Every kitchen deserves a collection of go-to cookbooks that inspire daily cooking and entertaining. Today we’re featuring essential titles that will transform your culinary repertoire: a comprehensive guide to authentic Vietnamese cuisine, a practical plant-based cookbook for busy lives, and a delightful exploration of global comfort food through the universal appeal of meatballs. Plus, discover the art of fermentation and pickling to add bold flavors to any dish, master classic desserts that never fail to impress, explore French cooking through simple puff pastry creations, and shake up glamorous cocktails inspired by New York’s most iconic ladies.
Kitchen Essentials for January
Sex and the City Cocktails: Fall in Love with 60 Fabulous (and Official) Cocktail Recipes Inspired by the Show
9798337400945 | Insight Editions | HB
Thea Engst
New York City’s most fashionable, hilarious, and iconic ladies have put together a cocktail book of all their favorite drinks. This stylish collection brings the essence of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda to life one Cosmo, ahem, cocktail, at a time.
Get transported from your home to glitzy parties and restaurants in Manhattan through these step-by-step recipes. Each drink is expertly curated to fit Sex and the City’s chic spirit. From the classic martini to more inventive, colorful libations, there is a recipe for every character and key scene (and it includes more than a dozen drinks ordered by name on the show). With spirit-free and low-abv options, there’s something for every taste as well. Get inspired by the gorgeous photographs of finished cocktails and easy-to-follow directions. Whether you’re hosting a high-profile gathering or spending a cozy night in for a watch party, these drinks are sure to bring a touch of the wit and glamour Sex and the City is famous for straight to your bar cart.
Quick Wins: Healthy Cooking for Busy Lives – The ultimate guide to easy, plant-based, healthy eating, packed with over 75 recipes and 8 meal plans
9781529316759 | Yellow Kite | HB
Ella Mills
Delicious recipes to help you eat more plants, supercharge your health and simplify mealtimes!
Quick Wins is your guide to making healthy eating effortless – helping you cut down on ultra-processed foods, enjoy 30 or more different plants each week, and bring fresh, nourishing meals to your table without the stress.
No chasing perfection. No complicated ingredients. Just real food, full of flavour, designed to fit your life.
Inside, you’ll find:
– 8 flexible weekly meal plans with shopping lists for six dinners and two lunches
– 75 simple, balanced recipes that make eating well feel easy
– Adaptable ideas and batch-cook tips to save time and reduce waste
Chapters include: One Pan, Easy Lunches, Fridge-Raid Suppers, A Little Longer, Batch Cook, Simple Snacks & Breakfasts, Meal Plans and Shopping Lists. Each section is crafted to make wholesome, satisfying cooking a natural part of your day.
With clear meal plans, practical shopping lists and flexible recipes, Quick Wins helps you find balance, confidence, and joy in the kitchen.
It’s all goodness, no fuss – a fresh, achievable way to eat well every day.
Pickled: Pickles, kimchis, vinegars and more to add a burst of flavour to any dish
9781837836536 | Quadrille Publishing | PB
Freddie Janssen
It’s so easy to make your own pickles and ferments!
Pickling and fermenting are age-old culinary processes that use seasonal produce so you can enjoy the flavours all year round, but they are also incredibly beneficial to your gut microbiome; and Freddie Janssen makes it fun and fuss-free with 60 simple recipes that you can master in your home kitchen.
With imaginative recipes like Szechuan-pickled Watermelon, Shiso Quickles, DIY Sriracha, Elderflower Vinegar, and Rhubarb Water Kefir, as well as all the classics – including variations for Sauerkraut and Kimchi – this is an inspirational way to add flavour bombs to any dish.
Ferments preserve the natural levels of bacteria, vitamins, and enzymes in the ingredients, cleverly converting them into probiotics that are crucial to good gut health. With this fresh package, Pickled teaches home cooks how to reap these health benefits while transforming their everyday meals with a lip-smacking assortment of traditional and modern pickled delights.
Ooh La La! Kids Cook French: 68 Classic French Recipes Anyone Can Make
9781641702638 | Familius | HB
Barbara Beery
1 SHEET OF PUFF PASTRY + A HANDFUL OF EVERYDAY INGREDIENTS = SIMPLE, FUN AND TASTY MEALS.
Grab a sheet of puff pastry and create deliciously flaky breakfasts, lunches, dinners, snacks and celebratory showstoppers with these 60 recipes.
*TOP IT – Pepperoni pizza tart
*ROLL IT – Pork, hoisin and sesame sausage rolls
*TWIST IT – Mustard and cheddar twists
*FILL IT – Cheesy buffalo bean melts
*DECORATE IT – Camembert wreath
With under 10 ingredients and simple methods that don’t require lots of washing up, you’ll pop your pastry in the oven and it will be ready to enjoy in no time!
Around the World in 80 Meatballs
9781761451492 | Hardie Grant Books | HB
Bunny Banyai
Everyone loves a meatball, and Around the World in 80 Meatballs celebrates this universal passion with a delightful exploration of meatball recipes from across the globe.
This cookbook uncovers the joy and comfort that a simple meatball can bring, showcasing a diverse array of recipes that span continents and cultures. From the Bulgarian Chirpanski to the Taiwanese Crystal Meatball, each dish is accompanied by its unique story, reflecting the rich traditions and culinary practices of its region. Whether you’re in the mood for a hearty stew, a zesty casserole, or a fragrant pho, this book offers spherical inspiration for every occasion.
The charm of Around the World in 80 Meatballs extends beyond the kitchen to evoke nostalgic memories and shared experiences. As you delve into these pages, you’ll not only learn how to prepare mouthwatering meatballs but also discover the fascinating history behind each recipe. Each entry features complete meal suggestions, revealing the traditional accompaniments that complement the meatballs perfectly. With this book in hand, you’ll be ready to impress friends and family with your global meatball repertoire, celebrating the dish that unites us all through its delicious simplicity.
Vietnam: The Cookbook
9781837290451 | Phaidon Press | HB
Anaïs Ca Dao van Manen
The ultimate celebration of Vietnamese cuisine, featuring 445 beloved traditional dishes from home kitchens across the country
‘A detailed tome of cultural and culinary knowledge.’ – Epicurious, Standout Cookbooks for Fall 2025
A BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR: Los Angeles Times and The Strategist
More than just pho and bánh mì, Vietnamese food is a rich and diverse tapestry of flavors, techniques, and customs. Vietnam: The Cookbook is a definitive deep dive into this vibrant cuisine, featuring more than 400 authentic home-cooking recipes – each faithfully captured, rigorously tested, and presented with clear, step-by-step directions.
Organized by the method and style in which they are traditionally prepared and enjoyed, recipes range from appetizers, snacks, salads, and sandwiches to grilled dishes, stir-fries, wraps and rolls, hotpots, noodles, rice, broths, and desserts, as well as pickles, sauces, and other pantry staples. Dishes include familiar favorites, such as Summer Rolls and Grilled Pork with Vermicelli, alongside lesser-known gems, including Chicken and Banana Blossom Salad, Savory Sticky Rice and Mung Bean Dumplings, Sauteed Baby Clams with Rice Crackers, Coconut Pandan, and Baked Palm Sugar Honeycomb Cake.
Author Anaïs Ca Dao van Manen travelled across the country, from the bustling streets of Hanoi to the highlands of Hà Giang, to learn from local cooks, discover unique ingredients, and master classic techniques. Every dish in Vietnam: The Cookbook is infused with her firsthand experience, deep respect for tradition, and love for Vietnamese food.
Beautifully illustrated with stunning photography shot on location, this expansive, authoritative recipe collection invites home cooks around the world to experience Vietnamese food culture.
Sure Thing Desserts: Truly Perfect Versions of Everyday Classics
9781419749322 | Abrams | HB
Matt Lewis
A collection of the foolproof, classic recipes—and secrets to success—that Matt Lewis, founder of Brooklyn Bakery BAKED, has spent a lifetime perfecting professionally and at home
Lifetime baker and cookbook author Matt Lewis opened his Brooklyn bakery Baked in January 2005 to instant rave reviews, and his baked goods have been featured on Oprah, the Food Network, and TODAY. After he sold the business a few years ago, he found himself back in his kitchen baking for friends and for his Instagram @Brooklynbaker.
Sure Thing Desserts is a collection of the sweets he makes over and over—and has spent a lifetime perfecting. The book starts with what Lewis sees as musts for his baking readership: Everyday Chocolate Chip Cookies, the Classic Brownie, the Yellow Picnic Party Cake, a Scottish Lemon Drizzle Loaf, and a Posh Chocolate Cake, along with the tips and secrets to making them successful. The book also includes chapters on bars, cookies, cakes, and pie. This is the must-have book for all everyday and anytime bakers.
