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Martha: The Cookbook—100 Favorite Recipes, with Lessons and Stories from My Kitchen
Martha Stewart celebrates her landmark 100th book with an intimate collection of 100 treasured recipes and the memories and stories behind them. A must for everyone who has ever been inspired by the one-and-only Martha.
Join Martha in the kitchen as she shares favorite recipes and invaluable tips along with charming photos from her private archives. Her most personal book yet, The Cookbook is a must for everyone who has ever been inspired by the one-and-only Martha. Learn how to cook her mother’s humble Potato Pierogi, her decadent Gougères, a comforting Apple Brioche Bread Pudding, and the famous Paella she makes for the luckiest friends who visit her in summer. You’ll find something to satisfy everyone’s taste, whether it’s a simple meal you make for yourself, a weeknight family dinner, or a special celebration, recipes range from breakfast & brunch to soups & salads, hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, dinner, and of course dessert.
Like a scrapbook of Martha’s life in cookbook form, this is the ultimate collection for devotees as well as newer fans who want to become more confident in the kitchen and do what Martha does Start with the basics and elevate them. From timeless classics to contemporary delights, these recipes reflect storied moments from her legendary, trailblazing career.
Join Martha in the kitchen as she shares favorite recipes and invaluable tips along with charming photos from her private archives. Her most personal book yet, The Cookbook is a must for everyone who has ever been inspired by the one-and-only Martha. Learn how to cook her mother’s humble Potato Pierogi, her decadent Gougères, a comforting Apple Brioche Bread Pudding, and the famous Paella she makes for the luckiest friends who visit her in summer. You’ll find something to satisfy everyone’s taste, whether it’s a simple meal you make for yourself, a weeknight family dinner, or a special celebration, recipes range from breakfast & brunch to soups & salads, hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, dinner, and of course dessert.
Like a scrapbook of Martha’s life in cookbook form, this is the ultimate collection for devotees as well as newer fans who want to become more confident in the kitchen and do what Martha does Start with the basics and elevate them. From timeless classics to contemporary delights, these recipes reflect storied moments from her legendary, trailblazing career.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 12, 2024
216 people are currently reading
265 people want to read
About the author
Martha Stewart
456 books571 followersMartha Helen Stewart is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, focusing on home and hospitality, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, merchandising and e-commerce. She has written numerous bestselling books, was the publisher of Martha Stewart Living magazine and hosted two syndicated television programs: Martha Stewart Living, which ran from 1993 to 2004, and The Martha Stewart Show, which ran from 2005 to 2012.
In 2004, Stewart was convicted of felony charges related to the ImClone stock trading case; she served five months in federal prison for fraud and was released in March 2005. There was speculation that the incident would effectively end her media empire, but in 2005 Stewart began a comeback campaign and her company returned to profitability in 2006. Stewart rejoined the board of directors of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2011 and became chairwoman of her namesake company again in 2012. The company was acquired by Sequential Brands in 2015. Sequential Brands Group agreed in April 2019 to sell Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, including the Emeril brand, to Marquee Brands for $175 million with benchmarked additional payments.
In 2004, Stewart was convicted of felony charges related to the ImClone stock trading case; she served five months in federal prison for fraud and was released in March 2005. There was speculation that the incident would effectively end her media empire, but in 2005 Stewart began a comeback campaign and her company returned to profitability in 2006. Stewart rejoined the board of directors of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in 2011 and became chairwoman of her namesake company again in 2012. The company was acquired by Sequential Brands in 2015. Sequential Brands Group agreed in April 2019 to sell Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, including the Emeril brand, to Marquee Brands for $175 million with benchmarked additional payments.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
March 4, 2025
I'm torn on my review. I love Martha's recipes. Due to her high standards, they're usually delicious. Over the years, as I learned how to cook, many times I've relied on her recipes, especially from those in her Everyday Food magazine (which I sorely miss). Although this book is gorgeous, I'm disappointed with the 100 favorite recipes she chose. Out of the thousands she's made over the years, these are what she picked? I was hoping for more. Still, there are quite a few that I'll give a try, especially her Tarte au Fromage.
December 15, 2024
This big 100th cookbook from Martha Stewart could be set out as a utilitarian coffee table book. Inside you will find 100 of her most treasured recipes along with the meticulously styled, gorgeous photos we expect from her for each one.
The recipes are well written and as you might expect, run the gamut from simple to fairly complicated. This really is a book for fans of Martha as the recipes themselves aren't particularly inspiring and have often appeared in other forms. Sprinkled throughout are mini essays often coupled with older black and white photos that fans may enjoy.
Those who aren't fans aren't likely to be swayed in changing their opinion after reading the book, it oozes the privilege, hyper name-droppy-ness and humble braggy-ness that the author is well known for. The headnotes will either be immensely delightful to those who love her or infuriatingly cringey to those who don't. Take a look at the one for the Bucatini with Bottarga recipe to get a sense of what to expect:
I had never tried bucatini, a thick tubular spagetti like pasta, prior to visiting the Italian island of Sardinia. I had also never tasted bottarga, preserved and salted mullet row, until that very same trip. We were traveling on a motor yatch with friends, stopping here and there along the western coast of Italy. My friend Jean Pigozzi took us to visit the Parisean aristocrat Jacqueline de Ribas in Porto Ecrole, and from there we sailed to Sardinia, where we were entertained by another of Jean's friends. It was that man who cooked what was the most memorable meal we had in Italy. Salty, flavorful bottarga was finely grated on a breadcrumb and parsley topping, infused with rich virgin olive oil, anchovies, and capers. This is my American version, which my family and I love.
Regardless of your fan/hater status, it is a well done cookbook
The recipes are well written and as you might expect, run the gamut from simple to fairly complicated. This really is a book for fans of Martha as the recipes themselves aren't particularly inspiring and have often appeared in other forms. Sprinkled throughout are mini essays often coupled with older black and white photos that fans may enjoy.
Those who aren't fans aren't likely to be swayed in changing their opinion after reading the book, it oozes the privilege, hyper name-droppy-ness and humble braggy-ness that the author is well known for. The headnotes will either be immensely delightful to those who love her or infuriatingly cringey to those who don't. Take a look at the one for the Bucatini with Bottarga recipe to get a sense of what to expect:
I had never tried bucatini, a thick tubular spagetti like pasta, prior to visiting the Italian island of Sardinia. I had also never tasted bottarga, preserved and salted mullet row, until that very same trip. We were traveling on a motor yatch with friends, stopping here and there along the western coast of Italy. My friend Jean Pigozzi took us to visit the Parisean aristocrat Jacqueline de Ribas in Porto Ecrole, and from there we sailed to Sardinia, where we were entertained by another of Jean's friends. It was that man who cooked what was the most memorable meal we had in Italy. Salty, flavorful bottarga was finely grated on a breadcrumb and parsley topping, infused with rich virgin olive oil, anchovies, and capers. This is my American version, which my family and I love.
Regardless of your fan/hater status, it is a well done cookbook
Read
December 2, 2024oh Martha. everything you do must be to the nines.. enjoyed seeing the recipes but glad I borrowed this one from the library. 😅
January 19, 2025
It’s pretentious, it’s over the top, it’s Martha Stewart. But the leek fennel soup will blow your socks off, so there’s that.
January 2, 2025
A beautiful book but better suited as a coffee table book than an actual cookbook. Some great recipes, but a lot of caviar/creme fraiche heavy recipes
July 15, 2025
Housewives of Newcastle coming in hot with my baked goods
November 19, 2024
After all these years that Martha Stewart has been teaching us how to cook, entertain, bake, decorate, clean, organize, garden, and reinvent ourselves, the time has finally come. It’s time for her 100th cookbook. For Martha: The Cookbook, she has curated 100 of her favorite recipes, a mix of timeless favorites, classic home dishes, menu items from her restaurant The Bedford in Las Vegas, and a few showstoppers perfect for entertaining.
With an emphasis on high quality ingredients and the most successful techniques, Martha has written a variety of recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desserts, including hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. From how to make the perfect omelet to her Paella, from Martha-tinis to Herb Roasted Chickens, from her Tomato Tart to the Brown Sugar Angel Food Cake, these recipes come from generations of cooking and happy experiments in the kitchen. The Beet Soup is based on her Polish mother’s recipes, brought to America. But the Roasted Turkey in Parchment with Brioche Stuffing came from her and her Martha Stewart Living trying new recipes for the holidays.
Along with these favorite recipes are old family photos and stories and memories of Martha and her family. She talks about how she first went to Paris at 17 as a model and discovered a multitude of foods she’d never dreamed of. Later, she cooked her way through the entire first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She had a child. She worked on Wall Street, and later opened a small specialty food market that lead to her catering events. Through this book, we get to see and hear about bits and pieces of these moments, as well as her time hosting her television show and creating her magazine.
Her recipes span from more recent trends like Green Juice and Kale Caesar Salad, recipes she ;earned from other cooks like the Miso Eggplant from Nobu or the Steamed Eggs from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, to the time-honored Potato Pierogi or a classic Strawberry Shortcake. There is something for everyone in Martha: The Cookbook, and longtime fans of Martha Stewart will definitely appreciate how it’s all packaged together into one beautiful book.
That being said, it may not be possible to replicate these recipes as precisely as she does. She is known for sourcing the best possible ingredients, the freshest seafoods, the finest olive oils. She has a large garden with vegetables and herbs grown from seeds she’s been collecting for years. She has her own fruit trees. She has chickens that lay fresh eggs every day, cows that give fresh milk. She can buy expensive cheeses, truffles, caviar. She bought a machine to help her make homemade puff pastry (although she did master it by hand before buying the machine). A lot of readers won’t have the same access or resources. I’m sure the recipes will still create delicious dishes, but they are not all accessible for a home cook.
That being said, there are still a lot of recipes that will work well for a home cook. Martha offers ideas for how to make things more flavorful or easier (like how to prep some potato dishes, like her Scalloped Potatoes, early without the potatoes oxidizing). She calls out her favorite kitchen equipment and alcohols by name, and several of the desserts aren’t too difficult but would be perfect for a large family gathering like a holiday. She gives tips preparing eggs to make them easier to peel while cooking them perfectly, and good ideas for preparing seafood and a variety of vegetables. And of course, the photography is beautiful throughout. Martha fans will treasure this cookbook, and those wanting a place to start with her many cookbooks, magazines, and television series will find Martha: The Cookbook the perfect place to find a curated list of her favorite and best recipes along with some of her history and her personality. It’s a good thing.
A copy of Martha: The Cookbook was provided by Clarkson Potter, with many thanks, but the opinions are my own.
With an emphasis on high quality ingredients and the most successful techniques, Martha has written a variety of recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desserts, including hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. From how to make the perfect omelet to her Paella, from Martha-tinis to Herb Roasted Chickens, from her Tomato Tart to the Brown Sugar Angel Food Cake, these recipes come from generations of cooking and happy experiments in the kitchen. The Beet Soup is based on her Polish mother’s recipes, brought to America. But the Roasted Turkey in Parchment with Brioche Stuffing came from her and her Martha Stewart Living trying new recipes for the holidays.
Along with these favorite recipes are old family photos and stories and memories of Martha and her family. She talks about how she first went to Paris at 17 as a model and discovered a multitude of foods she’d never dreamed of. Later, she cooked her way through the entire first volume of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She had a child. She worked on Wall Street, and later opened a small specialty food market that lead to her catering events. Through this book, we get to see and hear about bits and pieces of these moments, as well as her time hosting her television show and creating her magazine.
Her recipes span from more recent trends like Green Juice and Kale Caesar Salad, recipes she ;earned from other cooks like the Miso Eggplant from Nobu or the Steamed Eggs from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, to the time-honored Potato Pierogi or a classic Strawberry Shortcake. There is something for everyone in Martha: The Cookbook, and longtime fans of Martha Stewart will definitely appreciate how it’s all packaged together into one beautiful book.
That being said, it may not be possible to replicate these recipes as precisely as she does. She is known for sourcing the best possible ingredients, the freshest seafoods, the finest olive oils. She has a large garden with vegetables and herbs grown from seeds she’s been collecting for years. She has her own fruit trees. She has chickens that lay fresh eggs every day, cows that give fresh milk. She can buy expensive cheeses, truffles, caviar. She bought a machine to help her make homemade puff pastry (although she did master it by hand before buying the machine). A lot of readers won’t have the same access or resources. I’m sure the recipes will still create delicious dishes, but they are not all accessible for a home cook.
That being said, there are still a lot of recipes that will work well for a home cook. Martha offers ideas for how to make things more flavorful or easier (like how to prep some potato dishes, like her Scalloped Potatoes, early without the potatoes oxidizing). She calls out her favorite kitchen equipment and alcohols by name, and several of the desserts aren’t too difficult but would be perfect for a large family gathering like a holiday. She gives tips preparing eggs to make them easier to peel while cooking them perfectly, and good ideas for preparing seafood and a variety of vegetables. And of course, the photography is beautiful throughout. Martha fans will treasure this cookbook, and those wanting a place to start with her many cookbooks, magazines, and television series will find Martha: The Cookbook the perfect place to find a curated list of her favorite and best recipes along with some of her history and her personality. It’s a good thing.
A copy of Martha: The Cookbook was provided by Clarkson Potter, with many thanks, but the opinions are my own.
March 2, 2025
It starts, as it always does, by me leisurely paging through one of Martha's professionally produced cookbooks. Seems, on each occasion, I completely forget about the commitment of time and energy needed to actually prepare one of her recipes. Even though her cooking directions are explicit, unambiguous, and astute, there's generally a bigness mien realized when nearing completion of her kitchen projects; not a magic melee for petulant, lackadaisical plebeians.
So, even though my experience with beets is minimal, limited to slices of canned beets as a default topping on McDonald's burgers in Queensland, I found myself muttering that her beet soup recipe (aka: boscht) looked extremely easy. And I liked the vignette, written in the context of this soup jubilation, about her Polish mother, Martha Ruszkowski.
In fact, unsurprisingly, cooking up a batch of her beet soup is a serious undertaking. Lots of chopping, grating, and steaming. And early on, I decided to delay cleanup until afterwards. The pots, pans, peelers, box grater and measuring utensils rapidly stacked up into a disordered and chaotic mess, even requiring kitchen floor space.
Near the end, I decided to further delay cleanup until morning, so I didn't have to sleep standing-up and to provide time for a bowl before nodding off.
Without exaggeration, this texture-rich, savory beet soup exceeded expectations. It is truly delicious! Later, I even dreamed about opening a take-out soup business that Jerry Seinfeld would appreciate. Martha's tip to top the soup with chopped, fresh cooking dill and a dollop of sour cream was spot on.
So, even though my experience with beets is minimal, limited to slices of canned beets as a default topping on McDonald's burgers in Queensland, I found myself muttering that her beet soup recipe (aka: boscht) looked extremely easy. And I liked the vignette, written in the context of this soup jubilation, about her Polish mother, Martha Ruszkowski.
In fact, unsurprisingly, cooking up a batch of her beet soup is a serious undertaking. Lots of chopping, grating, and steaming. And early on, I decided to delay cleanup until afterwards. The pots, pans, peelers, box grater and measuring utensils rapidly stacked up into a disordered and chaotic mess, even requiring kitchen floor space.
Near the end, I decided to further delay cleanup until morning, so I didn't have to sleep standing-up and to provide time for a bowl before nodding off.
Without exaggeration, this texture-rich, savory beet soup exceeded expectations. It is truly delicious! Later, I even dreamed about opening a take-out soup business that Jerry Seinfeld would appreciate. Martha's tip to top the soup with chopped, fresh cooking dill and a dollop of sour cream was spot on.
February 3, 2025
This is Martha Stewart's 100th (!!) cookbook - quite an accomplishment! In addition to her 100 favorite recipes, it contains various memories plus historical photos, all wrapped up in a gorgeous coffee table book. There are full color photos of each of the recipes, plus step-by-step instructions. Some of the recipes are quite complex and intricate (puff pastry from scratch!), while some are quite straight-forward, using just a few quality ingredients. I learned the secret to creating the beautiful ice shards on the top of a martini - using crushed ice instead of ice cubes in the shaker! Of course she calls her recipe Martha-tinis.
This book is an excellent overview of her career through her recipes. Highly recommended.
Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.
This book is an excellent overview of her career through her recipes. Highly recommended.
Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.
June 8, 2025
I love Martha Stewart so I had to get this one - her hundredth book! The photos are beautiful, and I loved the interspersed stories of her life. I also appreciate her usual no-shame approach to her having humble upbringings but being exceedingly wealthy and famous now (yes, there's some rustic struggle recipes from her Polish-American childhood AND several caviar-forward recipes).
I feel like some recipes may not actually have been the best of all the ones she's put out, but the more unique ones (like after mentioning all the many roast turkey recipes they've done, why put this more obscure parchment-wrapped roast turkey?)
Overall, there are certainly some recipes in here I will make, some I never will, and some that will remain aspirational (some elaborate stuff that I still appreciate being included).
I feel like some recipes may not actually have been the best of all the ones she's put out, but the more unique ones (like after mentioning all the many roast turkey recipes they've done, why put this more obscure parchment-wrapped roast turkey?)
Overall, there are certainly some recipes in here I will make, some I never will, and some that will remain aspirational (some elaborate stuff that I still appreciate being included).
January 28, 2025
I very much enjoyed this cookbook. While Martha definitely comes across as a narcissistic braggart as usual, it is somehow endearing on her. And I always want to check out her new books. She's like that one aunt you have that will always just be that way haha.
One thing you can count on with Martha's recipes is that they will be accessible and use readily available ingredients that you most likely have in your house/pantry. Which I very much appreciate after the last two cookbooks I read.
I already tried her Brioche French toast recipe and I look forward to trying a couple of soups, salads, and cookie recipes as well.
One thing you can count on with Martha's recipes is that they will be accessible and use readily available ingredients that you most likely have in your house/pantry. Which I very much appreciate after the last two cookbooks I read.
I already tried her Brioche French toast recipe and I look forward to trying a couple of soups, salads, and cookie recipes as well.
January 8, 2025
4.5 stars. This book is kind of a victory lap for an icon.
100th cookbook, wow. If you're just going to look at one, might as well make it this one. It has many (100) of her favorites in their most updated/perfected versions. There are also stories that cover every point in her life. A perfect pairing would be the documentary that appeared last December on Netflix. The book has some similar photos, classic and historical.
100th cookbook, wow. If you're just going to look at one, might as well make it this one. It has many (100) of her favorites in their most updated/perfected versions. There are also stories that cover every point in her life. A perfect pairing would be the documentary that appeared last December on Netflix. The book has some similar photos, classic and historical.
February 17, 2025
Basically, if you like Martha Stewart, then you will like this book. It’s one hundred of her favorite recipes, covering breakfast to dinner, and everything in between. Some of the recipes would not be doable for the average home chef, simply due to the ingredients. This would look very nice on your coffee table.
September 29, 2025
Interesting
I found the information about Martha interesting and gave a more in-depth picture of her that I knew before. I found that information to be the value of the book and no so much the recipes. Honestly, there were a lot of ingredients to the recipes and I do not thing that many of them were something I would make, but I loved reading the recipes none-the-less.
I found the information about Martha interesting and gave a more in-depth picture of her that I knew before. I found that information to be the value of the book and no so much the recipes. Honestly, there were a lot of ingredients to the recipes and I do not thing that many of them were something I would make, but I loved reading the recipes none-the-less.
November 19, 2024
Martha is the gold standard. Some of the recipes I won't make (hello, caviar) but others are gems. Also, precooking potatoes in hot milk before scalloping them so they don't turn? Genius.
I really loved the stories and old photos in this one. It felt like a walk down memory lane with Martha. ❤️
I really loved the stories and old photos in this one. It felt like a walk down memory lane with Martha. ❤️
February 17, 2025
Sometimes I just need to sit and flip through a cookbook, and Martha is a go-to for me. Her writing, photos, and recipes are simultaneously simple yet pop off the page. Granted, I'm not about to put caviar on my food, but there's plenty of recipes for home cooks. Highly recommend.
July 6, 2025
This book celebrates Martha and the publishing of her 100th book. It was fun to relive some of her memories and recipes that were published in her Living Magazine many years ago. I still feel she is out of touch with "real people", but it is enjoyable to read anyway.
December 14, 2025
Martha, girl, not all of us have the grocery budgets to put caviar on everything OK? This seemed very” I’m rich and have nothing else to do besides make my homemade salsa from my garden that someone else works. “
Out of the 100 recipes I found eight I want to try. 🤷♀️
Out of the 100 recipes I found eight I want to try. 🤷♀️
December 5, 2024
This was a fun book to page through, but not really very practical as a cookbook. The hardcover edition is SUPER heavy!
December 13, 2024
Beautiful book, very well done. There are more recipes that I would not make than I would (like most cookbooks:)). The ones I’ve made are wonderful!
December 28, 2024
Beautiful book…some recipes I’ll never do but it’s aspirational and Martha is 👑👑👑
January 1, 2025
Exactly what I expected, classic Martha. Beautiful photos, excepts and recipes.
January 13, 2025
100 published cookbooks is quite the feat and selecting 100 favorite recipes is not an easy task. Of course, Martha Stewart did both effortlessly.
January 15, 2025
Saved recipes include Asparagus and Pea Risotto, Steamed Eggs, & Coddled Eggs 🍚🍳✨
January 30, 2025
Martha is a pisser...very enjoyable
February 5, 2025
Interesting to see her selections
February 9, 2025
I saved a few recipes from this book, though they were all pretty to look at and seemed good if someone else made them for me.
February 10, 2025
I thought the photography was lovely of old shots with stories included. Lots of great dessert recipes!
February 11, 2025
such a pretty book with some good recipes!
March 7, 2025
Overall, not a bad cookbook from Martha Stewart. There was definitely a range of recipes and even included cocktails. Not all of them were for me but I did find a few to save to try later on.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews