Introducing the Cookbooks of May 2023!

Don't call it a preview, lol.

May 16, 2023

Howdy cookbook fans!

It’s official: there are too many cookbooks. Apologies for this May, uh, preview being so late but there are 75 cookbooks in this issue and that’s after I was way harsh, as Cher Horowitz would say, about which books I included. That said, though, there are a bunch of good cookbooks coming out this month! New Hetty McKinnon, Susan Spungen, and Aaron Franklin, books on rhubarb and oysters and freezer pantries and butchers, books about Jamaica and the Dominican Republic and Paris and Japan.

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The Stained Page News April 2023 Cookbook Preview

Plentiful is a collection of vegan Jamaican recipes from musician/chef Denai Moore that seeks to change we view Jamaican food, which Moore writes is “often misrepresented, simplifed and reduced to being really spicy - and MEAT heavy.” Hardie Grant, May 2.
What a dreamy title: What I Cook When Nobody’s Watching is Australian food writer/TV personality/illustrator Poh Ling Yeow’s fourth cookbook and I think (?) the first one available in the US. Simple recipes, with gardening and household tips. Plum, May 2.
Knead Peace is a collaboration between UK-based chef/baker Andrew Green and Anna Makievska of The Bakehouse in Kyiv. The book collects baking recipes from famous chefs and food writers, most of which are in the UK (but there is a Tartine Bakery recipe included). £2.50 from every copy sold in the UK goes to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal of the Disasters Emergency Committee. Kyle, May 2.
Bread and How to Eat It: what more do you need to know? Just kidding. From Jersey City baker Rick Easton (Bread & Salt Bakery) with Melissa McCart looks at the tradition of cucina povera. The book covers “things to make with bread (Bread Meatballs! Pasta with Bread Crumbs and Cauliflower!); things to eat with bread (Greens and Beans! Dried Chestnut and White Bean Soup!); and, of course, the ultimate guide to sandwiches you never knew you needed (Tuna with Harissa, Eggs, and Olives! Frittata, Artichoke, Pecorino, and Mint!)” and seems to share my appreciation for parenthetical exclamations. (!) Knopf, May 2.

American-in-London baker Claire Ptak is the author of several cookbooks, and her latest, Love Is a Pink Cake, draws on her Northern California roots for over 75 seasonal recipes. Also, Ptak created Harry and Meghan’s wedding cake, and the recipe for it is in here. (Scaled down, one hopes.) Norton, May 2.
Someone was asking me recently for Caribbean cookbook recs, and my response was that there were a TON on the way. Here’s one! The Dominican Kitchen, named for author Vanessa Mota’s blog of (almost) the same name, covers Dominican classics in 80 recipes. Rock Point, May 2.
Celebrate the seasons Italian-style with Stagioni by Olivia Cavalli. Pavillion, May 2.
The secret to budget-minded cooking, argues Sara Lewis, is ice cold: Cook, Batch, Freeze shows you how to buy and cook in bulk, and use your freezer to lower grocery costs. Pavillion, May 2.
Butter: A Celebration is, well, a celebration of butter by Olivia Potts. Recipes include stuff like Turkish eggs with yogurt and chile butter, butter-basted ribeye steak, steamed artichoke with anchovy butter, grilled kippers with horseradish butter, buttermilk pancakes, sticky gingerbread, French salted butter biscuits (by which they mean cookies, this is a UK production), brioche feuilletée and a plum crumble. Headline, May 2.
“What fish to cook and how to cook it” from UK chef Nathan Outlaw in the appropriately-titled Fish for Dinner. Kyle, May 2.

The interior designer who made Waco famous is BACK with her third cookbook, the creatively-titled Magnolia Table, Volume 3. Joanna Gaines isn’t super my cup of, uh, Jo, but it will probably be the bestselling cookbook this year, so! Here we are. William Morrow, May 2.
Make-ahead meals for your outdoorsy adventures are the name of the game in Chris Nuttall-Smith’s Cook It Wild. Clarkson Potter, May 9.
RHUBARB! I miss rhubarb. I remember as a little kid going out with a bag of powdered sugar and dipping rhubarb stalks from the garden in it during the summer. Fast forward, last year I paid $6 for one stalk of rhubarb for a recipe test. Anyway if you live in cooler climes than I do, here’s Søren Staun Petersen’s Rhubarb! Touchwood, May 9.
Andaza is a memoir-with-recipes from Pakistani foods expert Sumayya Usmani. After spending the first 8 years of her life on a ship where her father was the captain (!), she moved to Karachi with her family; this book celebrates the women in her life in particular, as well as the foods they cooked. Murdoch Books, May 9.

Claiming to be “the definitive oyster bible,” The Joy of Oysters is a collection of “tips, trivia, and history, plus approachable recipes” for… oysters! By Nils Bernstein. Artisan, May 9.
A fresh take on French food from pop-up operators Shaheen Peerbhai and Jennie Levitt in The Paris Picnic Club. Union Square & Co., May 9.
Get some Canadian West Coast “sophisticated bohemian” food in your life with Together at SoBo by chef Lisa Ahier with Susan Musgrave. Appetite by Random House, May 9.
There were a few butcher books during the Big Meat phase of the late aughts/early 2010s (y’all remember the bacon explosion?), but I haven’t seen one in a minute. This seems fun, though: Butcher on the Block by Matt Moore teaches basic at-home butchery (like breaking down a chicken) and shares profiles of butchers around the world, including San Franciscos’ Hing Lung Company, Cara Mangini (The Vegetable Butcher), Red's Best in Boston, French butcher Maison Mallard, and Tommie Kelly, a Kroger butcher. Harvest, May 9.
Normally I would put a book like Big Green Egg Feasts down below in the “other books” section (it’s branded, the title pretty much tells you what you need to know), but wanted to call out a couple things. First, it’s written by UK cookbook author Tim Hayward, of whom I am a huge fan. And second, you know I canNOT resist a project/”feasts” cookbook. Big Green Egg fans, get on this. (Dad.) Quadrille, May 9.
Have you been looking for a fried chicken cookbook focused on East and Southeast Asia? Have I got a cookbook rec for you! Kung Pao & Beyond by South China Morning Post Food & Drinks Editor Susan Jung shares recipes for Korean Fire Chicken, Vietnamese Butter Wings, Japanese Karaage, and more. Quadrille, May 9.
Honestly a condiments cookbook seems so obvious to me now that I’ve seen it, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before?! From Salt to Jam by Katrina Meynink shares recipes for “lavor bomb sauces, spices, relishes, and jams” and also recipes for how to deploy them. Hardie Grant, May 9.

Look at this cutie cover! Love it. Recipes from Rome by husband-and-wife duo Katie Caldesi and Giancarlo Caldesi is, you know, recipes from Rome. (It is also the first title in Hardie Grant’s new Eat Around Italy series.) May 9.
Austin fire lord Aaron Franklin is back with longtime collaborator Jordan Mackay for Franklin Smoke, their third cookbook together. This one looks at the intersection of grilling and smoking, and using fire as an ingredient. Ten Speed, May 9.
Resilient Kitchens looks at immigrant cooking before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and features recipes and essays by the likes of Reem Kassis, Stephanie Jolly, Krishnendu Ray, Tien Nguyen, Bonnie Frumkin Morales, Mayukh Sen, Geetika Agrawal, Fernay McPherson, Antonio Tahhan and more. Edited by Philip Gleissner. Rutgers, May 12.
For the only (?) state where hospitality workers are seen as a voting demographic, you don’t really see many books about Nevada food! But here is chef Charlie Abowd and food writer Karel C. Ancona with Recipes and Rambles, telling stories and sharing recipes from Abowd’s Carson City restaurants, Adele’s and Cafe at Adele’s. American Through Time, May 15.
The duo behind Brooklyn restaurant Shalom Japan, Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi (with Gabriela Gershenshon) have written Love Japan, a collection of 100 home-style Japanese-American dishes. Recipes include Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken), Smashed Cucumber and Wakame Salad, Roasted Cauliflower with Miso and Panko Butter, Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki with Ramen Noodles, Home-Style Matzoh Ball Ramen, Omurice (Omelet Fried Rice), Slice-and-Bake Matcha Cookies, and more. Ten Speed, May 16.
This is fun: The DIY BBQ Cookbook by James Whetlor includes plans for 10 different kinds of grills/smokers, including a tandoori oven made out of a flower pot, grills made out of cinder blocks, and actual oil drum smokers. There are also 50 recipes for using your builds. Quadrille, May 16.
Looking to work more sustainable seafood into your diet? Let spearfisherwoman (her actual title) Valentine Thomas leads the way with Good Catch, 75 recipes plus stories of fishing around the world. Union Square & Co., May 16.

We’ll have a lot more on Cook Color by Maria Zizka next week, when designer Frances Baca returns to SPN to walk us through it. But for now, suffice to say the book encourages colorful eating, and does so in style. Artisan, May 16.
Tropical Standard by Garret Richard and Ben Schaffer is a “handbook for the tropical cocktail's next wave,” combining methods from the craft cocktail revival, current innovations, and “history of the tropical canon. Foreword by Dave Arnold. Countryman Press, May 16.
Roberto Smith and Malachi Jenkins of LA’s Trap Kitchen are back with their fourth (!) cookbook, Trap Kitchen: The Art of Street Cocktails. Described as “alcoholic beverages sold illegally on the street, in barbershops and bodegas, and increasingly online,” the book includes recipes for street cocktails with “a Trap Kitchen twist.” Kingston Imperial, May 16.
The second title from 4 Color Books, Flavor + Us is Top Chef Junior finalist and college freshman (!) Rahanna Bisseret Martinez’s first cookbook. Approachable recipes from around the world, including Masa Doughnuts with Earl Gray Glaze,Makawoni au Graten, Frijoles Negros, Yachaejeon with Cho Ganjang, Dry-Fried Green Beans, Dungeness Crab Tinola, Trinity Korokke, New Orleans-Style Vietnamese Iced Coffee, Miser Wot and Jerk Eggplant Steaks. (Are they going to do the four colors on every 4 Color cover? I like the shades they chose for this book, they feel fresh but not like they’ll date quickly.) 4 Color Books, May 16.
On the one hand, I do not think cookbooks should be ever really be gendered. On the other hand, dads should probably cook more. Either way, here’s Dad in the Kitchen by Toronto chef Cory Vitiello and Chris Johns. Appetite by Random House, May 16.

Two separate people sent me this book on the same day last week, so I think it’s safe to say buzz is building? Crip Up the Kitchen by food photographer/writer/disability and trans rights advocate Jules Sherred is a guide to the kitchen for disabled and neurodivergent home cooks. Calling the kitchen “the most ableist room in the house,” Sherred shares tips (use an Instant Pot!) and recipes that brings cooking within reach. Chapters are organized by effort level (starting from 1 spoon on up) and include butter chicken, “Jules's Effin' Good Chili,” Thai winter squash soup, roast dinners, matzo balls, pho, samosas, borshch, shortbread, lemon pound cake, and more. There are also kitchen org, grocery shopping, and other more strategic cooking tips included. Touchwood, May 16.
I came back from Spain with a serious case of ice envy: how does every single place, even shitty dive bars, have better ice than most places in the US?! Well fear not, because drinks writer Camper English is on it with The Ice Book, teaching you how to make fancy cocktail ice in your home freezer. (Step one…make some room in the freezer, Forbes.) Red Lightning, May 23.

Niki Segnit is following up her 2010 hit The Flavor Thesaurus with The Flavor Thesaurus: More Flavors. With a focus on plant-based ingredients and flavors this time around, More Flavors “explores the character and tasting notes of chickpea, fennel, pomegranate, kale, lentil, miso, mustard, rye, pine nut, pistachio, poppy seed, sesame, turmeric, and wild rice-as well as favorites like almond, avocado, garlic, lemon, and parsley from the original-then expertly teaches readers how to pair them with ingredients that complement.” Bloomsbury, May 23.
John Ash of Hog Island Oyster Co. in California has written a massive guide to fish and seafood in The Hog Island Book of Fish & Seafood. 250 recipes! I just got a copy of this book, it’s an absolute doorstop, you probably want it. Cameron, May 23.
London-based food writer Su Scott has written an “intimate” cookbook that explores themes of motherhood, identity, and immigration, interspersed with Korean home cooking recipes in Rice Table. Quadrille, May 23, US release.
Michael Ruhlman returns to his “ratios” well, this time looking at cocktails in The Book of Cocktail Ratios. Charmingly illustrated by Marcella Kriebel. Scribner, May 23.
I like pie. Midwesterners like pie. Learn about midwestern pie in Midwest Pie! Edited by Meredith Pangrace. (Someone send me sour cherry pie, quickly, thank you.) Belt Publishing, May 23.
Hetty Lui McKinnon is back with a book that reflects on her childhood, her father, and all kinds of vegetable recipes: Tenderheart turns 22 “essential fruits and vegetables” into more than 180 recipes, including Miso Mushroom Ragu with Baked Polenta, Carrot and Vermicelli Buns, Crispy Potato Tacos, Kale, Ginger and Green Onion Noodles, Broccoli Wontons with Umami Crisp, Soy-Butter Bok Choy Pasta, and Sweet Potato and Black Sesame Marble Bundt. Knopf, May 30.
You know I love cookbooks with grandmothers: Yiayia by Anastasia Miari takes a moment for the grandmothers of Greece to shine. Recipes collected from women across the country include Stuffed Courgettes from Lesvos, a Cycladic Fourtalia, Corfiot spicy Bourdeto Stew, Ionian pasta dishes, Cretan Dakos salad, Watermelon Cake from Milos. Hardie Grant, May 30.

Susan Spungen is back with her fifth cookbook: Veg Forward is 100 (very pretty) vegetable-centric recipes. I cannot for the life of me figure out why this book is not on Bookshop but I am not linking to Amazon. Anyway, should be good! Fun cover.

Other books I’m excited about:

Campfire Cooking by Jakob Nusbaum. Skyhorse, May 2.
Oregon Wine + Food by Danielle Centoni and Kerry Newberry. Figure 1, May 2.
Slow Cooker Central 7 Nights of Slow Cooking by Paulene Christie. ABC Books, May 2.
Oh $#!% What’s for Dinner? by Maria Sansone. Familius, May 2.
The Offset Smoker Cookbook by Chris Grove. Ulysses Press, May 2.
The Little Citrus Cookbook by Catherine Phipps. Quadrile, May 2.
Ash’s Spice Journey by Ashraf Saleh. New Holland, May 5.
Mary Berry’s Baking Bible by Mary Berry. Clarkson Potter, May 9.
Rum Made Me Do It by Lance Mayhew. Andrews McMeel, May 9.
Little Everyday Cakes by Candace Floyd. Blue Hills Press, May 9.
Backcountry Cocktails by Steven Grasse and Adam Erace with Lee Noble. Running Press Adult, May 9.
Martini by David T. Smith and Keli Rivers. Ryland Peters & Small, May 9.
Pasta Masterclass by Mateo Zielonka. Quadrille, May 9.
100 Morning Treats by Sarah Kieffer. Chronicle, May 9.
The Modern Spice Rack by Esther Clark and Rachel Walker. Hardie Grant, May 9.
Zucchini Love by Cynthia Graubart. Storey, May 9.
The Civilian Conservation Corps Cookbook by Amy Bizzarri. History Press, May 15.
Eat Alberta First by Karen Anderson. Touchwood Editions, May 16.
Everyday Italian Cookbook by Domenica Marchetti. Weldon Owen, May 16.
Smashed: 60 Epic Smash Burgers by Adam Walton and Brett Walton. Harvard Common Press, May 16.
Gluten-Free Baking Made Simple by Cherie Lyden. May 16, 2023.
Real Thai Cooking by Chawadee Nualkhair. Tuttle, May 16.
Garden to Table Cookbook by Kayla Butts. Fox Chapel, May 16.
Strong, Sweet, and Bitter by Cara Devine. Hardie Grant, May 16.
Lilo and Stitch: The Official Cookbook by Tim Rita. Insight Editions, May 23.
Salad Pizza Wine by Janice Tiefenbach, Stephanie Mercier Voyer, and Ryan Gray. Appetite by Random House, May 23.
The Little Book of Charcuterie and Cheese by Lynda Balslev. Andrews McMeel, May 23.
Eddie Muller’s Noir Bar by Eddie Muller. Running Press, May 23.
Vietnamese Vegetarian by Uyen Luu. Hardie Grant, May 23.
Cooking With Shereen: Rockstar Dinners! by Shereen Pavlides. Page Street, May 23.
Wild Game Cooking by Keith Sarasin. Cider Mill Press, May 30.
Me, Myself, and Pie by Sherry Gore. Zondervan, May 30.