9 Cookbooks To Make You A Better Home Chef, According To A Cookbook Author
Hetty McKinnon shares her top picks.
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One of my favorite things when I go over to someone's house is to check out what cookbooks they have on their shelf—because typically, each has a story behind it: the first cookbook you ever bought, another that has your dream roast chicken, or the one stained with oil because the recipe has been beloved for years. "Sometimes I buy cookbooks simply because I love the way they look," says Hetty McKinnon, food blogger and cookbook author. "Others offer a chance to escape into another person's world."
McKinnon wasn't even into cookbooks until she got serious about cooking—and began telling her own story through food. She calls her latest—and most personal—cookbook, To Asia With Love, her "homecoming": "My story is one that children of immigrants always experience," says McKinnon, who grew in a traditional Cantonese household in Sydney. "You exist in this other space, this third culture. It's been a lifelong journey of coming to peace with my own identity as a Chinese Australian cook."
For many who follow McKinnon on Instagram, you may not even know her food is entirely vegetarian. "It's not an element I scream about," she says. "My whole thing is making vegetables as delicious and interesting and creative as they can be. I want to show people that meat-free cooking is about gaining something rather than losing. And what you’re gaining? Flavor and creative ways of cooking."
These are the nine cookbooks McKinnon thinks everyone should have in their kitchen.
"This was the first time I really read about Hawaiian culture, one that I grew up hearing about (I ate a lot of SPAM as a kid) because my mother almost immigrated to Hawaii instead of Sydney, Australia. It was so interesting to read about the different Asian cultures and the history of Hawaii."
"I love Nigella Lawson's passion for food—it's so clear how much she loves it. I don’t even know how she comes up with descriptions they're so vivid and immersive."
"This book taught me a lot about the country of my parents. There are many parallels between my family and hers: while she uses similar ingredients I grew up eating, she flavors them differently because she's from Shanghai. Really shows you the vastness of one country and how deeply personal food can be."
"A real treasure—this book transports me. I love the idea of allowing a place to influence the way you cook—because where you live does affect how you interpret food. This book is so beautiful and timeless."
"I never really followed the YouTube series, but I actually cooked a lot of from this book last year during COVID. One of my cooking projects was learning different pasta shapes! I love heirloom cooking methods, and it’s a wonderful thing to read the Italian grandmother's stores and then actually get to see them."
"From the writer of the food blog two red bowls. I picked up this book and saw my own story. She also grew up in South Carolina with Chinese parents. It’s about bringing together all the influences on one table."
"Diana Henry is one of my favorite writers of all time; it’s hard to choose a favorite of hers—she’s kind of my cookbook hero. She weaves stories into place and time. Her cookbooks transport me."
"The food in here is so thoughtful. It’s gluten free, but I don’t even think of it like that. It’s beautiful in every way: writing, photography, and recipes."
"The cookbook that made me fall in love in cookbooks. The art direction is what I love. Reportage style photography. It’s timeless and classic, which is what I'm always looking for."
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