"At Home"
By Gavin Kaysen and Nick Fauchald
The award-winning chef teamed up with a local award-winning author for his debut cookbook, giving readers a look inside his home life. Born from the popular Chef GK At Home virtual cooking classes held throughout the pandemic, the book has several recipes with illustrated steps, so you won't feel alone when attempting gnocchi for the first time. Thoughtful lessons are peppered throughout (clean as you go, commandments for grocery shopping, the fridge is your frenemy) and you'll be earmarking most of the recipes, which are arranged by season. But as you're channeling your inner chef, be sure to notice the sweet touches, namely the inside-cover endorsements of his sons: "He has helped me try foods that I would have never had tried before, and now I love them."
$35, Spoon Thief Publishing, October 2022, 266 pages
"Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today"
Minnesota's most celebrated (albeit fictional) home cook is now 100. As her hairstyles have evolved with the times, so has her approach to cooking. There are 375 new recipes in this massive tome, which will prove useful for both experienced and new cooks. Find vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free recipes (all marked appropriately) and cooking instructions for today's methods (air fryers and multicookers). Sprinkled throughout are handy "use it up" pages, giving quick instructions on using the last of everything from berries to fish fillets. Truly a one-stop cookbook.
$32.50, Harvest Publishing, October 2022, 704 pages
"Northern Soul: Southern-Inspired Home Cooking From a Northern Kitchen"
By Justin Sutherland
The Handsome Hog chef has had an eclectic culinary upbringing, with his family's Japanese, Norwegian and Southern influences served at the dinner table, often together. But, he says in his first cookbook, soul food has his heart: "This is the food that resonates with me, that feeds my soul. The recipes within this book are the stories of my life." So we're treated to recipes that are served at his St. Paul restaurant — think Tennessee Hot Chicken, Biscuits and Gravy, Creamed Corn, Catfish and Grits — as well as glimpses of Sutherland's larger-than-life personality. Bring on the hush puppies.
$27, Harvard Common Press, September 2022, 207 pages