Taking a page out of the social media playbook, the new class of cookbooks has put art direction front and center. The best culinary tomes are just as much of a joy to flip through as they are to cook from. Serving up witty quips, artful illustrations, and out-of-this-world photography alongside tasty original recipes, these 15 cookbooks truly take the cake.
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Where Cooking Begins: Uncomplicated Recipes to Make You a Great Cook
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Where Cooking Begins: Uncomplicated Recipes to Make You a Great Cook
As food director of Bon Appetit magazine, Carla Lalli Music knows that successful recipes not only have to look pretty on the page, but they have to be infinitely riff-able and accessible to as many readers as possible.
Her first-ever cookbook, Where Cooking Begins, not only centers around her tried-and-true cooking techniques, but also her shopping approach. Music breaks down where to find the best ingredients for each dish, and how to prepare them to make the flavors truly sing.
Consider Indian-ish your entry point into making incredible Indian-American food at home. Food writer Priya Krishna's style of home cooking encompasses family recipes that are remixed into modern favorites, and everything in it is meant to be shared with loved ones.
Come for the highly cookable eats, and stay for the education in cultural context, as well as the heartwarming stories from Krishna's own family kitchen.
Though Americans generally understand breakfast to mean eggs, toast, and maybe cereal, the truth is that the most important meal of the day looks very different across the globe.
Food writer Emily Elyse Miller's Breakfast is an impressive tome featuring hundreds of palate-expanding dishes from cooks all over the world that'll inspire readers to get a little more creative with their early morning eats.
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Well+Good: 100 Healthy Recipes + Expert Advice for Better Living
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Well+Good: 100 Healthy Recipes + Expert Advice for Better Living
When we eat better, we sleep better, look better, and generally feel pretty darn better. The lifestyle gurus over at Well+Good know how true this is, and they tapped some of the biggest names in fitness, wellness, and beauty to spill their favorite healthy recipes for their first-ever cookbook.
Great for veggie lovers and flexitarians alike, these wholesome meals come from luminaries such as Venus Williams, Padma Lakshmi, and Elle Macpherson.
As a writer, recipe developer, and New York Times food columnist, Alison Roman makes throwing together an impromptu dinner party or picnic lunch look so easy. That's because it should be!
This dynamic, punchy cookbook is filled with culinary wisdom and packaged in a casual, yet friendly voice that speaks right to the Instagram generation, aiming to put the joy back into cooking.
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Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites
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Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant and Unfussy New Favorites
A true cookbook for all seasons, Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen Every Day is the new go-to tome for any culinary occasion. The 100-plus recipes featured aren't leftovers from her eponymous blog either (though they're photographed in the same gorgeously rustic style). From breakfast to dessert, this is home cooking at its most deliciously picturesque.
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Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering
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Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering
Any longtime Fixer Upper fan knows that Joanna Gaines has an eye for design, but she's also a force in the kitchen as well!
Her first cookbook, Magnolia Table, features 125 family favorites and classic American recipes covering everything from French toast to fried chicken. The photography and food styling are totally stunning, and what's even better is that the recipes themselves are accessible and easy enough for any home cook to master.
Chrissy Teigen is back for seconds with her latest cookbook, Cravings: Hungry for More. Packed with Teigen's trademark wit on every page, these savory bites are perfect for weeknights and special occasions alike. Though it definitely errs on the side of cheat-day fare, who are we to deny ourselves a slice of her Twitter-famous banana bread?!
Need a new back-pocket potluck dish? The recipes in Yotam Ottolenghi's upcoming cookbook are all crowd-pleasers, and, as the title implies, they're easy to whip up, too.
The London-based, Israeli-British chef focuses on one-pot wonders in this book, all with 10 ingredients or less to keep the cleanup (and general kitchen chaos!) to a minimum.
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Platters and Boards: Beautiful, Casual Spreads for Every Occasion
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Platters and Boards: Beautiful, Casual Spreads for Every Occasion
Party people: Consider this cookbook required reading. Forget all-day food prep when it comes to hosting a casual get-together. Just grab your favorite cheese board and artfully assemble some nosh-worthy snacks.
Written by food photographer Shelly Westerhausen of the blog Vegetarian Ventures, she gives eclectic and flavorful ideas that span all seasons, sizes, and celebrations.
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Salad for President: A Cookbook Inspired by Artists
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Salad for President: A Cookbook Inspired by Artists
Born out of artist Julia Sherman's blog of the same name, Salad for President re-envisions salad prep as a meticulous art form, elevating the finished product from humble side dish to best-dressed dinner fare. It goes without saying that the visuals are stunning, from the editorial-level photography to illustrator Joana Avillez's whimsical flourishes alongside the text.
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Pretty Simple Cooking: 100 Delicious Vegetarian Recipes to Make You Fall in Love with Real Food
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Pretty Simple Cooking: 100 Delicious Vegetarian Recipes to Make You Fall in Love with Real Food
Pick up Pretty Simple Cooking for the gorgeous food photography, and stay for the tidbits of cooking wisdom that accompany nearly every recipe. Written by the husband-and-wife blogger duo behind the site A Couple Cooks, this brand-new cookbook is filled with more than 100 vegetarian and vegan recipes that are fresh, modern, and just perfect for the way households eat today.
Spanning from breakfast to dinner to dessert, there's no obscure ingredients or bland dishes here — everything from the Whole Wheat Weekend Waffles to the Veggie Supreme Paella is as delish as it is nutrish.
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Night + Market: Delicious Thai Food to Facilitate Drinking and Fun-Having Amongst Friends
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Night + Market: Delicious Thai Food to Facilitate Drinking and Fun-Having Amongst Friends
We dare you to pass this book by without picking it up. From the vibrant photography and the party-ready ethos to the inventive yet accessible take on cooking Thai at home, flipping through Night + Market is every bit of an adventure — as is a visit to either of its namesake restaurants in L.A.
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On Vegetables: Modern Recipes for the Home Kitchen
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On Vegetables: Modern Recipes for the Home Kitchen
This playful, linen-covered debut cookbook from Jeremy Fox (chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant Ubuntu) is an exploration of modern vegetarian cuisine. The dishes are each photographed on a clean, neutral countertop or tablecloth to make the color and artful flourishes pop. Reviewers note that though this cookbook is likely meant for the experienced cook, they love Fox's friendly, laid-back tone and innovative approach to produce.
15
Field Roast: 101 Artisan Vegan Meat Recipes to Cook, Share, and Savor
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Field Roast: 101 Artisan Vegan Meat Recipes to Cook, Share, and Savor
This book is perfect for anyone who's ever bemoaned the lack of creative meal options for vegans. Field Roast focuses on grain- and plant-based patties, sausages, and roasts that let all of their ingredients shine through (instead of being disguised by sauce and seasoning).
Written for vegans and omnivores alike, the photography is as stunning as it is savory (you'll be wondering how something so decadent could possibly not have any dairy in it!), and the oven-centric dishes are perfect for cooking up cozy meals come sweater-weather season.
Melanie Yates is the senior service editor of Best Products, where she writes and reports pieces pertaining to the etiquette, dilemmas, and how-tos of gift-giving for different occasions. Previously, she was the site's senior home editor, covering all things decor- and bedding-related since 2015. Her digital byline can also be found on Bustle, House Beautiful, and Elle Decor. A longtime classical-music enthusiast, Melanie spends her off-hours enjoying performances big and small across New York City.