to crack open Irani’s debut cookbook. In it, his recipes and stories showcase a broad perspective on Indian cuisine and a career spent championing it for American audiences.
The book is a riot, saturated with rich color and food, and sprinkled with hilarious commentary like “naan pisses me off.” Recipe titles like The Obligatory Saag Paneer hint at myopic expectations for Indian menus, yet Irani still offers a compelling (unblended!) version. I made the Tandoori Chicken, which is adapted for home cooks lacking a tandoor, the hot clay oven. Irani has you roast the meat at a high temperature, then give it a stint under the broiler for wonderful char.
Masala Omelet Sandos are packed with layers
Masala Omelet Sandos are packed with layers of aromatics like onion, green chiles, and turmeric, and topped with a gooey mesmerizing layer of American cheese. —Chris Morocco, food director
Bake Anything by Erin Jeanne McDowell
As the saying goes, “A good teacher explains, a superior teacher demonstrates, and a great teacher inspires.” But what happens when you do all three?
Erin Jeanne McDowell, the author of the seminal The Book on Pie, is no stranger to walking readers through complex baked goods and making the recipes feel achievable. Her fourth and latest book, Bake Anything, is designed to be the “building blocks of baking.” With foundational techniques, recipes are padded out with flavor variations (she offers nine different pudding ideas), storage tips (you can freeze frosting!), and even customized yields, showcasing the wide and wondrous world of sweets and treats.
The Victoria Sponge Sheet Cake I made was buxom, with an otherworldly airy crumb. —Shilpa Uskokovic, senior Test Kitchen editor
Gather Around My Table by Kay Chun
Known for her former NYC restaurant, Share, and stellar recipe development chops, I couldn’t wait to cook through Kay Chun’s debut book, Gather Around My Table. True to its title, Chun’s ethos is simple: The best cooking is all about connection.
That spirit pulses through her stories; Chun shares
That spirit pulses through her stories; Chun shares fond childhood memories of wrapping dumplings with her mother and grandmother, and regularly eating global plates of food: She was just as likely to devour Kalbi jjim (Korean braised short ribs) as she was meatloaf. “Eating this way taught me that exciting flavor comes in many forms and often from their combination,” she writes.
That sensibility shines in her recipes. Kimchi brine gives her micheladas a spicy, electric lift, and earthy kale and savory seaweed lend her risotto depth. Also: doenjang carnitas. How fun is that? —Nina Moskowitz, associate editor, cooking
Ottolenghi Simple Too by Yotam Ottolenghi
I’ve long been a fan of chef Yotam Ottoglenghi’s flavorful recipes; but on busy weeknights I simply don’t have the energy to cook dishes with lengthy ingredient lists.
This is exactly why I loved his 2018 book Ottolenghi Simple, and was delighted to see this year’s follow up, Ottolenghi Simple Too. Co-written with Verena Lochmuller, with additional contributions by Milli Taylor and Tara Wigley, the book picks up where the original left off. “‘Simple’ means something different to everyone,” Ottolenghi writes in the introduction. “For some, that’s cooking dinner in half an hour.
For others, it’s about a slow-cooking dish
For others, it’s about a slow-cooking dish that bubbles away while they’re in the garden.” The book keeps ingredient lists low (at about 10), the techniques straightforward, and the active time minimal. In the Test Kitchen, our team couldn’t get enough of the Salmon With Apricot and Cilantro Pesto (the sauce would be just as good over chicken or steak). And the Braised Halloumi With Tomatoes and Beans has become a new weeknight go-to go for me.
—Rebecca Firkser, Test Kitchen editor
Daily Dessert by Caroline Schiff
Those lucky enough to have tasted Caroline Schiff’s creations at Gage & Tollner, where she led the pastry team, have been eagerly anticipating her second cookbook. Daily Dessert shows off what Schiff does best: injecting savory ingredients into sweets, and creating desserts that are both nostalgic and unlike anything you’ve ever tasted.
When I made her Sage Brown Butter Loaf in the Test Kitchen, team members marvelled at the quickbread’s tender texture and herbal quintessence. Equally compelling is the way Schiff has laid out this book: There is a chapter on desserts for two (or one!), including a mini tiramisu and a single pecan blondie (served warm with butterscotch sauce). The next chapter is for desserts you “Bake Once, Snack All Week.” The flavors—and imagination—are every bit as big as her iconic hair.
—Joe Sevier, senior SEO editor, cooking East
—Joe Sevier, senior SEO editor, cooking
East to East by Rachel Gurjar
East to East transports you from former BA staffer Rachel Gurjar’s hometown in Mumbai all the way to New York, where she now lives and works as a chef and tastemaker. Gurjar writes from a reflective, earnest place about navigating the two cities—the significance of cultural preservation, and how cooking brought her closer to herself.
This intimate storytelling sits alongside a range of recipes: traditional family ones and thoughtful riffs on American classics. I made the Indian Fried Chicken and Coconut Key Lime Pie, two dishes that encapsulate one of the things Gurjar does well: make things her own. Every culture has its own fried chicken, but this one is special; it has a garlicky spice mix, a yogurt marinade that powerfully tenderizes the meat, and is topped with fried curry leaves for a fragrant boost.
The pie had an extra-tangy custard and finely grated coconut in the crust—an addition that will make you wonder why you’ve never thought to do it sooner. —Inés Anguiano, associate Test Kitchen manager
One-Pot Pasta by Nora Singley
Anyone tuned into the food media landscape of the early 2010s will surely remember the virality of a certain linguine pomodoro that made its rounds online.
Featured in Martha Stewart Living magazine, the jammy
Featured in Martha Stewart Living magazine, the jammy pasta unearthed a game-changing technique: You can cook pasta and its sauce from start to finish in just one pot. The one responsible for that recipe is Nora Singley, who is now dropping a whole cookbook dedicated to more one-pot pastas. Of course, the book holds the recipe that started it all, as well as a slew of other classics, like the Silkiest Carbonara and a mind-boggling Wine-y Ragù One-Pot Lasagna.
There are also classics with a twist, which’ll give you permission to start flexing on different flavors and mediums. Think Pasta Alla Vodka Alla Boursin and Beauty and the Borscht Ramen. —Hana Asbrink, deputy food editor
Simply Ina by Ina Garten
The legendary Ina Garten is back with her 14th (!) cookbook: Simply Ina. Here, Garten embraces the warmly accessible ethos of arguably her most famous quote: “Store-bought is fine.” With categories like “Barely Cooking,” “Shortcut,” and “Prep Ahead,” Garten shares 85 new recipes that prioritize efficiency, ease, and flavor over making every element from scratch.
Her Mashed Potato & Leek Soup gets its spuds from Bob Evans’s ready-made mash. And her Roast Duck Legs with Cherry Sauce start with D’Artagnan duck legs confit and Tiptree red currant jelly. I made her Lemon Blueberry Muffins, the batter for which can be pulled together an entire day before you bake it. The golden, domed tops looked impressive enough to stand tall in a bakery case.
I barely had any dishes to clean
And I barely had any dishes to clean. Cheers to that. —Kelsey Jane Youngman, senior cooking editor
Cha Chaan Teng by Lucas Sin
As a dedicated viewer of chef Lucas Sin on Street Eats, I was elated to hear about his upcoming cookbook Cha Chaan Teng. The title is literally dedicated “to Hong Kong” and that’s fitting. The collection is an immersive ode to the city’s iconic diners and the comfort food they serve.
Think: stir-fried macaroni and beef; crispy fish doused in corn sauce; fried rice where each grain is enrobed in egg yolk. As an author, Sin channels the same enthusiasm and reverence that he does as a show host. The recipes are nuanced—scaled down for home cooks, but often with many ingredients and steps, like they would be in professional kitchens. For Fresh Tomatoes and Beef, I marinated the meat in advance, before melding it with summer heirlooms and a ketchup-based sauce.
And for Ginger-Scallion Chicken Thighs, I did some DIY deboning for the elusive-in-the-US combo of boneless and skin-on thighs. It was worth it. —Emma Laperruque, cooking director
Cookie Queen by Susan Spungen
I’ve been dubbed Cookie King by many people, a title I both cherish and cringe at. So when a cookbook titled Cookie Queen—written by legendary food stylist Susan Spungen—came across my desk, my ears perked up.
Spungen’s book houses over 80 cookie recipes, all
Spungen’s book houses over 80 cookie recipes, all glitzed, glammed, or perfectly dressed down. From Jackson Pollock–inspired sugar cookies artistically splattered with colorful icing to rye gingersnaps wearing nothing more than their perfectly cracked skin, Spungen’s cookies are—no surprise—stunning. But the book’s true triumph lies in just how delicious they are. Biscoff Raisin Cookies come out chewy, warm with spice, and dotted with jewels of dried fruit.
And Pistachio Olive Oil Shortbread pulls off the impossible: a delicate, snappy crumb made without butter. —Jesse Szewczyk, senior Test Kitchen editor
More fall books we’re excited to cook from
Vegan Vegan! by Zizi Hattab: Award-winning chef Zizi Hattab shares a collection of eclectic plant-based meals like Ramp Gnocchi and Chocolate Coffee Loaf Cake. Happy Foraging, Don’t Die!
H Mart: the Cookbook by Stacey Kwon with Eric Kim: The cult-status Asian grocery store is celebrating its history with a collection of Korean recipes (Pizza-Stuffed Fish-Shaped Waffles—need), ingredient spotlights, and more. Taiwanese? by Eric Sze and Elyse Inamine: Chef Eric Sze has dedicated his debut cookbook to the Taiwanese food he grew up with in Taipei. There’s Sourdough Scallion Pancake Dough, Beef Noodle Soup Ragù, and more.
Back to Green by Marcus Samuelsson with Jamila
Back to Green by Marcus Samuelsson with Jamila Robinson: From award-winning chef and restaurateur, Marcus Samuelsson, with our very own editor in chief. Explore global plant-forward cooking, with recipes like Vegetarian Injera Lasagna and Eggplant Omelet With Banana Ketchup. Mediterranean All the Way by Ayesha Nurdjaja: From the chef behind restaurants Shuka and Shukette, Ayesha Nurdjaja’s debut title is dedicated to bold Mediterranean and Levant–inspired dishes like Sesame-Crusted Chicken Schnitzel and Halloumi With Strawberries.
The Joy of Cookies by Joanne Chang: From James Beard award–winning baker and founder of the Flour bakeries, Joanne Chang shares a collection of stunning cookie recipes—favorites, classics, and modern creations. Hand Taste by Esther Choi: Chef and television personality Esther Choi is teaching us how to cook like a Korean grandmother, with foundational Korean and Korean American recipes, including Avocado Bibimbap and Kimchi Mac & Beef.
Source: www.bonappetit.com
