NPR

These Are The Best Cookbooks Of 2018, According To Chef Kathy Gunst

Looking for a gift for the chef on your list? Here & Now resident chef Kathy Gunst says this year was another great one for cookbooks.
Three of chef Kathy Gunst's favorite cookbooks of 2018: "Pie Squared: Irresistibly Easy Sweet & Savory Slab Pies," by Cathy Barrow; "Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook," by Dorie Greenspan; "Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food," by Nik Sharma. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Here & Now resident chef Kathy Gunst has compiled a list of her favorite cookbooks of 2018, and joins hosts Robin Young and Jeremy Hobson with dishes from her top three picks.

You can find recipes from three of Kathy’s favorite 2018 cookbooks here, and also check out her latest cookbook, “Soup Swap,” published by Chronicle Books.


Another year, another collection of great cookbooks. I know that I say this every year, but 2018 offered so many good books it made it extremely difficult to pick my top 10, let alone my top three.

But the job must be done, so here are a few favorites.

There is much to learn from this collection — from incorporating Indian spices into everyday food, to baking unexpected combinations of fruit into pies, to finding inventive ways to use leftovers and endless ideas for making everyday cooking just a bit better.

And while air-fryer and instant-pot books abound, you won’t find any on this list. Call me old-fashioned, but this collection is devoted to that good-old on-the-stove or in-the-oven kind of cooking.

May your kitchen be filled with wonderful food this coming year!

You Want … To Wake Up The Flavors In Your Food

Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food,” by Nik Sharma

Nik Sharma is immensely talented. He not only developed this collection of outstanding recipes but also took all the gorgeous photographs found in “Season,” published by Chronicle Books. Known for his blog , Sharma introduces us to the exotic flavors of the

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR1 min read
Switzerland's Nemo Wins Eurovision 2024 In A Year Of Protests
The Swiss singer and rapper was one of two nonbinary artists in the finals at this year's event held in Malmo, Sweden. Meanwhile, protesters called for Israel's disqualification from the contest.
NPR4 min read
Israel Expands Evacuation Orders In Rafah As Aid Groups Struggle To Prepare
Israel's military issued new evacuation orders in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, forcing even more Palestinians to relocate on Saturday ahead of a likely expanded ground operation there.
NPR2 min read
Brian Wilson Of The Beach Boys Is Being Placed Under A Legal Conservatorship
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved the conservatorship Thursday, noting that Brian Wilson suffers from "a major cognitive disorder." Wilson has agreed to the conservatorship.

Related Books & Audiobooks