It’s our 5th annual Best Cookbooks of the Year for family cooks with Brian Stewart of the Salt + Spine podcast. (Yes, FIFTH!) Whether you’re looking for inspiration to make cooking for your family more exciting or hoping your kids can start pulling their weight in the kitchen, we’ve got the cookbooks you need. 

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About Our Guest: Brian Stewart

A once-budding chef, Brian passed on a culinary school degree to pursue journalism. He’s not a professional cook nor a cookbook author—but an avid home cook and an enthusiastic cookbook collector, with a collection now in the hundreds. 

In addition to podcasting, Brian has extensive experience leading public relations and storytelling efforts for numerous non-profit groups and advocacy organizations, including MoveOn.org and the Center for American Progress. He has also led public relations campaigns for a range of hospitality clients including the James Beard Foundation, the MINA Group, the San Francisco Ferry Building, New Belgium Brewing, Mr. Espresso, Ramen Nagi, TETRA Hotel (Autograph Collection), and more.

Brian has worked extensively in journalism and new media, conducting hundreds of interviews throughout his career, including time spent covering food culture and personalities in the Midwest. Brian is a native of Iowa, where he studied journalism, English, and American studies.
To follow Brian, subscribe to Salt + Spine, join his #talkcookbooks community, follow Salt + Spine on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Links From This Episode

Best Kids Cookbook

• Dynamite Kids Cooking School: Delicious Recipes That Teach All the Skills You Need by Dana Bowen and Sara Kate Gillingham

Best for Tired Family Cooks

• I Dream of Dinner (so You Don’t Have To): Low Effort, High Reward Recipes by Ali Slagle
• Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten 
• Home Is Where the Eggs Are by Molly Yeh
• Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-Pan Meals by Melissa Clark

Best for Inspired Family Cooks

• The Cook You Want to Be: Everyday Recipes to Impress by Andy Baraghani
• Pasta Grannies: Comfort Cooking: Traditional Family Recipes From Italy’s Best Home Cooks by Vicky Bennison

Best for Easy Baking

• Sheet Pan Sweets: Simple, Streamlined Dessert Recipes by Molly Gilbert
• Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy Recipes for Exceptionally Scrumptious Sweets and Treats by Jessie Sheehan

Best for Project Baking

• Savory Baking: Recipes for Breakfast, Dinner, and Everything in Between by Erin Jeanne McDowell
• Baking by Feel: Recipes to Sort Out Your Emotions (Whatever They Are Today!) by Becca Rea-Tucker
• Good & Sweet: A New Way to Bake with Naturally Sweet Ingredients by Brian Levy

Best Cookbook to Inspire Wanderlust

• The Forest Feast Road Trip: Simple Vegetarian Recipes Inspired by My Travels through California by Erin Gleeson
• Somebody Feed Phil the Book: Untold Stories, Behind-the-Scenes Photos and Favorite Recipes by Phil Rosenthal, Jenn Garbee, and Massimo Bottura

Best Cookbook to Leave on the Counter for Kids Who Needs to Start Helping More

• Eitan Eats the World: New Comfort Classics to Cook Right Now by Eitan Bernath

Best Cookbook for Those Prepping for the Apocalypse

• Food52 Simply Genius: Recipes for Beginners, Busy Cooks & Curious People by Kristen Miglore

Best Cookbook for Cultivating Community Giving

• For the Table: Easy, Adaptable, Crowd-Pleasing Recipes by Anna Stockwell
• Watermelon and Red Birds: A Cookbook for Juneteenth and Black Celebrations by Nicole A. Taylor
  

Other mentions:

• Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a Timeless Staple by Jorge Gaviria
• Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home by Eric Km
• First Generation: Recipes from My Taiwanese-American Home by Frankie Gaw
• Diasporican: A Puerto Rican Cookbook by Illyanna Maisonet
• Cook Once Dinner Fix: Quick and Exciting Ways to Transform Tonight’s Dinner into Tomorrow’s Feast by Cassy Joy Garcia
• Bare Minimum Dinners: Recipes and Strategies for Doing Less in the Kitchen by Jenna Helwig

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