Why Cookbooks Are More Approachable Than Ever Right Now

In 1961’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking — one of the most influential cookbooks of the past century and a volume that’s sold millions of copies since its publication — authors Simone Beck, Louise Bertholle, and Julia Child wrote, “Our primary purpose in this book is to teach you how to cook so that you will understand the fundamental techniques and gradually be able to divorce yourself from a dependence on recipes.”

True to this promise, the iconic cookbook broke down the fundamentals of French cooking techniques, including an entire chapter on sauces and a section on “pâte à choux, puffs, gnocchi, and quenelles.”

When developing recipes for classic French dishes, Beck, Bertholle, and Child cut no corners; they prioritized accuracy and detail, even when it took more time. To make their cassoulet, you’ll need to commit to a multi-day process that calls for roast pork, lamb, and sausage, all in one dish.

Fast-forward to the mid-2020s, and the ethos of the latest wave of cookbooks underscores a shift in what home cooks are searching for. Cookbooks that focus on simpler, more accessible recipes are now in vogue, and they come from a long list of heralded writers and chefs, including widely known names like Dorie Greenspan and Christopher Kimball, the creator of the 177 Milk Street culinary empire, as well as self-taught cooking influencers.

While they may come from vastly different perspectives and sources, these newer publications share a similar goal: to coax people back into the kitchen, especially the latest generation, who are increasingly turning to social media for cooking advice.

Why are simple cookbooks trending?

Maggie Hoffman, host and executive producer of The Dinner Plan podcast and a Substack newsletter of the same name, posits that simple cookbooks “resonate because so many of us have shared some version of these experiences: feeling short on time, short on money, or trying to keep too many balls in the air.”

Beyond that, prioritizing simplicity “arose out of the urgent need to gather with friends and family post-2020,” says Hoffman. This means simple cooking isn’t limited to making meals for yourself. You’ll find more approachable themes and recipes in both books, whether aimed at everyday home cooking or home entertaining. 

Dan Pelosi’s Let’s Party, Casey Elsass’s What Can I Bring?, and Samin Nosrat’s Good Things all “emphasize how much more important it is to be with your people than to serve perfection,” Hoffman points out. 

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic certainly inspired Jeremy Sewell, chef-owner of the Row 34 seafood restaurants in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, to develop his cookbook, Everyday Chef: Simple Dishes for Family and Friends. When schools and restaurants closed in 2020, his three children — one in college, one in high school, and one in middle school — were home with their parents, presenting a different kind of stage and audience for the professional chef.

“I found a lot of comfort being in my own kitchen and cooking,” Sewell recalls. “I started to think about food differently.”

The chef explains that while he knows some readers want to be inspired by cookbooks, at the same time, “it can’t be so lofty that [they say], ‘I can’t do that,’ ‘I don’t have time,’ or ‘It’s intimidating.’” His recipes range from banana bread to roasted sweet potatoes, as well as seafood dishes that echo those found in his restaurants. 

Sewels says his ideal reader is “anyone who cooks at home, whether you’re a novice or a skilled chef. Cooking at home is a different skill set, and I had to learn that.” He advises home cooks not to stress over reactions to their menus, a mindset he had to cultivate, too. “You can create a meal for people, and not everyone has to eat everything. I’m never going to make a meal of three or four things where all five of us are going to eat everything.”

What do simple cookbooks look like?

This new approach to cookbooks can be applied to specific cuisines, specialties, or even categories of dishes, allowing cookbook authors to highlight their expertise while appealing to trepidatious home cooks.

New York Times best-selling author Dorie Greenspan has written 15 cookbooks, ranging from Paris Sweets, which focuses on famous sweets from its namesake city, to several tomes that highlight simple, easy-to-make desserts, like Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty, and Simple. 

Her latest, Dorie’s Anytime Cakes, has been on her mind for years. In 2017, Greenspan wrote in The New York Times Magazine that she was intrigued by the Swedish tradition of “visiting cakes.” These cakes are intended to be so straightforward that a baker could begin mixing the batter when they knew guests were on their way over, pop the cake in the oven, and have it ready to serve when their company had settled in for a chat. 

That concept evolved into her recipes for anytime cakes, which often require no frosting or extra adornment and are delicious as-is, so friends, family, and guests can cut off a slice whenever they want over the course of a day or weekend. If baking a cake has ever sounded intimidating, this book will dispel your fears.

In 2022, Mandy Yin won recognition for her Malaysian cookbook, Sambal Shiok, named after and based on recipes developed at her London restaurant. The Guardian called the book “beautiful, inspiring, but above all authoritative.” In her second cookbook, Simply Malaysian, which was published earlier this year, Yin shifted gears to focus on “everyday dishes to cook at home.” 

Her recipe for Sambal Eggs, for example, yields a simple, quick dish that Yin says she and her husband often make for themselves. She advises cooks to accompany it with store-bought paratha, “although any bread will do, really!”

You’ll also find an easy meal that Yin often makes for her children inside this book, a dish that pairs store-bought frozen, battered cod filets with a quick sauce made from onion, ginger, red chili, ketchup, and vinegar. And Yin is far from the only author to leverage store-bought shortcuts when making cooking more approachable.

In You Got This!, author Diane Morrisey promises “recipes anyone can make, and everyone will love.” She doesn’t have a professional culinary degree, but Morrisey is a talented self-taught cook and former caterer with six children who aims her 100 recipes at the idea of getting something tasty on the table with minimal effort. In some cases, that means using prepared items.

Her techniques and tricks are relatable to many home cooks, and Morrisey doesn’t shy away from the occasional premade ingredient, like store-bought pizza dough for butter chicken calzones. 

Shortcuts like these point to a major priority that’s prevalent in simple cookbooks: saving time. Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street magazine regularly features “Tuesday Night” recipes that are meant to come together quickly midweek. That’s led to several cookbook collections, and his latest book, Milk Street Shorts, is even more streamlined.

Based on the concept that less is more, the book takes cooks through nearly 150 recipes grouped under “short,” “shorter,” and “shortest.” Some are stews, others are side dishes, and there’s even a recipe for a clementine cake prepared in a blender. 

With recipes tailored to the exact amount of time you have on hand, strategies that make entertaining actually easy, and authors who seem to understand what all of us need in the kitchen right now, the cookbooks of the moment are ensuring we won’t just be making recipes from TikTok, no matter how viral they are.