By Karla Walsh
As we approach the tail end of the holiday shopping season, I couldn’t resist popping in with a reminder that cookbooks are gifts that keep on giving. Not only are they beautiful to display on the coffee table, they’re also a source of inspiration for years to come. Besides my mom’s handwritten recipes, one of my most-treasured tomes is a 1953 edition of “The Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook” that I found at an Iowa City thrift store. I love imagining how many meals and memories have been — and will be — created courtesy of those well-worn and splattered pages.
Another old adage suggests pairing something old with something new, and that’s definitely what you’ll find in my cookbook collection. Since I write about food for dsm as well as national outlets like CNN, BHG, Allrecipes and Southern Living, each year I receive hundreds of email and mail deliveries about soon-to-be-sold cookbooks, in hopes that I might feature the book or author in future stories. While many are beautiful and inspiring, my pantry shelf can bear the weight of only so many books. Just a select few make the cut.
Here are five 2025 releases that I’m proud to own, have already dripped on and believe would make very worthy gifts for your loved ones or yourself.
For comfort-food fans: “Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love,” by Samin Nosrat
This is the heartfelt follow-up to “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat,” Nosrat’s encyclopedic debut cookbook that has taught an entire generation to cook from instinct. Now, the warm, relatable culinary coach is back with more inspiration about what to cook and why. “A written recipe is just a shimmering decoy for the true inheritance: the thread of connection that cooking it will unspool,” Nosrat writes, alongside 125 recipes she cooks for herself and those she loves. From fluffy focaccia and ricotta custard pancakes to mac and cheese that’s better than the box (and just as easy), this book feels like a warm hug. No wonder it prompted local chef and food editor Haley Scarpino to dream up a full three-course meal after she saw Nosrat speak in Iowa City.
Best for a nourishing boost: “Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savor,” by Hetty Lui McKinnon
Once upon a time, Chinese-born Australian chef and food writer McKinnon would toss together hearty, colorful salads in bulk, then deliver individual portions by bike to members of her “salad club” in Sydney. Nearly 15 years later, her idea has blossomed into a much larger salad delivery service in New York City (hey Hetty, come to Des Moines!) and multiple cookbooks. The latest is a tribute to both seasonal salads and sweets that merit a bit of lingering appreciation, be it at your desk or a dinner party. This winter, I’ve my sights on the French onion salad, roasted spiced carrots and crispy tofu with sweet-sour agrodolce.
Best for entertainers: “Let’s Party: Recipes and Menus for Celebrating Every Day,” by Dan Pelosi
If you ask Pelosi, a self-proclaimed “meatball making meatballs,” there’s no wrong season or reason to party. On the heels of his debut cookbook “Let’s Eat,” the hilarious, honest and magnetic recipe developer behind the popular @grossypelosi social media account is back with 16 unique dinner party menus that erase replace intimidation with so much color and inspiration. Pelosi gives us permission to outsource things outside of our zones of genius, to remove any whisper of pretension (invite folks over to enjoy breakfast for dinner), and to steal his irresistible concept for a holiday cookie party. This fall I was lucky enough to chat with Pelosi by phone from his upstate New York home for a recent CNN feature, and he mentioned that his receipt for Pumpkin Cider Braised Pork Shoulder is also the ultimate home air freshener. I told him he’d feel right at home here in Iowa if his definition of a good time includes what is, essentially, a pork-scented candle.
Best for guests: “What Can I Bring? Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life,” by Casey Elsass
“Oh, just bring yourself!” We’ve all heard it from hosts. But in this debut collection by Elsass, a recipe developer and cookbook ghostwriter extraordinaire, he urges us to never show up empty-handed. His book equips us with 75 recipes ranging from host gifts like seasoned oyster crackers to snacks such as seven-onion dip to show-stopping desserts like an apple and Chinese five-spice pie. Even when I’m not vying for MVP (most valuable partygoer), I’ve been enjoying cooking my way through this collection. My favorite aha moment so far? Marinating hot boiled potatoes with pickle and pepperoncini brine for an hour before turning them into a next-level potato salad.
Best for bakers: “Dorie’s Anytime Cakes,” by Dorie Greenspan
“We’re lucky because we work in food. That means we’ll never stop learning,” Julia Child once told Greenspan during their decades of collaborations and friendship. The 78-year-old bestselling author, recipe developer and 2018 Winefest guest star continues to learn and share the best of her discoveries in her 15th cookbook. Beautifully illustrated by Nancy Pappas, this roundup of sweet and savory cakes is so elegantly simple you probably already have all the ingredients, and so craveable you’ll want to keep the results on the counter so you can savor a slice … and then another. The “Simplest, Plainest, Most Old-Fashion — Also Best Tasting — Marble Cake” is absolutely that. Next up: I’ll try the feta, sumac and za’atar loaf because I love to try new things.
The links to the book titles above direct you to Bookshop.org, where you can support local book stores even when you shop online. And if you’re craving more, don’t miss our guides to the best cookbooks of 2022, 2023 and 2024.
