Kit · Books
Cookbooks and bar books
The shelf behind the recipes: technique, reference, home bartending and a few new releases.
Technique and reference
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
Mastering the Elements of Good CookingSamin Nosrat · Simon & Schuster, 2017
Teaches four cooking principles (salt, fat, acid and heat) and applies them across recipes, with illustrations by Wendy MacNaughton.
Best for: Home cooks building core technique
The Food Lab
Better Home Cooking Through ScienceJ. Kenji López-Alt · W. W. Norton & Company, 2015
Tests common home-cooking methods and explains the food science behind each result, with recipes built on those tests.
Best for: Home cooks who want to know why a technique works
The Flavor Bible
The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative ChefsKaren Page, Andrew Dornenburg · Voracious (Little, Brown), 2008
An alphabetical reference of ingredients with flavor pairings drawn from interviews with professional chefs.
Best for: Cooks and bartenders who build their own recipes
Joy of Cooking
Fully Revised and UpdatedIrma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker, John Becker, Megan Scott · Scribner, 2019
A general American cooking reference, revised in 2019 with new recipes and updated techniques.
Best for: Anyone building a first reference shelf
On Food and Cooking
The Science and Lore of the KitchenHarold McGee · Scribner, 2004
A long reference on the science and history of ingredients and cooking methods.
Best for: Cooks and bartenders who want the science behind technique
The Wok
Recipes and TechniquesJ. Kenji López-Alt · W. W. Norton & Company, 2022
Covers wok technique and equipment, with recipes.
Best for: Cooks who want high-heat stir-fry technique
Start Here
Instructions for Becoming a Better CookSohla El-Waylly · Knopf, 2023
Teaches cooking fundamentals through lessons and recipes.
Best for: Home cooks who want to learn technique step by step
Fundamentals of Flavor
100 Recipes for the Science of Better CookingNik Sharma · Chronicle Books, 2026
One hundred recipes arranged around the science of flavor, by Nik Sharma.
Best for: Cooks who like the Food Lab and Flavor Equation approach
The Professional Chef
Tenth EditionThe Culinary Institute of America · Wiley, 2024
The Culinary Institute of America's core culinary textbook, covering techniques, ingredients and recipes in about 960 pages.
Best for: Serious home cooks and students who want a full kitchen reference
New this season
Good Things
Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You LoveSamin Nosrat · Random House, 2025
Recipes and menus built around cooking for and sharing meals with other people, by the author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.
Best for: Hosts and gift buyers who already own Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat
Simply Ina
A Barefoot Contessa CookbookIna Garten · Clarkson Potter, 2026
A new Barefoot Contessa cookbook of home recipes from Ina Garten.
Best for: Gift buyers and Barefoot Contessa fans
Ottolenghi Simple Too
Yotam Ottolenghi · Ten Speed Press, 2026
Follows Ottolenghi Simple, with more recipes in the same easier-cooking vein.
Best for: Home cooks who want restaurant flavor with less effort
Everyday Eats
100 Simple and Healthy Recipes for Real LifeAlex Snodgrass · William Morrow Cookbooks, 2026
One hundred weeknight recipes from the creator of The Defined Dish, aimed at simple and healthier meals.
Best for: Weeknight cooks and macros-aware families
What to Cook When You Don't Feel Like Cooking
Make It FastCaroline Chambers · Union Square & Co., 2026
Quick recipes for nights when cooking feels like a chore.
Best for: Busy weeknight cooks
Something from Nothing
Alison Roman · Clarkson Potter, 2025
A cookbook of home recipes from Alison Roman.
Best for: Home cooks who like her earlier books
Obsessed with the Best
100+ Methodically Perfected Recipes Based on 20+ Head-to-Head TestsElla Quittner · William Morrow Cookbooks, 2026
Recipes refined through head-to-head tests of the methods and ingredients.
Best for: Cooks who like tested, comparison-driven recipes
All Hours
Crazy Good Food for Whatever, WheneverKwame Onwuachi, Joshua David Stein · Knopf, 2026
Recipes for meals at any hour from chef Kwame Onwuachi, written with Joshua David Stein.
Best for: Fans of chef-driven books and late-night cooking
Food Is a Feeling
Recipes & Stories, with LoveCarla Lalli (Carla Lalli Music) · Clarkson Potter, 2026
Recipes and stories from Carla Lalli Music.
Best for: Weeknight and entertaining cooks
Hello, Home Cooking
Do-Able Dishes for Every DayHam El-Waylly · Clarkson Potter, 2026
Everyday recipes for home cooks from Ham El-Waylly.
Best for: Weeknight cooks
Cocktails and bar
Cocktail Codex
Fundamentals, Formulas, EvolutionsAlex Day, Nick Fauchald, David Kaplan · Ten Speed Press, 2018
Organizes cocktails into six root recipes and shows how other drinks grow from them.
Best for: Home bartenders who want to learn structure, not just recipes
Death & Co
Modern Classic Cocktails, with More than 500 RecipesDavid Kaplan, Nick Fauchald, Alex Day · Ten Speed Press, 2014
More than 500 cocktail recipes from the New York bar, with notes on technique and spirits.
Best for: Home bartenders who want a deep recipe library
The Goto Bartender's Guide
A Philosophy of Cocktails, Hospitality, and How to Make Great Drinks Every TimeKenta Goto, Noah Rothbaum · Ten Speed Press, 2026
Technique and hospitality guidance from Kenta Goto of Bar Goto in New York, written with Noah Rothbaum.
Best for: Home bartenders who care about technique and service
Liquid Intelligence
The Art and Science of the Perfect CocktailDave Arnold · W. W. Norton & Company, 2014
Explains the science and equipment behind cocktails, including dilution, carbonation and clarification.
Best for: Technique-minded home bartenders
Meehan's Bartender Manual
A Cocktail Reference and Recipe BookJim Meehan · Ten Speed Press, 2017
A bar reference covering technique, tools and spirits alongside cocktail recipes, by the author of The PDT Cocktail Book.
Best for: Home bartenders building a serious bar
The Bar Book
Elements of Cocktail TechniqueJeffrey Morgenthaler, Martha Holmberg · Chronicle Books, 2014
Teaches core bar technique such as shaking, stirring and building drinks, with recipes.
Best for: Home bartenders learning technique
The Joy of Mixology
The Consummate Guide to the Bartender's Craft (Revised and Updated Edition)Gary Regan · Clarkson Potter, 2018
A guide to cocktail families and bartending craft, revised in 2018.
Best for: Beginners and intermediate home bartenders
Good Spirits
The Joy of Cocktails and the Stories Behind ThemTiffanie Barriere, David Joachim · Voracious, 2026
Cocktail recipes and the stories behind them from bartender Tiffanie Barriere, written with David Joachim.
Best for: Home bartenders who like drink history and hospitality
Zero-proof
The Nonalcoholic Bar
Classic and Creative Cocktails for EveryoneJohn deBary · Union Square & Co., 2026
Classic and original nonalcoholic cocktails by bartender John deBary.
Best for: Hosts and home bartenders serving guests who do not drink
High protein
The Protein Meal Prep Plan
30 Weekly Plans + 180 Recipes to Eat Better, Stress Less, and Save Money (Packed with Fiber and 35g+ Protein Per Serving)Cassy Joy Garcia · Voracious, 2026
Thirty weekly meal-prep plans with 180 recipes, each written for 35 grams of protein or more per serving.
Best for: Meal preppers tracking protein and fiber
The High-Protein Plate
100 Satisfying Everyday RecipesRachael DeVaux · Simon Element, 2026
One hundred everyday high-protein recipes by registered dietitian Rachael DeVaux.
Best for: Macro-minded cooks who want a dietitian author
Skinnytaste High Protein
100 Healthy, Simple Recipes to Fuel Your DayGina Homolka, Heather K. Jones, R.D. · Clarkson Potter, 2025
One hundred healthy, simple high-protein recipes from the Skinnytaste site.
Best for: Macro-tracking home cooks
The Complete High-Protein Cookbook
Hit Your Protein Goals, Boost Fiber, Love Every BiteAmerica's Test Kitchen · America's Test Kitchen, 2026
Tested recipes written to meet protein goals while adding fiber.
Best for: Cooks who trust ATK testing and track macros
Protein-Packed Vegetarian
Easy, Nourishing Recipes to Fuel Your DayGrace Elkus · Clarkson Potter, 2026
Vegetarian recipes built around protein, by Grace Elkus.
Best for: Vegetarian and flexitarian macro trackers
The Powered by Protein Cookbook
Simple, Delicious, High-Protein RecipesJackie Hartlaub · Clarkson Potter, 2025
Simple high-protein recipes for everyday cooking by Jackie Hartlaub.
Best for: Cooks raising protein without special ingredients
Baking
Sweet Tooth
100 Desserts to Save Room ForSarah Fennel · Clarkson Potter, 2024
One hundred dessert recipes from the Broma Bakery author.
Best for: Home bakers and dessert-focused gift buyers
Sally's Baking 101
Foolproof Recipes from Easy to AdvancedSally McKenney · Clarkson Potter, 2025
Baking basics and techniques arranged from easy recipes to advanced ones.
Best for: Home bakers building skills
BraveTart
Iconic American DessertsStella Parks · W. W. Norton & Company, 2017
Iconic American desserts rebuilt from tested recipes with explanations of the baking science.
Best for: Bakers who want professional-style precision
Regional and Southwest
Turtle Island
Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North AmericaSean Sherman, Kate Nelson, Kristin Donnelly · Clarkson Potter, 2025
Foods and traditions of Indigenous peoples across North America, with recipes, by Sean Sherman and co-authors.
Best for: Cooks interested in Southwest and Native American ingredients and history
The MeatEater Fish and Game Cookbook
Recipes and Techniques for Every Hunter and AnglerSteven Rinella · Random House, 2018
Recipes and field-to-kitchen techniques for cooking fish and wild game.
Best for: Colorado hunters, anglers and protein-focused cooks
Foods of La Frontera
Recipes and New Taste Frontiers from Both Sides of the BorderPati Jinich · Harvest, 2026
Recipes from both sides of the US-Mexico border by Pati Jinich.
Best for: Southwest and border-food cooks