June 2026 Cookbook Reviews

 

The Flavor of Fire by Kelsey Barnard Clark

This cookbook is all about Southern grilling. Clark gives a lot of helpful information about set up, grilling tools needed, and tips on both grilling and smoking. The first section of recipes is divided into grilling and smoking with tips for all types and cuts of meat. Then she goes into rubs and marinades and then grilling/smoking sides. I love grilling and you can really do a lot on a grill, but I never understand making biscuits or bread on a grill - unless you're camping out and don't have access to an oven. There is a lot of good information, I just didn't find many recipes I wanted to try.

Eating at Home by Trinity Mouzon Wofford 

A lot of the current food culture is about not cooking - food delivery, meal kits, hacks, etc. The premise of Eating at Home is what if cooking meals from scratch wasn't just about the food but about being in the present moment. I really like that Wofford focuses on using seasonal, local produce and sourcing high quality food. The recipes are organized like a typical cookbook - breakfast, lunch, dinner, baking, etc. While I love the premise of the book, I didn't find many recipes I wanted to try. But I do agree with Wofford about the importance and financial savings of cooking from scratch with local food.

The Complete Grilling and Barbecue Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen

This is a very comprehensive cookbook all about grilling. I wouldn't expect anything less from America's Test Kitchen. The first section gives a lot of helpful tips about grilling with both charcoal or gas. Then the chapters are about grilling specific types of meat, vegetables, pizza, bread, dessert, etc. There is also a chapter about sauces, relishes, and rubs. This is a very thorough cookbook with a lot of information and recipes. If you are new to grilling or want to up your grilling game, this is the cookbook to check out.

King Arthur Baking Company's The Book of Pizza by King Arthur Baking Company

If you like pizza, this is the cookbook for you. King Arthur Baking Company covers every aspect and every style of pizza. The first section covers "the elements of great pizza" - dough, sauce, cheese, toppings, bake, and finishing touch. Then the recipes are based on the type of pizza - Chicago, New York, weeknight, Neapolitan, etc. At the end of the cookbook are chapters on pizza night salads and desserts. I also really like that the recipes include measurements by both weight (grams) and volume (cups). Whether you're new to making pizza at home or want to up your game, this is a great cookbook to check out.

The Taste of Country Cooking: 50th Anniversary Edition by Edna Lewis

This is a 50th anniversary edition of the Edna Lewis classic Southern cookbook, The Taste of Country Cooking, that was originally published in 1976. This edition has the foreword written by Toni Tipton-Martin, but I liked that at the end they included the foreword and introductions of the 2006 edition (30th anniversary edition) as well. The book is organized by the four seasons and Lewis writes an introduction to that season with what would be growing, other seasonal things happening - celebrations, etc. and then throughout the recipes in the section, there are other notes about dishes or ingredients. This cookbook definitely stands the test of time and showcases simple, seasonal, Southern cooking.

The Great Book of Chocolate by David Lebovitz

Who doesn't love chocolate? So, a cookbook full of chocolate recipes is sure to be great, right?! David Lebovitz really explores chocolate thoroughly in this cookbook. The first 70 pages are all about how chocolate is made, a history of chocolate, types of chocolate, how to buy and store chocolate, etc. The the rest of the book are the recipes. The majority of the recipes are sweet, but there are a few savory ones at the very end. I was expecting to find more recipes I wanted to try, but there were only a few that looked good to me. But, it's a very thorough book with all the other information about chocolate in addition to the recipes.

Vegetables the Italian Way by Giulia Scarpaleggia

I'm not vegetarian, but I do love vegetables and I'm always looking for new ways to cook with them. I really like that this cookbook is organized by the way the vegetables are cooked, so even though one vegetable might be in a recipe, you could easily substitute something else. Several of the recipes do include a note on different variations or substitutions. If you're looking to incorporate more vegetables into your diet or eat more seasonally, this is a great cookbook to get some ideas.

In Season by Lisa Steele

I love a good seasonal cookbook, but this one was odd. Instead of the recipes being organized by season, the recipes were still by type (soup, salads, vegetables, etc.) and then within each chapter there were notes at the top of which season applied to that recipe. There are also 4 chapters on eggs which also seemed odd. The author's previous cookbook is all egg recipes, so obviously she's into eggs but to have 4 entire chapters in this type of cookbook seemed odd to me. I really don't like that the recipes weren't organized by season - to me that is the whole point of a seasonal cookbook. My other main complaint was that the Introduction and chapter about sourcing ingredients were in white font on a green background and it was extremely hard to read. Overall, I wasn't impressed with this one.