25 best cookbooks of all time to inspire a show-stopping dinner party (or tastier mid-week meals)
New cookbooks land on the market weekly, serving up mouthwatering inspiration to beginners and experienced home cooks everywhere. But with such an abundance of choice – and with every book tailored to a different style of cookery – it can be tricky to know where to start.
The best cookbooks are full of inspiration for both weeknight dinners and indulgent dinner parties that stretch far past what your normal meal delivery services can offer. They’re the collections of recipes that we know will never fail us: easy to follow, original and utterly delicious. And whether you’re looking to gift a first cookbook or inject new vegetarian recipes, vegan recipes or gluten-free dinners into your own repertoire, the below picks – as chosen by the passionate home cooks who swear by them – fall into this category.
They span across a variety of cuisines, from Italian and Mediterranean to Japanese, Chinese and Korean, as well as a variety of cooking styles. Think: one pot dinners for when you’re in a rush, plant-based delights to satisfy your cravings and delectable deserts for when you need to show-off. Only the best recipes ahead.
Best cookbooks at a glance, chosen by passionate home cooks
- Best cookbook for beginners: How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
- Best new cookbook: Cook and Share: 120 Delicious New Fuss-free Recipes by Mary Berry
- Best healthy cookbook: Pinch and Nom Comfort Food – Kate Allison & Kay Featherstone
- Best Ottolenghi cookbook: Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi
- Best cookbook for families: Cook, Eat, Repeat: Ingredients, Recipes and Stories by Nigella Lawson
After more books content? We've got sleep books, poetry books, romance novels, true crime books, autobiographies, veggie cookbooks, mental health books and adult colouring books. We've also got coffee table books, summer books, vegan cookbooks and books by black authors.
Ahead, our full edit of the best cookbooks that will inspire you forever.
1. Best cookbook for beginners
How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
Another classic that is one of the ultimate guides to cooking, which has been updated to include hundreds of new recipes and methods to incorporate emerging trends in the modern kitchen, How to Cook Everything is one of the most famous cookbooks from a beloved culinary personality. Written for an American audience, word quickly spread across countries and communities that this was an invaluable addition to any kitchen, and it now comes with conversion guides that make this super easy to use. Many chefs say if you want to have just one cookbook in your home it should be this one - and it's a great first book for younger people.
2. Best new cookbook
Cook and Share: 120 Delicious New Fuss-free Recipes by Mary Berry
Any kitchen with a collection of cookbooks is likely to have a Mary Berry publication, the fairy godmother of British cooking who has authored over 70 books. Her newest, Cook and Share, brings together over a hundred of her favourite dishes to make for those big meals with family or friends. What we love about these recipes is that they have each been repeatedly tested and are reliable, tasty, and easy. Berry is all about ease, there are beautiful photos, the ingredients are all very regular supermarket finds that you probably already have in the fridge which is always a huge bonus.
3. Best healthy cookbook
Pinch and Nom Comfort Food – Kate Allison & Kay Featherstone
Pinch of Nom has become a UK phenomenon, constantly on best seller lists with its authors hailed as geniuses. Comfort Food is one of their most successful, as it brings nutritious, healthy, and tasty meals to the weight loss genre and most importantly the recipes are fuss free and quick to whip up. We love the alternative methods of cooking suggested which would make this such a great gift for anyone in University who might only be working with a microwave or oven. Definitely a cookbook aimed at familial kitchens, this is one you will keep on dipping into for those easy comforting bowls of goodness.
4. Best Ottolenghi cookbook
Surprise, surprise. Its an Ottolenghi cookbook. We could have included every single book this award-winning chef has put his name to but Simple is a firm @thebibliofilles favourite. Because how many of us have hours to spend every day on food? Ottolenghi is known for colourful dishes and simple recipes that come straight from his test kitchen, packed with the freshest of middle eastern flavours. The recipes in Simple are short, 10 ingredients or less, from your usual groceries that can be made days before. With stunning photography that allows you to replicate his recognisable aesthetic, some of these dishes are bound to become all time favourites.
5. Best cookbook for family recipes
Cook, Eat, Repeat: Ingredients, Recipes and Stories by Nigella Lawson
Oh Nigella, bringing the old school Hollywood glamour to the kitchen always. Lawson is the domestic goddess, and this is the book so many have been waiting for. Not only do you get sentimental recipes that are written as if shared between friends, from dishes for the family to inspiration for dinners for one, Cook, Eat, Repeat also includes essays on food that are so joyful and conversational, it is as if Nigella is leaning in closely and bearing her soul, urging her readers to go out of their culinary comfort zones. The perfect accompaniment to How to Eat, the cookbook that took her to dizzying heights decades ago which is still beloved by her fans.
6. Best Indian cookbook
Ammu: Indian Homecooking to Nourish the Soul by Asma Khan
A 2022 release that was an immediate smash hit, Ammu is considered a masterpiece, quickly acknowledged as the definitive guide to Indian cooking. At the heart of this cookbook is family and the power of good food to bring people together and create connection. You are transported through the smells, colours and flavours that will feed you emotionally as well as literally. The recipes are very thoughtfully crafted and detailed, you can feel the importance of these meals to the chef and author, owner of critically acclaimed London restaurant Darjeeling Express, which is brought to your kitchen table. The range of dishes from vegan, dairy free to brunch and comfort food options are brilliantly categorised and make this a very easy to use cookbook.
7. Best cookbook for elevating your next Mexican night
My Mexico City Kitchen: Recipes and Convictions by Gabriela Camara
An authentic, vibrant, and rich curation of Camara’s home, the passion on every page for the fresh and bold flavours in every detailed recipe makes this a must have cookbook. Contramar is one of the most famous Mexican restaurants anywhere and this is one of the best Mexican cookbooks published. Packed with beautiful recipes and stunning imagery, with step-by-step instructions that give you insight into the stories behind the dishes. You can almost feel the rays of sun, this will transport you to one of the most exciting cities in the world written by a leading chef and award-winning writer.
8. Best recipe book for reigniting your love of the kitchen
Joy of Cooking by Irma S Rombauer
If there was a textbook of cooking, the Joy of Cooking would be a heavy contender. A feature in both @thebibliofilles kitchens, copies are considered family heirlooms that are passed down from generation to generation. Starting life as a self-published book in the 1930’s, now tens of millions have been sold culminating in its title as the kitchen bible. The latest edition has over six hundred recipes that span historical firm favourites to more contemporary new dishes. Though predicated towards an American audience, the influence of this cookbook is on a global scale, with a friendly tone, clear instructions and a lot of insight about cooking that has won over fans for years.
9. Best cookbook for comfort food
If there was one author on this list that has brought together food critics in their praise it would be Nigel Slater. A beautiful book, from the photography to the lyrical and soulful prose that is sentimental and is the epitome of home comforts. This is a literary cookbook that inspires the mind and cooking alike. From childhood recipes that Slater reproduces to contemporary meals developed over years in the culinary world, this takes you on a journey into the authors life. His narrative voice is strikingly clear, and the recipes range from simple to complex so there is something for everyone.
10. Best cookbook for simplicity
Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many by Jeremy Lee
A recent publication that has immediately become an instant classic (says no less than Nigella Lawson!), this is a cookbook that is so thoughtful and clever you will find yourself flicking through it regularly. Arranged according to favourite ingredients and occasions, this has impressed readers who love the guidance on equipment, sources of products and personal anecdotes. Most importantly, the recipes are easy to follow, brimming with flavour and are accompanied by beautiful drawings and photographs. A whimsical and sentimental release that is only growing in popularity from a beloved TV personality.
11. Best instant pot cookbook
From the Oven to the Table by Diana Henry
There is a reason this book became so popular, because what could be better than an entire book of beautiful and flavourful recipes that ask you to put food in an oven. Its our favourite way to cook. The photography is exquisite, all the meals are perfect for anyone that wants to impress with the least amount of effort. Diana Henry is a food writer that has won numerous awards for her writing and every dish is superbly easy to throw together. This is a very practical book and has featured in numerous best cookbook of the year and decade lists.
12. Best cookbook for food with a story
Home Food: Recipes to Comfort and Connect by Olia Hercules
Sometimes food can be so much more than what sustains us physically and can be a vehicle for real change. Hercules used her culinary knowledge and her activism in Home Food, which is acutely important given her childhood in Ukraine. Filled with nostalgia and storytelling, the recipes are easy to follow and brought to life with personal anecdotes that give the reader a real sense of the significant of the recipes shared. You get the sense that you are sitting around Hercules’ kitchen table watching her cooking meals that mean so much to so many. A 2022 release that honours the authors background beautifully and is a highly recommended @thebibliofilles read.
13. Best cookbook for detail
An Unapologetic Cookbook by Joshua Weissman
We wanted to include An Unapologetic Cookbook because it’s a recent release that is making huge waves and was a number one New York Times bestseller. Every image is Instagram worthy, every page suffused with humour, honesty, and great techniques. If you are looking for a very contemporary cookbook that is seriously on trend and explores pickling, making basics from scratch elevating the humble sandwich to artisan offerings, this is the one for you. Weissman has organically grown a huge fanbase through his YouTube channel and though some of the recipes are basic, we cant get over how much ground is covered in this all-in-one cookbook. This would be perfect for someone who is just starting out in the kitchen and wants a lot of guidance.
14. Best cookbook for epic food photography
Dishoom is a genuinely sumptuous book that acts as a vortex to the streets of Bombay. This cookbook pays homage to the restaurant that launched the brand to huge success and reviewers love the simplicity of the recipes which explains why it is still a bestseller. Indian comfort food is brought to life through the photography, stories and history that is evoked through Dishoom and made us at @thebibliofilles want to immediately search for flights to India. Utterly immersive and honouring a huge blend of cultures, this is another literary cookbook that includes meals you will want to make again and again.
15. Best cookbook for one-pot cooking
Jamie Oliver is a name synonymous with British cooking and he goes back to basics with over 120 simple and quick recipes. The worst thing about whipping up a storm in the kitchen has to be the clean up afterwards, particularly when a recipe asks you to use every utensil in every draw. What could be better than an easy recipe that uses one pan yet still looks impressive and tastes delicious. So many working parents swear by this cookbook and the recipes do not include expensive ingredients or any complicated processes. There are also a variety of meat-free options to encompass any vegetarians at your dinner table.
16. Best cookbook for serious foodies
The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
The perfect gift for a real foodie that wants to include the most up to date cooking processes and also understand the scientific side of food. The author is not afraid to challenge long held methods and combines science and food to ensure every recipe is fool proof and perfect. It is a beautifully presented book that is written conversationally, bringing loads of insight and practical guidance to enhance your skills. The beauty of this book is that the tips are applicable to all cooking, not just the great recipes included, explaining the theory behind the daily meals we all make.
17. Best cookbook for African-American classics
An important cookbook that protects and honours centuries of African-American cooking and culture, Jubilee is the culmination of years of research from an award-winning writer and editor. Treasured recipes are brought to life and evoke so much emotion for fans. A celebration of black cooking, the instructions are easy to follow, the imagery beautiful and the flavours magnificent, together with the powerful stories that accompany the food. Tipton-Martin gives so much of herself in these pages, and Jubilee is a privilege to read and experience. You will want to make every single recipe immediately; they vary from simple to complex, but all are brilliant.
18. Best cookbook for professional chefs
The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg
Well, the title says it all – this is the flavour bible, an invaluable resource treasured by professional cooks and domestic foodies alike. This is much, much more than a cookbook, providing information and guidance on combining flavours from a huge range of ingredients and cuisines. Reviews cite the importance of the index in The Flavour Bible, which allows users to cross-reference combinations and core elements of a dish and provides a list of ingredients to include, allowing you to experiment and create your own recipes, which makes this cookbook utterly unique. An important addition to any kitchen.
19. Best cookbook for going back to basics
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat
When we tell you that this book is literally on every single cookbook list out there, believe us – we have done the research for you. Nosrat is a seasoned chef who brings alive the creative chaos of the kitchen. You almost feel as if she is revealing an industry secret with her four key principles to make any dish better. Called an essential book, revolutionary and indispensable, these 100 recipes and her approach to cooking will change the way you eat forever. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is accessible for all levels of cook, from a nervous home cook to seasoned chef and landed the author a four-episode Netflix series.
20. Best cookbook of all time
White Heat by Marco Pierre White
No list of the best ever cookbooks would be complete without this classic work of culinary literature from the world famous, Michelin starred chef and restaurateur Marco Pierre White. The recipes within this historic cookbook are known for their innate simplicity, the focus on elevating the ingredients and flavours and White Heat is regularly mentioned by chefs around the world as inspiration in their own careers. This reads like an intimate chat with a personable and witty cook, his energy fizzes through every page. The 25th anniversary edition is a beautiful testament to a beloved personality in the industry.
21. Best French cookbook
Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child
Julia Child became a star that revolutionised cooking and her series on French cuisine is widely accepted as one the of the most important cookbooks of the last century. Considered one of the most comprehensive and influential texts on the food of France, it has introduced millions of home cooks (including us at @thebibliofilles ) to the art of French cooking. Written with her inimitable charm and warmth, you will find over 500 recipes that range from the basic to the gourmet, all accompanied by clear and helpful instructions. There are not many chefs that haven’t dipped into this for assistance, it has been required reading for years in the food world. Now published in paperback, it is winning over a whole new generation of fans.
22. Best Asian cookbook
The cookbook from a global restaurant empire which enjoys Michelin stars and sold-out months, Chang is a Rockstar of a chef who has built a recognisable brand that has influenced what we eat regularly for years. This book is absolutely gorgeous – you will want to show it off on your coffee table as well as using it in the kitchen. Chang paved the way for Asian cooking and the recipes in Momofuku are just exquisite, with his inimitable style present in every dish. Fans say that the instructions are clear, well written and easy to understand, suggesting alternative ingredients to those not regularly found in a home kitchen. Includes techniques to elevate your cooking generally – this is one for any foodie.
23. Best Persian cookbook
Persiana: Recipes from the Middle East & Beyond by Sabrina Ghayour
This international bestseller is considered a must-have cookbook that is beloved by home cook and restaurant chef alike and became an immediate classic. Ghayour is a recognised name that utilises her wealth of knowledge about Persian cooking to create easy recipes that when made taste a lot more complicated than they are. Prepare to be complimented on the colour and depths of flavour that you will find in these dishes, and this is definitely another coffee table addition for any foodies as the photography is stunning. When this came out, @thebibliofilles kitchens had never smelt so good, and we love the blend of cultures represented.
24. Best cookbook for British classics
Nose to Tail Eating: A Kind of British Cooking by Fergus Henderson
This is a cookbook that has a firm place on the shelves of many hard to impress food critics and if you are a carnivore looking for a classic that is utterly unique, Nose to Tail Eating is the one for you to invest in. Henderson opened two hugely successful London restaurants known for using unusual, rarely used ingredients. Together with detailed and adventurous recipes you also get sentimental and nostalgic stories that is also very funny. For the more serious home cook that wants to expand their repertoire and of course loves their meat. An ode to British cooking.
25. Best cookbook for experienced chefs
The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller
Can we just all take a minute to appreciate the cover of this book – stunning. This is one of those books that every single chef will quote, have on their shelves, and cite as inspiration. A classic text for the discerning cook who is ready to flex their culinary skills. Keller thinks about every aspect of his dishes, from the source of produce, theory of cooking and of course the presentation. Every one of the 150 recipes have detailed instructions accompanied by almost literary prose. The French Laundry is almost a mythical restaurant, and this is a behind the scenes look in its kitchen for all to enjoy.
