Are modern cookbooks a waste of money? Let’s look into it. As an avid cookbook collector, here are 6 essential cookbooks for beginners that might be worth buying.Â
Personally – and unsurprisingly – I’m a big fan of cookbooks. I’m a big fan of books in general and having a physical copy of a beloved book always feels special to me. I often wonder about this old habit of collecting recipe books when we live in a world where thousands of recipes live only a click away – this blog being exactly that! And I always come to the same conclusion: cookbooks will always be worth buying, but not every cookbook is created equal.Â
6 Cookbooks Worth Buying Right Now
I’m not alone in my love for food. People are fascinated with food. We are obsessed with what we eat, with what other people eat, with what strangers on the internet eat. There are hundreds of thousands of cooking channels out there and yet, cookbooks are not going anywhere. The Library of Congress estimates it has over 40,000 cookbook titles. Around 20 million cookbooks are sold every year. The paper cookbooks market was valued at USD 7,742.93 million in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 11,770.76 million by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 6.2% from 2026 to 2032.
There are many cookbooks that I love and cherish. Books that I turn to every time I need inspiration or improve my skills. It’s important to have some fundamental ones so you really get to understand the foundations of cooking. These are books that will become personal classics you’ll find yourself going back to over and over again.Â
Then, there are books that are all about the recipes themselves: complicated desserts or effortless weeknight dinners, from beginners to advanced home cooks.Â
Here, I’ve kept things simple and straightforward: instead of classics, we’re tackling modern cookbooks. Six to be exact, broken into 2 categories: culinary foundations and unfussy recipes. Let’s get into them!
The Food Lab
J. Kenji Lopez is known for his dedication and obsession to experimenting and developing the perfect recipe. So you know you can expect this book to be great. And it is! It’s a fantastic resource book that focuses on teaching you how to cook rather than just giving you instructions.Â
It’s very detailed and full of explanations, so at times it feels more like a textbook than a regular cookbook (but there’s hundreds of recipes along with graphics and pictures).
Overall, this is a book for people who are interested in the science behind cooking and want to approach cooking from a scientific perspective. If you want a comprehensive explanation on what goes on in your hot pan when you cook a steak so you’re able to correct issues and make changes and adjustments to a recipe, this is the book for you!Â
SIFT
This wonderful book the wonderful Nicola Lamb is another fantastic resource book for those of us who love to bake. Sift is a guide to baking that combines easy-to-follow, science-based advice with 100 reliable recipes for both novices and more experienced bakers.
If you’re not familiar with Nicola Lamb, check out her Substack where she shares her thought process creating a recipe and takes you through the whole journey from conception to the final version. For baking nerds, it’s fascinating and extremely educational and entertaining.Â
In Sift, Nicola explains the foundations of baking, from each essential ingredient like flour, eggs, sugar, fat, and how each one plays a specific role in a recipe. When you understand the purpose of each ingredient, you’re able to see recipes in a whole different light and feel confident creating your own recipes and making substitutions whenever necessary. Half of the book is foundation and the other half is full of great recipes, so you get the best of both worlds.
Dessert Person
Dessert Person is a modern classic at this point, but I had to include it here. Claire doesn’t dedicate a huge portion of the book to explaining the foundations of baking, but her recipes are so detailed and thoroughly explained, you’ll be able to learn a lot just by following her guidance.Â
She does offer an entire session of the book to foundation recipes and those are recipes you can certainly trust. I’ve been making her flaky pie crust recipe for years and it’s never failed me. These are recipes that will become personal staples for you as well, making you a more confident home baker.Â
If you’re just looking for effortless, unfussy recipes and inspiration for an easy weeknight dinner or a nice dinner party, these next three books are a fantastic trio that will open up your mind to countless menu possibilities.
Make More With Less
I’ve recently found this book and I’ve been loving it. The recipes are easy, the photos are stunning, and the premise is great: adaptable dishes that make your kitchen work for you.
The cheat’s Spanish tortilla has quickly become a favorite and I can’t wait to try the Cambridge sauce on boiled asparagus. The recipes are so simple and easily adaptable, you’ll find yourself feeling very inspired to mix and match and come up with your own. The ingredient lists are usually manageable instead of scary and overwhelming – something we need in this economy.Â
Nothing Fancy
I’ve been a Alison Roman fan for a long time and have been using this book for years. Alison is all about unfussy recipes and effortless hosting. Her goal is to enjoy a good night, good company and good food as opposed to obsessing over serving a flawless dinner. This book is an accurate reflection of that: the recipes are versatile and easy to execute and the book is full of fun appetizers and snacks.Â
I love the marinated artichoke hearts and the citrus chicken rested in herbs. And they’re great served together at a dinner party!
Simple
Another one of my favorites, Ottolenghi and his recipes have been influencing my cooking for a long time now.Â
In true Ottolenghi fashion, Simple comprises recipes that highlight vegetables and all they have to offer. There are so many recipes in this book that I’ve made over and over again: the tomato and bread salad, the roasted eggplants with anchovies and the raspberry salad to name a few.Â
His recipes are easily adaptable and a great source of inspiration. I love experimenting with Middle Eastern spices that I don’t normally use and Ottolenghi introduces to the reader so freely in his dishes. I love flipping through Simple every time I’m putting together a dinner party. His recipes always seem to find their way to my dinner table.
I hope these six books that are certainly worth buying find their way to your shelf and make themselves at home!
thank you for these suggestions! i’ll make sure to look into them when I feel the desire to cook 🙂
since you gave out a book selection, it’s only fair i do too. one of the first cookbooks/autobiographies that I really liked was Tender At The Bone by former New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl.
thanks again! have a great one! Mike
Oh, I’ve never heard of this one! I’ll certainly look into it. It sounds great, thank you, Mike! These are just a few of my favorite cookbooks, there are too many of them but these ones are really full of great tips and recipes. I hope you get a chance to check them out. Have a great day!
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