All the books bringing us joy in the kitchen this spring

Spring’s parade of cookbooks are bringing a lot of joy into our kitchens. We read, cooked and baked our way through dozens of them, finding respite in some newfound culinary wisdom. Ace L.A. baker Nicole Rucker of Fat + Flour gave us recipes from her new book for London Fog brownies and her signature vegan lemon lavender cookies, using simplified methods that turned her baking world around. Ari Kolender, the chef whose East Hollywood raw bar Found Oyster won us over with pristine seafood and clam shack charm, wrote “How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea” and helped us feel comfortable cooking all kinds of fish and shellfish. And along with chefs and other food lovers, we explored our own lived-in libraries, highlighting the cookbooks that have meant the most to us, the ones we most cherish, each for our own reasons. Here’s what we’re dog-earing right now.

Fat + Flour: The Art of a Simple Bake

The founder of Fat + Flour busts the biggest baking myth

In her new cookbook, Nicole Rucker of Fat + Flour shares insights that helped turn her baking world around.

THE RECIPES

Fat + Flour's Vegan Lemon Lavender Cookies

Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Yields Makes 12 cookies

Fat + Flour's London Fog Brownies

Time About 35 minutes, plus optional cooling time

Yields Makes one 9-by-13-inch tray of brownies

How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea

The chef who wooed L.A. with a million oysters perfects laid-back seafood

Chef Ari Kolender’s L.A. restaurants Found Oyster and Queen St. combine the charm of Charleston and the cult of seafood with chill cross-coastal vibes. His first cookbook is out: “How to Cook the Finest Things in the Sea.”

THE RECIPES

(You Will Love This) Mackerel Tartare With Horseradish and Dill

Time 40 minutes

Yields Serves 4 to 6

How to Perfectly Broil Scallops With Espelette Butter

Time 20 minutes

Yields Serves 4 to 6

Found Oyster's Scallop Tostadas with Yuzu-Apple Vinaigrette

Time 20 minutes

Yields Serves 2 to 4

Voices

Contributor: A simple route to seafood sustainability? Eat way more of these four things

Eating seafood sustainably is simpler than you think. Eat less salmon, tuna and shrimp and more of other kinds of fish and shellfish, for starters.

Best New Cookbooks

These are the 21 best new cookbooks of spring 2025

The best cookbooks of the 2025 spring season help cooks get comfortable in the kitchen.

Food

For Subscribers

62 cookbooks we can’t live without, according to chefs and food writers

From ‘The French Laundry Cookbook’ to ‘The Joy of Cooking,’ these are the cookbooks every kitchen needs, according to chefs and food writers.

April 18, 2025