In a year when home cooking enjoyed a renaissance, albeit by necessity, books in a variety of flavors offered something for all tastes. Our food writers selected their five faves, and there also are local books and kids' books you'll want to add to your collection, too, because you can never have too many cookbooks.
Rick's 5 Favorites
"The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food," by Marcus Samuelsson
Although it has been 17 years(!) since he closed Aquavit, his downtown Minneapolis restaurant, it still feels as if Minnesotans can claim the gifted Samuelsson as one of our own. And we should, with pride, because Samuelsson's seventh cookbook (if you don't own "The Soul of a New Cuisine" and "The Red Rooster Cookbook," you should), written with Osayi Endolyn, is a fascinating, deeply researched journey into the primary role that Black foodways plays in American cooking. Readers are introduced to a rich talent pool of contemporary Black chefs, and their diverse work comes alive in nearly 150 recipes. It's the kind of cookbook that's equally at home on the nightstand and in the kitchen. (Voracious, $38)
"Open Kitchen: Inspired Food for Casual Gatherings" by Susan Spungen
The time will come when friends and family will once again gather around the table, and when that happens, this thoughtful beauty will be an inspiring resource. Spungen once ran the test kitchens at Martha Stewart Living, and she channels that magazine's clean, contemporary ethos into a bevy of shareable starters, entrees and desserts. Spungen's approach is, well, approachable; no well-rehearsed photo stylist techniques, fancy equipment or deeply stocked pantries are required to turn out Instagram-worthy dishes that will quickly become dinner party centerpieces. (Avery, $35)
"How to Dress an Egg: Surprising and Simple Ways to Cook Dinner," by Ned Baldwin and Peter Kaminsky
All of this practical cooking know-how could serve as an informal syllabus for a culinary school curriculum, but it never comes across as Educational with a capital "E." After years as an avid home cook, Baldwin's avocation became his profession, culminating in New York City's Houseman Restaurant, and that trajectory makes him an ideal translator of commercial kitchen shorthand into the language of the home cook. Collaborating with Kaminsky, the longtime cookbook guru, Baldwin focuses on 20 dinner basics — shrimp, eggplant, cod, pork roast and, yes, hard-cooked eggs — followed by a handful of can't-miss recipes that place those ingredients in the spotlight. (Rux Martin/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $30)
"Dinner in French: My Recipes by Way of France," by Melissa Clark
Legions of New York Times readers have become better cooks due to the insight, enthusiasm and support that Clark folds into her weekly "A Good Appetite" column. When she opens this invaluable book with the words, "I can't really speak French, but I cook in French," she's speaking for countless American Francophiles. Along with offering foolproof formulas for tarte flambée, brandade, brandied chestnut soup, cheese soufflés, salade Niçoise and other classics, Clark doesn't shy away from playfully twisting tradition (witness croque monsieur casserole and ratatouille sheet-pan chicken), and her straightforward approach to recipe writing works for both novice and experienced cooks. (Clarkson Potter, $37.50)
"East: 120 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes From Bangalore to Beijing," by Meera Sodha
"Vegan constraints are a catalyst for creativity," writes Sodha in this user-friendly collection of recipes from her vegan cooking column in the Guardian newspaper, and then she spends the next 300 pages proving her point. Sodha introduces her audience to faraway places but she never loses sight of what's available, ingredients-wise, in everyday supermarkets. Anyone looking to discover the possibilities lurking inside the wonderful world of vegetables will find Sodha to be an encouraging and knowledgeable guide. (Flatiron Books, $35)
Sharyn's 5 favorites
"In Bibi's Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers From the Eight African Countries That Touch the Indian Ocean," by Hawa Hassan and Julia Turshen
Matriarchs get their due in this gorgeous primer on East African cuisine and the culinary wisdom that grandmothers from that region hold. Chapters focus on eight countries, each with a border on the Indian Ocean. Somalia is one of them; that's where chef and author Hassan was born. To share the flavors of her childhood, she turns to the bibis who maintained recipes across time, colonialism, war and emigration. Each chapter begins with interviews with grandmothers, including one Somali woman who lives in Minneapolis. Make the fragrant Somali spice blend xawaash and throw it on everything. (Ten Speed Press, $35)
"Drinking French: The Iconic Cocktails, Aperitifs, and Café Traditions of France," by David Lebovitz
Surely the most popular cookbooks these days must be the ones that transport you to another place. This one will send you right to a Parisian sidewalk cafe. Lebovitz, an American chef living in Paris, is a go-to resource on modern-day French food culture for English-speaking audiences. In "Drinking French," he helps home mixologists re-create almost anything one could get at a Saint-Germain-des-Prés corner cafe, from the dense and deeply warming chocolat chaud to the bright and fruity rhum arrangé. Even more satisfying than the recipes are his writings on cafe culture, including the hilarious admission that even a fluent French speaker struggles with anxiety when trying to order a glass of wine. (Ten Speed Press, $28)