2024 cookbook highlights
Great cookbooks were plentiful this year. So to minimise the all-too-hard decision-making, we have crunched the numbers and included some of our bestsellers (alphabetical by author so that we're not taking sides!) to hopefully help with your choices too.
At Nonna's Table by Paola Bacchia
Inspired by her mamma Livia's cherished recipes, Paola Bacchia presents 60 delicious dishes that celebrate the best of Italian home cooking. From soups and appetisers through to main courses, sides, desserts and pickles and preserves, this book is a treasure trove of traditional and contemporary Italian dishes made with love and care.
This beautiful book showcases the fresh ingredients, bold flavors, and simple techniques that make Italian food so beloved. From Peperonata con melanzane e pomodori (Eggplant and Tomato Stew) to Pollo Ripieno (Celebration Chicken) and Mamma's Orange Cake, alongside stories from Paola's childhood and her mum's life.
Chae: Korean Slow Food for a Better Life by Jung Eun Chae
Not just a cookbook but an essential guide to Korean slow food and fermentation, Chae follows the seasons of a calendar year: summer, autumn, winter and spring. Each season forms its own chapter with approximately 15–20 recipes and foundations, presenting traditional Korean technique with native Australian produce.
Breakout star chef Jung Eun Chae makes everything from scratch in her home kitchen on the outskirts of Melbourne, from dubu (tofu) to gochujang (red chilli paste), ganjang (soy sauce) to kimchi, jocheong (rice syrup) to doenjang (soybean paste). The meticulous, medicinal, minimal-waste recipes and techniques are inspired by Chae’s mother, who was born in the South Jeolla province of South Korea. This is a radical, restorative journey into the heart of an ancient cuisine.
Easy Wins by Anna Jones
Award-winning and bestselling cook Anna Jones gives her golden rules for easy wins in the kitchen with super-simple recipes that are bursting with flavour and kind to the planet.
Anna takes 12 hero ingredients that are guaranteed to make your food taste great, with chapters on lemons, olive oil, mustard, tahini and more. She gives 125 all-new dishes that you will want to cook on repeat, like Double Lemon Pilaf with Buttery Almonds, Traybake Lemon Dhal, Miso Rarebit, and Cherry and Chocolate Peanut Butter Sundae. And there's practical advice on how to season and flavour, plus plenty of ideas for invaluable vegetarian swaps.
Konbini by Brendan Liew & Caryn Ng
For any visitor to Japan, it becomes immediately clear how central the convenience store (or 'konbini') is to everyday life. Different to our understanding of the convenience store in the US, Japan's three huge chains – 7 Eleven, Family Mart, Lawson – are the beating heart of the nation.
Locals will pop into the konbini multiple times a day for household items, umbrellas (during those summer storms), manga and, of course, food – in all its forms. From instant snacks, onigiri, lunch bento, steaming oden, the fluffiest cheesecake slices and pot noodles. This book celebrates the sometimes odd, always delicious offerings through recipes and stories, as well as delving into the history of this peculiarly Japanese cultural icon.
RecipeTin Eats: Tonight by Nagi Maehashi
Following her record-breaking first cookbook, Dinner, Nagi Maehashi brings us Tonight with more than 150 new foolproof, flavour-packed recipes, 800 variations on those recipes and 3000 possible combinations that match formulas (including the world-famous Charlie sauce) with different ingredients.
There are crave-worthy crowd-pleasers – try slow-baked Italian meatballs in a rich tomato sauce with bubbling melted cheese or fall-apart Asian chicken cooked in a sticky-sweet soy glaze. Some dinners can be cooked in 20 minutes, some can be made using only pantry staples and others are for high-impact guest-impressing.
Vegan Italian Food by Shannon Martinez
In Vegan Italian Food: Over 100 Recipes for a Plant-based Feast, Australia's number one vegan chef Shannon Martinez celebrates the joys of Italian food in signature riotous style. Following on from her bestselling cookbooks Smith & Daughters: A Cookbook (That Happens to be Vegan) and Vegan With Bite, this glamorous guide features more than 100 delicious recipes for comforting classics and modern entertaining that will bring Italy into your kitchen at home.
Discover meat-free versions of antipasti, pastas such as tortellini in brodo, red sauce meatballs (vegan, of course), plus vegetables, sides, salads and an extensive range of desserts inspired by the world's favourite cuisine.
Soups, Salads, Sandwiches by Matty Matheson
Chances are you've eaten a soup, salad or sandwich in the past day (or maybe all three). This trio makes up so many of our meals but is rarely given the attention it deserves. Matty Matheson, known for his bold, innovative flavours, has created a cookbook that will revolutionise how you think of these kitchen basics. Packed with character, personal stories, scrumptious recipes and vivid photographs of a day-in-the-life with Matty and his family, this book will have you fearlessly whipping up your own combinations in the kitchen.
Find your favourite combination by mixing and matching dishes like: Giant Meatball Soup; Crab Congee; Creamy Sausage Soup with Rapini; Everyone's Mom's Macaroni and Tuna Salad; Griddled Salami Panzanella Salad; Peaches with Goat Cheese, Mint, Honeycomb, Olive Oil and Espellete; Cubano; Italian Combo; Sun Warmed Tomato Sandwich; Banana Bread French Toast with Fried Egg.
Good Cooking Every Day by Julia Busuttil Nishimura
Julia Busuttil Nishimura is one of Australia's best-loved food personalities, renowned for her generous, uncomplicated, seasonal cooking. Good Cooking Every Day is all about simple food and creating memorable meals.
This collection of brilliant recipes includes a guide to creating menus for any occasion, from a celebration of summer produce to pure comfort food in cooler weather, a simple family dinner to a relaxed lunch with friends. Julia pairs ingredients in harmonious and delicious ways, with recipes for every season. This is everyday eating at its very best.
Ottolenghi: COMFORT by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh
In his much-anticipated new book, Yotam Ottolenghi brings his inspiring, flavour-forward approach to comfort cooking, delivering new classics that taste of home.
A bowl of pasta becomes Caramelised Onion Orecchiette with Hazelnuts & Crispy Sage, a warming soup is Cheesy Bread Soup with Savoy Cabbage & Cavolo Nero, and a plate of mash is transformed into Garlicky Aligot Potato with Leeks & Thyme. Weaving memories of childhood and travel with over 100 irresistible recipes, this book is a celebration of food and home – of the connections we make as we cook, and pass on from generation to generation.
Tipo 00: The Pasta Cookbook by Andreas Papadakis
Greek chef Andreas Papadakis opened his tiny, cultish Melbourne pasta bar because he couldn't find what he wanted: an exceptional bowl of pasta made with the very best ingredients and served all day. He was obviously on to something because word spread fast and soon pasta people from near and far were joining the queue.
A decade on, Andreas has documented more than 80 recipes that embody the best of Tipo 00 and the ethos that drives it, and demonstrate why a booking remains a coveted thing. All the favourites are here, from asparagus ravioli with parmesan cream to cocoa paccheri with pine mushrooms and pine nuts to gnocchi with duck and porcini ragu, to the famously delicious tipomisu dessert and a fast version of everyone's favourite focaccia, and more.
Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice by Natalie Paull
Bestselling baker Natalie Paull returns with Beatrix Bakes: Another Slice, an all-new compilation of colourful, creative recipes to delight fans and newcomers alike. These are the cakes and desserts Nat has loved to eat since closing her cult cafe and bakery in inner Melbourne in 2022. By popular demand, the book includes legendary bakes that were not in the hit original Beatrix Bakes (hello lemon cream tart and chocolate sour cream layer cake).
Discover recipes for irresistible cookies and tray bakes, cakes, tarts, pies (and a strudel), doughs and epic day-off baking projects to fill your weekend. It also features Beatrix baseix, fruity bits and cake-cessories, as well as the beloved Adaptrix tips for handy substitutions, all served in Nat's signature style.
Dinner by Meera Sodha
Discover 120 vibrant, easy-to-make vegetarian and vegan main dishes bursting with flavour, including baked butter paneer, kimchi and tomato spaghetti, and aubergines roasted in satay sauce. There are also mouthwatering desserts, such as coconut and cardamom dream cake and bubble tea ice cream, and exciting side dishes, such as salt and vinegar potato salad and asparagus and cashew thoran.
From quick-cook recipes to one-pan wonders and delectable dishes you can just bung in the oven and leave to look after themselves, Dinner is the essential companion for the most important meal of the day.
Tony Tan's Asian Cooking Class by Tony Tan
Tony Tan has been cooking, eating, teaching and writing about the foods of Asia for more than four decades. In Tony Tan's Asian Cooking Class, he shares for the first time more than 150 of his most cooked, beloved and personal recipes from his vast collection. A book for beginners and connoisseurs alike, Tan teaches his contemporary, sometimes adventurous approach to the most important inspirational and evergreen dishes from Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and beyond. From wok sensations to more elaborate dishes, street foods and original creations, Tan's warmth, erudition and rigour set his food apart. He moves seamlessly between distinct cuisines, contextualising them for the home cook.
Tarts Anon: Sweet and Savoury Tart Brilliance by Gareth Whitton & Catherine Way
Tarts Anon does one thing exceptionally well – tarts – and in this cookbook the team behind the legend reveal the secrets to making the perfect one for every occasion. Tarts Anon: Sweet and Savoury Tart Brilliance is your guide to baking a stunning tart, every time.
Featuring 50 different recipes: from beloved classics such as Plain Old Lemon and Vanilla Custard to more out-of-the-box offerings like Black Forest Tart; savoury crowd-pleasers like Mushroom and Parmesan, and truly celebratory tarts like the Saint Honoré, this book contains all the knowledge and inspiration you need to become a tart master.
Chopsticks or Fork? by Jennifer Wong & Lin Jie Kong
Chopsticks or Fork? is a collection of stories and recipes from Chinese restaurants in regional Australia, based on the six-part ABC series created by Lin Jie Kong and Jennifer Wong.
The book lovingly captures the stories of ten very different families who run Chinese restaurants, from Queensland's Hervey Bay to Western Australia's Dunsborough, and features 32 classic Australian Chinese recipes. As well as revealing the secrets behind everything from sizzling Mongolian lamb to deep fried ice cream, Chopsticks or Fork? includes trivia on the lazy Susan, encounters with the country's biggest Chinese restaurant fans, a game of Chinese restaurant bingo just waiting to be played on your next night out, and more Chinese restaurant 'takeaways' than you can poke a (chop)stick at.
Salad for Days by Alice Zaslavsky
Times have changed and salads have had a glow-up. This book is your guide to making every day a salad day, and every meal a moment to get your veg on. For warmer days, there are salads designed to refresh and replenish, using juicy, sun-drenched ingredients and the brightest of colours. For cooler days, there are salads that will sustain, nourish and ground, giving hearty food a counterpoint so that you finish the meal feeling better than you started.
Salad for Days is both a seasonal reference guide and a daily roster to boost your repertoire, packed with inspiration (come through, Cauliflower tabouli with lemony tahini and pomegranate) as well as food that comforts (hellooo, Honeyed butternut risoni salad with marinated feta). It also includes an indispensable 'what to make when' list for using up particular veg, as well as a huge dressings inspo index to return to time and again. With this book, you'll have salad for days!
