I have a friend who says that a cookbook has to pass the ‘flick’ test before it can be purchased. You need to flick through quickly, finding enough recipes and photos that make you stop and think, “yes, I’d like to make that.” In that spirit, here are some truly flickable cookbooks of 2024. For a more region-specific take, take a look at our Italian Cookbooks for the Serious Cook.
TABLE Magazine’s Best Cookbooks of 2024
Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons
By Diana Henry, published by Aster
If I were banished to a desert island, this would be one of the first things I’d pack after sunscreen and dental floss. It’s rare to find a writer whose prose and recipes are equally tempting. A revised and updated version of a classic and worth space on your bookshelf or bedside table. Try out Diana’s Thyme, Oregano, and Citrus Roast with Cornish Hens yourself.
Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts
By Crystal Wilkinson, published by Clarkson Potter
It’s no surprise that Crystal Wilkinson is a poet (she was Kentucky’s poet laureate from 2021-2023) – her writing is hypnotic and melodic. Praisesong is a culinary memoir that tells the stories of five generations of black country cooks. The book is peppered with recipes like Blanket Meeting Green Beans and New Potatoes and Praisesong Biscuits, which she shared with us.
Rooted Kitchen
By Ashley Rodriguez, published by Clarkson Potter
Eating seasonally isn’t new but Ashley Rodriguez’s approach is. She trawls farmers markets and forages to create dishes that are fresh and connect with nature in an exciting way, like her Fire-Roasted Kabocha Fondue with Chanterelles and Chorizo or a Blackened Corn and Poblano Cheese Dip. A multi-tasking whizz, she also took the food photos in the book.
The Farm Table
By Julius Roberts, published by Ten Speed
Restaurant chef turned rural farmer Julius Roberts’ first cookbook is a burst of sunshine. Written with passion and care, it’s one to curl up with on a cold winter’s day. His Puy Lentils with Spinach Pancetta are an example of his respect for ingredients and emphasis on health.
Baking in the American South
By Anne Byrn, published by Harper Celebrate
There is baking and there is southern baking. Anne Byrn’s hefty tome does a deep dive into southern baking with two hundred recipes and the stories behind them. A thoughtful look at the recipes and cooks who made southern baking great.
Bayou
By Melissa M. Martin, published by Artisan
I was a big fan of Melissa M. Martin’s James Beard award-winning cookbook, Mosquito Supper Club. If possible I love Bayou even more. I’d gladly polish off a plate of Mim & Enola’s Étoufée and sop up the last morsel of her Turnip Gratin with gluttonous glee.
Fruitful
By Sarah Johnson, published by Kyle
Fruitful is the fruit of a serious foodie pedigree. Sarah Johnson started her culinary journey at Chez Panisse and later left California for London to cook with Skye Gyngell at famed Spring Restaurant. Fruitful is an homage to fruit – everything from the usual suspects like apples and pears to lesser known gems like gooseberries and persimmons. Johnson gracioUSly allowed TABLE to reprint her Delicata Soup with Apples, Brown Butter, and Fried Sage for your enjoyment.
Greekish
By Georgina Hayden, published by Bloomsbury
British-based Georgina Hayden draws on her Greek-Cypriot heritage for this collection of joyful, sun-soaked recipes. These are dishes chock full of Mediterranean-musts like olive oil, fresh herbs, halloumi, tahini, and honey. It’s a beach holiday in a book. Her delicious Whole Halloumi with Grilled Apricots is available for you to try on TABLE‘s website.
Zaytinya
By José Andrés, published by Ecco
Zaytinya – the perennially popular D.C. restaurant – is a rarity for having survived and thrived for two decades. Now chef and restaurateur José Andrés shares some of the reasons for its success with a cookbook full of recipes made for sharing like his Golden Spice Cauliflower, Greek Zucchini Fritters, and Savory Dumplings in Yogurt Sauce.
Elysian Kitchens
By Jody Eddy, published by W.W. Norton
Last but in no way least, is Elysian Kitchens, a captivating book that explores the rich culinary traditions of monasteries, temples, mosques and synagogues. Eddy takes us into guarded religious communities to find out what they eat and why, from a Benedictine Abbey in Ireland to a Tibetan Monastery in India.
Story by Julia Platt Leonard / Cover image courtesy of Jody Eddy and W.W. Norton and Company
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