14 Best Cookbooks For Beginner Chefs To Read In 2023
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Learning to cook isn't necessarily difficult. But it can be tough knowing where to start, especially if you haven't had experience with the basics. Even after you know how to sauté, bake, broil, and air-fry your way to cooking success, it can still take a while to learn how to make your own recipes from scratch. It takes practice to understand how flavors and ingredients work together to create a meal.
That's why newer chefs can benefit from using cookbooks made for beginners. Generally, a beginner-friendly cookbook takes the time to explain techniques that you may not be familiar with, uses easy-to-find ingredients, and explains recipes in a way that's easy to understand — even if you've never stepped foot in a kitchen.
If you're new to the cooking scene and aren't sure what your first step should be, consider picking a few of the following cookbooks. We've chosen a variety of cookbooks for beginner chefs to suit many different preferences.
1. Best for learning techniques: The New Cooking School Cookbook
"The New Cooking School Cookbook: Fundamentals" is the cookbook to start with — especially if you want to focus on cooking techniques. Don't worry about not learning actual recipes, though. This cookbook also contains recipes, but it's not your traditional recipe book.
Instead, you'll learn from the experts at America's Test Kitchen. These experts will walk you through each step, giving you more in-depth instructions than you'd find in other cookbooks. Essentially, you'll learn the "why" behind each step, rather than simply following a numbered list and hoping you get the desired results.
What we really love about this book is its scientific explanations of ingredients you use frequently in cooking. This book even explains why oils are better for specific recipes than others. You'll also learn how to use a knife safely, cook meat to the proper temperature, and just about everything you need to know to impress your guests the next time you host a meal.
2. Best for quick family meals: The Best Simple Recipes
If the reason you want to learn to cook is to make fresh meals for your family, "The Best Simple Recipes" is an excellent option. Made by America's Test Kitchen, this cookbook is chock-full of easy recipes that take about 30 minutes or less to make. That means that you can have dinner ready to feed your family's hungry mouths without spending hours in the kitchen.
The best part is that, while these recipes are simple to learn, they aren't lacking complexity in flavor. They still are full meals that will satisfy everyone's hunger and taste buds — rather than the somewhat minimalistic recipes you tend to find in similar cookbooks. Instead of cutting ingredients, the recipes use unique ways to cut down on steps to save you time in the kitchen. From burgers to casserole, this cookbook has a bit of everything. It will give you plenty of room to experiment and try new meals with your family.
3. Best for slow cooking: Crock Pot Cookbook for Beginners 2023
Slow cooking is one of the easiest ways to put together a meal. Aside from prepping the ingredients, there isn't much you need to do but wait for it to finish cooking. But there are a few techniques that can come in handy for beginners. The "Crock Pot Cookbook for Beginners 2023" makes learning those techniques a breeze.
With snacks, seafood, and appetizers, there is no shortage of recipes to choose from. The beginning of the book also has helpful tips, like cleaning a Crock Pot and converting measurements. Throughout the cookbook, you'll find recipes that only require five ingredients or less, making for budget-friendly and simple meals. One reviewer on Amazon also notes that many of the ingredients are ones you'd typically have at home. This means you don't need to hunt for offbeat foods to flavor the recipes. This book comes in handy for busy days when you need a hot, quick dish.
4. Best for air fryer recipes: Air Fryer Cookbook
Air fryers are designed to cook foods similarly to how frying them would, but in a healthier way. Air fryer recipes don't use oil, so they can be a healthier alternative to your deep-fried favorites. But cooking with an air fryer takes some practice. All air fryers work a bit differently, in terms of their settings and the time they take to cook.
The "Air Fryer Cookbook" makes things pretty simple for those new to air fryers. There are more than 600 recipes to choose from, so you can easily find recipes that are within your wheelhouse. More importantly, these recipes are super easy to follow. With clear instructions and minimal steps, the book helps you get started on your meals with no fuss.
If there's one downside, it's that the book lacks pictures. Also, its organization could be better. But its affordable price and simple recipes could be just what you need to start feeling more confident with your air fryer.
5. Best for low-prep cooking: The 'I Don't Want to Cook' Book
What's one thing that even seasoned chefs don't always enjoy? Prep work. As a beginner chef, it's easy to get overwhelmed with several recipe steps focused solely on prepping. If the thought of spending more than 20 minutes preparing a meal scares you away from learning to cook, try "The 'I Don't Want to Cook' Book."
This book is designed to minimize prep work as much as possible, by using ingredients that require little to no preparation. Some recipes even call for pre-prepped ingredients that you can usually find at your local grocery store. Even though the recipes are simplified to reduce your work, they're actually quite unique and flavorful. As one Amazon reviewer puts it, "I don't feel like I'm eating kid food!"
As a bonus, this cookbook features meals from several cultures, so you can try your hand at new dishes you've never made before.
6. Best for vegan cooking: Vegan Cookbook for Beginners
Vegan foodies have plenty of cookbooks available, but not all of them are made for beginners. The "Vegan Cookbook for Beginners" does so in two ways. First, its recipes are easy to make, so even the most entry-level chefs can learn to cook without feeling lost. Second, the cookbook targets people who are new to learning about a vegan lifestyle, by explaining the nuances of switching to a plant-based diet. You'll find information about ingredients to keep stocked in your home, as well as tips for keeping meals balanced without animal products.
We think this cookbook could be even better if it included pictures of each recipe. But we believe that most of the recipes are straightforward enough for chefs to use their imaginations for. With over 150 recipes, this book brings no shortage of flavorful and palate-pleasing meals to the table.
7. Best for holiday meals: Michael Symon's 5 in 5 for Every Season
If it's your first holiday cooking for the family, pick up "Michael Symon's 5 in 5 for Every Season." This cookbook has a bunch of holiday dishes to make, from main staples to tasty sides. Also, the meals inside only require five ingredients that you can cook with just five minutes of heat. Although prep work isn't included in those five minutes, these holiday meals are still relatively quick.
With this cookbook, you'll use a lot of fresh ingredients that can help you practice chopping, dicing, and slicing for future recipes. You'll learn techniques that will come in handy for any type of cooking, all while creating festive holiday dishes that your guests will think you spent loads of time on.
Amazon reviewers praise this cookbook for its ability to help them put meals on the table quickly. For example, one reviewer says, "Most can be cooked in under 30 minutes which is a big deal in my house."
8. Best for meal prepping: Damn Delicious Meal Prep
Meal prepping is an excellent way to save time cooking throughout the week. But it does take some time on prep day. For a beginner chef, some of the most challenging aspects of meal prepping are multi-tasking and timing.
Fortunately, "Damn Delicious Meal Prep" nails down the basics, so that you can become a meal prep expert in no time. The cookbook includes breakfast foods, lunches, dinners, and snacks — you'll have all meals covered. Plus, each recipe is written clearly to help you understand what to do. Plenty of pictures are included for reference, too.
Because a lot of people meal prep for health reasons — like controlling their portions and packing healthy meals to take to work — this book includes calorie counts for the ingredients you'll use. We also love that it has variations of several meals, along with shopping lists for everything you'll need to drum up tasty dishes.
9. Best for clean eating: The Well Plated Cookbook
"The Well Plated Cookbook" is all about clean ingredients and healthy eating. But unlike other cookbooks made for this purpose — that sometimes include confusing or intricate recipes — this one focuses on ease. In fact, many of the recipes include one or two changeable ingredients. This way, you never have to feel like you're eating the same foods over and over again. It can also help you to avoid some of the complexities and costs often associated with healthy eating.
This cookbook has 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon, with many happy customers raving about the delicious meals they've created with the book. Some reviewers also point out how helpful the book is at sharing tips for chefs of all levels. It explains things like making freezer meals ahead of time, as well as turning leftovers into new meals to cut down food waste.
10. Best for baking: Baking for Beginners
If you've tried both baking and cooking, you know how different the two actually are. Knowing how to cook doesn't always translate into knowing how to bake. Beginner chefs who want to learn how to bake should be able to get what they need from "Baking for Beginners: Step-by-Step, Quick & Easy." This cookbook has close to 100 baking recipes to experiment with. But it also gives barebones recipes, like cookies or simple cakes. Add ingredients to those recipes or integrate your creativity as you learn more techniques to come up with all new baked goods.
This book defines terms you'll need to know, as you work with different recipes. It even describes a few specific baking techniques, so you'll know what to do when you come across them in a recipe. Some examples of this include whipping up a meringue or folding in ingredients.
11. Best for grilling beginners: Ultimate Grilling Cookbook
Before you dive into cooking food on a grill, it's important to know a few things. For example, you should understand how a grill works, as well as how to use your specific grill. This will not just achieve yummy food results, but also ensure your safety. The "Ultimate Grilling Cookbook" dedicates a couple of its chapters to teaching readers about working with a grill, such as the differences between direct and indirect heat, whether to opt for gas or charcoal, and how to set up the grill.
Then, future grillmasters can jump right into the recipes. There are chapters for pork, shellfish, or poultry. The recipes are well-organized, and there are a good number of pictures. One Amazon reviewer swears that this cookbook has completely changed their grilling game in the best way possible: "This book will take you from novice to a grilling champ! Be careful though. If you use this book too often, you'll find that family, friends, and neighbors start 'dropping by' for dinner."
12. Best for keto recipes: Keto Cookbook for Beginners
The keto diet consists of low-carb and high-fat foods, designed to put the body into ketosis. Ketosis helps the body increase energy and burn fat more efficiently than it might if it used carbs as its primary energy source (via Cleveland Clinic). For inexperienced chefs new to keto, the "Keto Cookbook for Beginners" is an excellent introduction to the keto world.
Many of the recipes in this book have minimal ingredients and are quick to make. Plus, they use lots of ingredients you probably already have stocked, like zucchini, fresh fruit, and chicken. With over 1,000 recipes, you can spend endless hours practicing your keto meal prep and cooking just from this book alone.
Although several Amazon reviewers point out that the book would be better with pictures, many are also happy to trade photos for the hefty selection of keto-friendly recipes in this book.
13. Best for juicing: Juicing for Beginners
The name says it all. "Juicing for Beginners" is a cookbook that spells out everything you need to know to start juicing veggies, fruits, and other nutritious ingredients for overall health. Want to know how to find a juicer that will blend the ingredients you want to use, how to use juicing to reach your health goals, or maybe what ingredients can take you closer to your goals in each juice or smoothie you make? This cookbook covers it all, along with 100 juicing recipes to get you started.
One of our favorite features of this book is the visual icons each recipe includes. These icons are small, colored images that quickly let you know what health benefits the recipe offers, such as detoxifying the body or enhancing digestion. Therefore, if you're targeting a specific health need, you'll know exactly what recipes you should try.
14. Best for kid chefs: The Big, Fun Kids Cookbook
Don't forget the little chefs in your life! "The Big, Fun Kids Cookbook" has more than 150 recipes consisting of kid-friendly meals that youngsters will get excited to make. The pages are colorful and interesting, with eye-catching photos to help beginner kid chefs learn what their meals should look like.
The cookbook also includes plenty of newbie cooking tips. It even has suggestions for switching up recipes to make them even more fun and personalized. As you'd expect, the recipes are incredibly easy to follow. Even young kids can work somewhat independently with minimal adult help — although adult supervision is always a good idea in the kitchen.
An important feature of this book is the spiral binding that allows it to lie flat. This way, your child can keep their hands free of the book, and focus on their ingredients instead.