Recommended cookbooks for every kind of home chef
Whether you're an enthusiastic home chef who loves to experiment in the kitchen, or a reluctant cook who may or may not have burned a boiled egg, our shelves are packed with brilliant cookbooks for all kinds of people. Discover some of our favourite recommendations below!
For the person who just wants the recipe to work right every time . . .
RecipeTin Eats: Tonight by Nagi Maehashi
Legendary Australian food sensation Nagi Maehashi is known for testing and retesting each of her recipes until they're absolutely perfect befoire unleashing them on the world. In her highly-anticipated second book, Maehashi returns with over 150 delicious and foolproof recipes. With meals that will appeal to home cooks of all skill levels and budgets, RecipeTin Eats: Tonight will be an essential addition to any Australian kitchen for years to come.
For the person who knows that you can, in fact, make friends with salad . . .
Salad for Days by Alice Zaslavsky
Both a seasonal reference guide and a daily roster to boost your repertoire, Alice Zaslavsky's Salad for Days is packed with inspiration for delicious all-year-round salads, an indispensable guide for using up particular veg, and a huge index of dressings to return to time and again.
For the person who learned everything they know about food from The Bear . . .
Soups, Salads Sandwiches by Matty Matheson
Canadian chef, restaurateur, actor and internet personality Matty Matheson is probably best known to modern audiences for his role as Neil Fak on the FX series The Bear. Matheson's debut cookbook Soups, Salads, Sandwiches is filled with character, personal stories, recipes and vivid photographs of a day-in-the-life and will have you whipping up classic dishes, delivered with minimal effort and maximum flavour.
For the person with complex dietary requirements . . .
The Elements of Baking by Katarina Cermelj
Armed with a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry, Katarina Cermelj lays out the science behind baking and the ingredients that make it work, so you can easily make any recipe gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan or even gluten-free vegan. With an abundance of mouth-watering recipes together with actual quantitative rules that you can use to convert any recipe, The Elements of Baking will allow you to adapt your baking to your diet and lifestyle, and still make sure it tastes spectacular.
For the person who relishes the challenge of being invited to 'just bring dessert' . . .
Love Crumbs by Nadine Ingram
From Nadine Ingram of beloved Sydney bakery Flour & Stone, Love Crumbs features 50 utterly original, natural and romantic cakes that belong at the heart of every celebration. Grounded in expert guidance, Love Crumbs is full of reliable cake recipes that are written with the precision of a world-class pastry chef and the warm encouragement of a countrywoman.
For the person who thinks it's not even worth cooking unless it's over an open flame . . .
Cooking with Fire by Duncan Welgemoed
Duncan Welgemoed - SBS regular, cult chef and founder of Adelaide's iconic Africola restaurant - invites readers to discover the diverse flavours of Australian and South African BBQ culture, covering everything from succulent glazed ribs and juicy grilled steaks to ember-stewed eggplant and fragrant wallaby kebabs. Whether you're an experienced grill master or just starting out, this book will show you that world-class food can just as easily be made in the great outdoors as it can in your kitchen.
For the person who prides themselves on knowing the best restaurants . . .
The Broadsheet Melbourne Cookbook: The New Classics by Broadsheet Media
Having trouble getting a reservation for an iconic Melbourne's restaurants? Trying cooking at home! The Broadsheet Melbourne Cookbook: The New Classics features recipes for 80 of the city's most-ordered breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes from venues including Soi 38, Tedesca Osteria, Hope Street Radio, Manzé, Embla, Enter Via Laundry, France-Soir, Gimlet, Grill Americano, Nomad, Reine, Stokehouse, Florian, A1 Bakery, Pidapipó, Tarts Anon and dozens more.
For the person who dreads being asked 'what's for dinner?' . . .
Time for Dinner by Adam Liaw
From beloved Australian cook, Adam Liaw, comes a handy new cookbook full of smart recipes for fast cooking. Each chapter in Time for Dinner focuses on how you can shrink the time you spend getting dinner on the table, from clever pasta dishes made in the amount of time it takes you to boil the pasta, to traybakes and one-pot wonders that will save you time washing up, to meals that cut your chopping and shopping times to the minimum.
For someone who needs an arsenal of biscuit recipes for gifts and school fundraising . . .
Crumbs by Ben Mims
In Crumbs, food writer, recipe developer, and self-confessed baking obsessive Ben Mims takes home cooks on a delicious tour through over 100 countries and cultures to present a sweet and satisfying global guide to biscuits and sweets. Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, the book features gorgeous photographs and special icons designating dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan recipes, as well as approachable, easy-to-make options that come together in 30 minutes or less.
For the person who loves to cook with their own homegrown produce . . .
Your Asian Veggie Patch by Connie Cao
Your Asian Veggie Patch is a comprehensive, beginner-friendly guide to growing and cooking Asian vegetables, herbs and fruits at home. Permaculture gardener Connie Cao guides you though a curated selection of more than 40 cool-season and warm-season annuals and perennials, then shows you how to make the most of your abundant harvest with 50 fresh home-style recipes inspired by her Chinese heritage.
