The 10 best cookbooks of 2024, according to local experts

By Karla Walsh

‘Tis the season for holiday cooking and holiday gifting. Whether you’re aiming to spice up your own kitchen routine or seeking a thoughtful gift for a foodie in your life, you can find some serious inspiration from our guide to the year’s new cookbooks.

Thousands of new cookbooks are published every year, so choosing a good one can be as daunting as selecting the next show to watch on Netflix. So for the last couple of years (including 2022 and 2023), we’ve asked local food pros and book experts to recommend their new favorites — the beautiful tomes that inspire culinary daydreams or the more practical ones that they’ve already dog-eared and dripped on.

George Formaro, chef-partner of the Orchestrate Hospitality (Centro, Django, Bubba and others), has a massive cookbook library and an even bigger place in his heart for local food history. But his passion for a taste of place knows no bounds. Lately, he’s been craving Korean food, which is why he recommends “Korea World” by Deuki Hong and Matt Rodbard. It’s “a journey through the vast diaspora of Korean cooking, blending old soul flavors with fresh, modern ideas,” Formaro wrote in an email. Dishes like Pineapple Kimchi Fried Rice and Honey Butter Corn Ribs make “every recipe feel alive with history and creativity,” Formaro explained. “My grocery list seems to grow with every turn. The balance of timeless traditions and innovative takes makes this book so much more than a collection of recipes. It’s an inspiring celebration of one of the world’s hottest cuisines.”

Keri Jacobson is a Des Moines Public Library librarian by day and a passionate cook by night, which makes her the perfect person to host the library’s virtual cookbook club. So what’s the one 2024 cookbook she comes back to again and again? She said “What Goes with What: 100 Recipes, 20 Charts, Endless Possibilities” by Julia Turshen would make a great gift, especially for beginning cooks. “Instead of just offering recipes, this cookbook teaches users how to build flavor and engage with ingredients already on hand through creative charts and friendly suggestions,” Jacobson said. The Shaved Fennel and Apple Salad sounds particularly enticing after yesterday’s feast.

Jan Kaiser, the marketing and events coordinator at Beaverdale Books,said the store’s top-selling cookbook this year celebrates a cuisine that’s close to the heart of a certain comedian and his family. “Does This Taste Funny?” by Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert has been flying off the shelves, suggesting that celebrity and regional cookbooks continue to be big. As you might expect, the book incorporates entertaining stories and enticing images to celebrate doable recipes like crabcakes, chess pie, and Mom’s Shrimp and Hominy, all of which honor the couple’s roots in South Carolina. (Spoiler alert: The dishes don’t taste funny. They taste fantastic.)

Sammy Mila, the recipe developer, food stylist and owner of Crème, already wears a lot of hats. But after just one bite of her new vegan cookie butter brownies, we crown her the queen of baking. She said “The Elements of Baking: Making Any Recipe Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free or Vegan” has helped her translate her traditional recipes into gluten-free and vegan versions that are just as good. Gluten-free Vegan Cinnamon Rolls and Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Meringue Cake are just the beginning of the best-selling book’s tempting lineup.

Alisa Woods, owner of Sift n Sprinkle Bakery, is a baker by trade and, according to her husband, an underrated chef. Lately, she’s been hooked on Matty Matheson’s “Soups, Salads, Sandwiches.” Matheson, who rose to fame through YouTube and then FX’s hit show “The Bear,” “has this main character energy that makes you feel like he could be your actual friend,” Woods said. “Then he turns out recipes that blow your mind,” like Griddled Salami Panzanella Salad and Banana Bread French Toast with Fried Egg. Some of the recipes aren’t simple, she added, but “the end product is always something I am absolutely excited to devour.” Project cooks: This one’s for you.

If you’d prefer to sample a book before you buy it, head to the Des Moines Public Library. Its smorgasbord of cookbooks has been particularly hot this year, according to Tim Paluch, marketing and communications supervisor. Books by celebs are big, along with baking books and guides to quick and easy meal prep. Here are the library’s five titles that have been checked out most often during the past year: