It's hard to create a list of "best" anything, clearly because the word best is purely subjective so the best to me might not be the best to you. So, in attempting to wrangle up a list of this year's best culinary masterpieces we looked the daunting task in the eye and decided to focus rather on works produced by this countries top chef authority figures. Other important features to factor in included aesthetics like food porn, aka food photography, how easy the book is to navigate through, overall binding theme of the book, and of course the chef's voice. In no particular order, the best of the best.
1. Momofuku by David Chang and Peter Meehan
Penned by NYC restauranteur David Chang and NY Times columnist Peter Meehan, this book provides recipes and technique from Chang's celebrated restaurants with a focus on ramen.
2. Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller
Thomas Keller is arguably the countries most respected chef and this year he released a cookbook from his casual Napa eatery, Ad Hoc. For rustic, comfort food with a refined edge, check out this go-to.
3. New American Table by Marcus Samuelsson
Another NYC-native, Samuelsson tries to define modern American cuisine in collection of over 300 recipes. This translates into recipes with Mexican, Italian, and Asian influences from breakfast to dinner.
4. My Bread by Jim Lahey
JIm Lahey is probably best known for his no knead bread recipe featured in Mark Bittman's NY Times column The Minimalist. No shocker to read that he has released a bread-centric cookbook which covers recipes from sweet to savory.
5. Pasta Sfoglia by Ron Suhanosky and Colleen Marnell-Suhanosky
Learn the secrets of Sfoglia, a New York City restaurant famous for its rustic pasta dishes. This is one of those books that shares grandmother's recipes, many of which are quick and uncomplicated.
6. Unforgettable Desserts by Dede Wilson
Sweets queen and Bon Appetit contributer Dede Wilson creates the most delicious and beautiful deserts. While many recipes fall on the more complicated side, anything out of this book is a sure winner.
7. How To Roast A Lamb by Michael Psilakis
Tons of beautiful food photography here, this work focuses on anything and everything Greek with both simple and more advanced recipes.
8. Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express by Mark Bittman
We love Mark Bittman, we love his quick and easy recipes, so naturally we love his cookbook. This is a sequel to How To Cook Everything and here you will find a zillion recipes that can be made in under 20 minutes!
9. Vintage Cocktails by Brian Van Flandern (Assouline)
So it's not exactly a cookbook, but cocktails do count! Beautiful food photography and a great way to explore classic cocktails.
10. The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones
Aside from discovering Julia Child, Judith Jones can certainly cook herself. Look here for straightforward, simple recipes for the single diner. Covers the full gamut from salad to dessert.
