The Essential New York Times Cookbook: The Recipes of Record

by Amanda Hesser

A KCRW Top 10 Food Book of 2021A Minnesota Star Tribune Top 15 Cookbook of 2021A WBUR Here & Now Favorite Cookbook of 2021

The James Beard Award–winning and New York Times best-selling compendium of the paper’s best recipes, revised and updated.

Ten years after the phenomenal success of her once-in-a-generation cookbook, former New York Times food editor Amanda Hesser returns with an updated edition for a new wave of home cooks. She has added 120 new but instantly iconic dishes to her mother lode of more than a thousand recipes, including Samin Nosrat’s Sabzi Polo (Herbed Rice with Tahdig), Todd Richards’s Fried Catfish with Hot Sauce, and J. Kenji López-Alt’s Cheesy Hasselback Potato Gratin. Devoted Times subscribers as well as newcomers to the paper’s culinary trove will also find scores of timeless gems such as Purple Plum Torte, David Eyre’s Pancake, Pamela Sherrid’s Summer Pasta, and classics ranging from 1940s Caesar Salad to modern No-Knead Bread. Hesser has tested and adapted each of the recipes, and she highlights her go-to favorites with wit and warmth. As Saveur declared, this is a “tremendously appealing collection of recipes that tells the story of American cooking.”

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Ebooks, Reference

1032 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 2, 2021

About the author

Amanda Hesser has been a food columnist and editor at the New York Times for more than a decade. She is the author of the award-winning Cooking for Mr. Latte and The Cook and the Gardener and edited the essay collection Eat, Memory. Hesser is also the co-founder of food52.com. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, Tad Friend, and their two children.

Reviews

[Cynthia Paschen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have made several recipes from this giant doorstop of a cookbook. Recipes are clearly written, including notes on Amanda Hesser's tweaks or suggestions, with credit to the person who developed the recipe.

Amanda Hesser is a joy to watch on video. Self-effacing and messy, and she is also an excellent writer. I will rely on this until the end of my cooking days.

Brava.

[Stephanie Bruno · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook should be a staple in every kitchen. It’s so much more than just recipes, it’s all of the essential information (including the precise math) for preparing delicious food. It’s a big book and each page is incredible!

[CKP · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible compilation of both exhaustive research and flawless food. The recipes within run the gamut from simple to complex: a choose your own adventure of culinary preparation and execution.

I have recommended this book to anyone that has dared to bring up cookbook recommendation requests near me, and have overwhelmingly thanked the person that bestowed this weighty volume on me for a holiday.

The food may not always look photo-ready when leaving my kitchen, however, the taste is always excellent and continues to impress even the pickiest eaters no matter what the recipe.

[Chris Barsanti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, much of what is here is quite beyond my capabilities. Nevertheless, even though the same can be said for more than a few great novels (which pride dictates shall remain unnamed here) that does not diminish their greatness.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive examination of recipes from the New York Times since it’s inception. This is an updated version of the cookbook that reflects current cooking trends. The collection of recipes was crowdsourced and curated/tester by the author. Organized by traditional sections (breads, drinks, soups, etc.), each chapter starts with a timeline of food in America and the Times since the Times’ inception, then contains an essay highlighting the food in the chapter, followed by a table of contents organizing the chapter by like foods. This is needed because the recipes in the chapter are organized by the time they were first published. Each (most) recipe is prefaced by a write up about the recipe, and many are followed with cooking notes. I found a lot of the writing to be amusing. Terrifically inspiring recipes.

[Naoise Nickolay · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a hot minute since I have actually bought a cook book, if you only buy one this year this should be it!!
NYT recipes are my go to, not just for the content itself but also for the readers comments, which can help improve your technique or tweaking of the recipe, or let you know not to bother…
This book does not contain the additional comments but they can be accessed online when you are ready to cook the recipe in question.
They are tried and true, there is an index by cook/chef as well as by recipe title.
They are cross cultural and often have recommendations of what to serve with the recipe you have selected.
It is quite wonderful and I am so excited to see what I can create using it this year.
I had looked at multiple other compilation cookbooks before setting on this as this years pick!

[Lindsey Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite the hefty compilation. While the recipes are indeed quite cookable and I enjoy the backstories, I admit that the sheer volume is a bit much for me. Overwhelming really. I am a sucker for good pictures— I will often be sold on trying a new recipe merely through visual culinary seduction. The complete lack of imagery is a let down—though understandable as it is already biblically dense. A respectable addition to any collection, but for me, it lacks what inspires me to cook something new.

[Cecily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this for Christmas, and let me just say—it’s already a game-changer. I’ve whipped up a few dinners from it, and they’ve all been total hits (yes, I’m accepting compliments). It’s over 1,000 pages of pure gold, and I can already tell it’s going to be my kitchen ride-or-die for a long time. I also love that the author for adds her own notes while still giving props to the original recipe creators.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a cookbook to be taken lightly--certainly not with its considerable heft! It's exhaustive and not the sort of book you can simply check out of the library and plan to make a few recipes from. As the title says, these are the recipes of record--and there's a lot of them--and they deserve your time and attention. Worth a purchase if you're serious.

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like the Sunday New York Times there is a lot here. Really a compendium of must know how to cook recipes and famous nyc food scene recipes from decades of coverage. Huge book, hugely entertaining and hugely useful for ideas on any food topic.

[Kelda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Checked it out digitally from my local library. In the first 100 pages there was enough recipes I wanted to save, I jumped on Amazon and just bought the book.

[Alena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t think I‘d make it through this this year. What a whopper of a book, even the ebook is daunting with its gazillion hours of time remaining.

Great resource and a joy to read and get lost in.

[Christina Karvounis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. Essential for the home cook.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that so much backstory is included with many of the recipes.

[Jd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tons of great recipes from notable chefs and excellent home cooks.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are even an occasional home chef this one belongs in your cookbook collection.

[Haley Giffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recipes are very straightforward and clear. A lot of fun stuff in this book!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new favorite cookbook for me. I've loved every single recipe I've made from it and there are so many recipes I'm excited to try. It's wonderful.

[Erika Dempsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite cookbooks, if I had to give up all my cookbooks and keep one, this would be it.