海角大神

Internet recipes have their place, but the top cookbooks of 2019 prove that some collections work best on the printed page. That鈥檚 true not just of all-encompassing guidebooks like the newly revised 鈥淛oy of Cooking,鈥� but also of titles that slice off a smaller section of culinary territory and explore it to the fullest. While the topics diverge widely, all the books featured here brim with distinct personality and expert advice.聽

Earlier this year, an online squabble revolved around whether recipes should tell a story or stick to directions. In book form, it鈥檚 clearer that the best can do both; all these selections are reliable resources for the kitchen as well as a pleasure for late-night browsing. Like the best books of any genre, they immerse readers in new worlds and new ideas. Here are our picks.

Flour Bakery dominates pastry

Joanne Chang, owner of Flour Bakery + Cafe in the Boston area, draws readers into 鈥淧astry Love: A Baker鈥檚 Journal of Favorite Recipes鈥� with recipes that offer something for every level of home baker. These run the gamut from customer-favorite cookies and brownies to homemade puff pastry and a two-day recipe for apple cider sticky buns. It would be easy to get intimidated by the more elaborate projects, but Chang has confidence that readers can eventually progress, should they choose, from the simpler sweets that start each section to the grander concepts at the end. Precise directions and troubleshooting comments help at all levels, and Chang鈥檚 warmth and enthusiasm are an added treat.聽

Many recipes are gluten-free, vegan, or built on whole grains. While plenty of Flour classics are included, the book also offers some desserts that would be impractical for a bakery to serve.

Vietnamese dishes for home cooks

Andrea Nguyen has already written a virtual reference library on Vietnamese cooking, with five previous cookbooks on the subject, from a James Beard Award-winning pho guide to the comprehensive 鈥淚nto the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors.鈥� Her new release, 鈥淰ietnamese Food Any Day: Simple Recipes for True, Fresh Flavors,鈥� stands on its own as an inviting overview on preparing accessible Vietnamese dishes in any kitchen.聽

Nguyen has distilled her expertise 鈥� and her own family鈥檚 experiences as refugees in the 1970s 鈥� to develop recipes where 鈥渢here鈥檚 no Asian-market shopping required鈥� and no specialty equipment involved. Her well-seasoned knowledge makes simple dishes shine, from chile garlic chicken wings to sizzling rice crepes. She takes readers through tasks as basic as cooking rice and selecting shrimp, but even aficionados can appreciate tweaks like making strong Vietnamese coffee without owning the traditional metal filter.

Just getting dinner on

The clear, practical advice of Molly Stevens has been the secret ingredient behind many a delicious dinner party. In her earlier books, 鈥淎ll About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking鈥� and 鈥淎ll About Roasting: A New Approach to a Classic Art,鈥� Stevens demystified those cooking techniques and shared sturdy, stellar recipes.聽

With her new collection, 鈥淎ll About Dinner: Simple Meals, Expert Advice,鈥� the longtime cooking instructor turns to the basic meals she makes in her own home. The humble-sounding topic turns out to be extraordinary; even her directions for a simple green salad or saut茅ed fish fillets elevate those everyday dishes to the point where you鈥檇 be proud to serve them to company.聽

As Stevens explains, part of becoming a good cook is 鈥渁bout figuring out how cooking fits into your daily life and learning to approach it with joy and confidence.鈥�

Middle Eastern food with a fresh twist

Adeena Sussman could cut through the dreariest winter day with recipes from 鈥淪ababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors From My Israeli Kitchen,鈥� her colorful love letter to her Tel Aviv home. There, even bags of the seasoning za鈥檃tar represent to her 鈥渢he sun and spice of this magical place.鈥澛�

The book is personal but also instructive, walking a cook through the region鈥檚 diverse flavors and cultures. The pages are bursting with bright recipes and delectable photos, such as a triple-ginger persimmon loaf perfectly backed by a fruity orange plate. Tahini (the subject of one of Sussman鈥檚 earlier books) shines in everything from breakfast smoothies to dessert blondies, while a fabulous hummus achieves 鈥渢he texture of buttercream frosting.鈥澛�

Sussman does her best to showcase foods she鈥檚 experienced and the people behind the dishes without becoming entangled in political conflicts, also making it clear that 鈥渢his is by no means a comprehensive guide to the foods of Israel, but rather a window into how I like to cook right now.鈥澛�

Previously best known as co-author of celebrity Chrissy Teigen鈥檚 bestselling cookbooks, Sussman has created a book with a passion and appeal that are all her own.聽

Beyond soul food

Toni Tipton-Martin spotlighted 鈥減reviously invisible鈥� black cookbook authors in 2015 in her James Beard Award-winning book, 鈥淭he Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks.鈥� She broadens that mission in her eye-opening new cookbook, 鈥淛ubilee: Recipes From Two Centuries of African American Cooking.鈥澛�

Drawing on historic recipes, she expands our understanding of African American food beyond the clich茅s of 鈥減overty, survival, and soul food.鈥� Backing her own professional-recipe development skills with decades of historical research, she showcases the full range of the contributions of African American cooks across social structures, 鈥渢he enslaved and the free, the working class, the middle class, and the elite.鈥澛�

Modern recipes are sometimes interspersed with historical versions of dishes, adding to our understanding of their evolution. Tempting recipes from jambalaya to devil鈥檚-food cake provide a rich and welcome history lesson along with Tipton-Martin鈥檚 straightforward and assured cooking advice.