Our 20 Favourite Cookbooks Of 2017
Dust off your bookshelf and make some space: you're going to want at least one (or five) of these amazing 2017 cookbooks in your personal library. From recipes exploring the cuisines of Thailand, Mexico and Syria to mouth-watering plant-based dishes (by a celebrated Canadian food blogger) and decadent treats from one of our favourite chefs across the pond, these books are guaranteed to inspire you in the kitchen in 2018 — and the best news is — if you can't narrow it down there's still time to add to your holiday wish-list.
2017 Cookbooks
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, Samin Nosrat, $47.
This charming book cleverly breaks cooking down to four essential elements and explains how each affects flavour. Samin Nostrat shares indispensable techniques in an approachable style using fun, beautiful illustration to bring the lessons to life. Perfect for cooks at any level.
Lure, Ned Bell And Valerie Howes, $39.
From beautful recipes and tips on how to buy, prepare and cook your seafood, to beautiful illustrations and informative species profiles, Lure is a definitive guide to West Coast seafood.
Dining In: Highly Cookable Recipes, Alison Roman, $40.
From the former senior food editor at Bon Appetit, this cookbook is full of easy dinner recipes and smart cooking tips and techniques which showcase exciting flavours. Will entice everyone from kitchen novices to kitchen experts.
Cherry Bombe, Kerry Diamond and Claudia Wu, $47.
From the editors of trendy quarterly magazine, Cherry Bombe, is a cookbook and collection of 100 recipes from the “coolest women in food today”.
Sweet, Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh, $45.
Ottolenghi and co-author, pastry master Helen Goh (a longtime recipe developer for the Ottolenghi shops), created one of the prettiest and most anticipated baking books of 2017 with Sweet. This swoon-worthy cookbook is already on a few editor’s shelves at Chatelaine, and the jury is in: it’s straightforward to follow (even the fancy recipes) and an absolute delight.
Nopalito, by Gonzalo Guzman and Stacy Adimando, $40.
A gorgeous tour through classic regional Mexican cuisines, with an extensive selection of traditional dishes hailing from Mexico City to the Yucatán and beyond.
5 Ingredients: Quick And Easy Food, Jamie Oliver, $40.
In his latest cookbook, Jamie Oliver pledges that his genius combinations — of just five ingredients — will deliver maximum flavour for minimum fuss in under 30 minutes. You shouldn’t need a ton of kitchen cred to pull off any of the dishes — the recipes are simple enough that Oliver recommends this as a starter cookbook for kids heading off to university.
Smitten Kitchen Every Day, Deb Perelman, $40.
Perelman, the creator behind the wildly popular Smitten Kitchen blog, chronicles her cooking (and baking) adventures from her tiny New York City kitchen. This year, she released her second cookbook, Smitten Kitchen Every Day, and it’s not only down-to-earth, but delicious.
Basics To Brilliance, Donna Hay, $50.
The Australian bestselling cookbook author is back with another stunning book. This time, she’s teaching readers fundamental basics and how applying that knowledge will lead to amazing dishes.
The Simple Bites Kitchen, Aimee Wimbush-Bourque, $32.
Saveur award-winning blogger Aimée Wimbush-Bourque has been inspiring busy home cooks to put wholesome food on the table since launching her Simple Bites blog almost a decade ago. And in her second cookbook, the Simple Bites Kitchen, Wimbush-Bourque helps readers tackle hearty breakfasts, supper solutions and all the snacks in between.
Feast, by Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller, $35.
When Lindsay Anderson and Dana VanVeller set out to travel across the country and explore Canadian cuisine, they weren’t exactly sure where the road would take them. Five months and 37,000 kilometres later, they had gathered countless stories, delicious recipes and gorgeous photography from all corners of the country, the best of which are beautifully displayed in this book.
The First Mess, by Laura Wright, $35.
This debut by Canadian healthy food blogger Laura Wright brings us 125 beautiful plant-based recipes. From multi-grain pancakes to almond milk, balsamic mushroom salad to a spaghetti-squash noodle bowl, there’s inspiration (and beautiful photos) on every page.
Tartine All Day: Modern Recipes for the Home Cook, by Elizabeth Prueitt, $54.
With over 150 recipes to take you from breakfast to dinner (and dessert), this book from the co-founder of San Francisco’s famed Tartine Bakery is packed with inspiration, gorgeous photography and (bonus!) an assortment of Prueitt’s gluten-free stand-bys. A great book for any home cook to add to their library.
The Drinking Food Of Thailand Andy Ricker, $47.
A laid-back book that celebrates Thai drinking food. Dishes like hat khii mao (drunkard’s stir-fry), kai thawt (Thai-style fried chicken), and thua thawt samun phrai (fried peanuts with kaffir lime, garlic, and chiles) will inspire you to try bold new flavours in the kitchen.
The Home Cook: Recipes to Know by Heart, by Alex Guarnaschelli, $47,
Over 300 recipes for the way we eat today. With bold flavours and ingredients (that are still easily accessible on grocery store shelves) this book tackles everything from roast chicken and oatmeal cookies to beef brisket and chocolate rum pie.
Milk Street: The New Home Cooking, by Christopher Kimball, $52.
Over 125 recipes to change the way you cook, from the co-founder and former editor and publisher of America’s Test Kitchen. “Simpler, bolder and healthier”, it promises to turn cooking into a pleasurable task, rather than a chore.
Our Syria: Recipes From Home, by Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi, $39.
Written by friends and passionate cooks, this book is a beautiful window into the culinary traditions of Syrian cuisine. Sharing recipes from women acorss Europe and the Middle East, this book celebrates the women, the culture and the food of the country they love.
The Modern Cook’s Year, by Anna Jones, $40.
Filled with over 250 recipes to help you cook seasonally through the year. Tackling all things produce, this book is a celebration of eating food when it’s at its very best.
Dinner In An Instant, by Melissa Clark, $29.
A book for all the Instant Pot lovers out there. Clark, a former New York Times food columnist, takes the pot through its paces, and adds her own signature twist to everyone’s favourite new kitchen shortcut: countertop cooking.
Modernist Bread, by Nathan Myhrvold and Francisco Migoya, $813.
An encyclopedia that will tell you everything you ever needed to know about bread, and more. This set is a 2,642-
Watch: 1o life-changing cookbooks to bring into your kitchen
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