Get Out Of Your Cooking Rut With These New Globetrotting Cookbooks

International travel may still be on hold. But you can explore the flavors of far-flung destinations, expand your cooking repertoire, and get out of that cooking rut with these transporting new books showcasing cuisines from around the globe.

If you’re dreaming of a sun-drenched Italian island…

When Brit Letitia Clark arrived to Sardinia, she fell in love with the idyllic Mediterranean island — and back in love with cooking. The professional chef had tired of precious restaurant dishes overwrought with trends and techniques. But the simple, rustic, ingredient-driven food of Sardinia reignited her passion. You’ll feel her contagious enthusiasm throughout the pages of this beautiful book in recipes like artichokes four ways, saffron risotto with oranges and mascarpone, blood orange cake and olive oil with ricotta, roast squid stuffed with herbs and anchovies, and culurgioinis — traditional Sardinian dumplings filled with potatoes and cheese. 

If you want to learn how to make Korean bibimbap at home, instead of ordering it in…

Korean-born chef Hooni Kim trained at the French Culinary Institute and cooked in the lauded kitchens of Daniel and Masa before opening Danji in NYC, which became the first-ever Korean restaurant to be awarded a Michelin Star. In his first cookbook, Kim gives a primer on the Korean pantry essentials, then devotes whole chapters to categories like kimchi, banchan (small side dishes), snacks, rice and noodle dishes, meat, and seafood. His 90 recipes run the gamut from super traditional to fusion, like his Beef Brisket Bulgogi Sliders.

If you want to pretend you’re a contestant on a baking competition show…

In Aran (which is Scottish for bread), Great British Bake Off alum Flora Shedden shares modern recipes from her famed bakery in rural Scotland. In her pages you’ll find helpful instructions for the breakout star of the pandemic — the sourdough starter — along with inventive breads, classic Scottish shortbreads, sausage rolls, and Swedish buns. Once you’ve conquered those, promote yourself to the “quarter-finals” with more ambitious recipes like impressive croissants and walnut vanilla eclairs with mirror glaze worthy of the finest bakery window.

If you wish you were dining in a cozy French bistro…

Trust in Melissa Clark — the New York Times food columnist, James Beard Award–winner, and author of 40-some cookbooks — to give French cuisine a fresh edit. The 150 recipes in Dinner in French are made for anyone who’s ever felt intimidated by French cooking. Readers will find a mix of familiar dishes like Salade Nicoise and Scalloped Potato Gratin along with updated recipes for Ratatouille Sheet-Pan Chicken and Campari Olive Oil Cake, and more ambitious projects like Lamb Shank Cassoulet.

If you’re feelin’ the heat and want to get out of the kitchen…

Break out the grill — or better yet, build a new one — for Eric Werner’s The Outdoor Kitchen. At Hartwood, his totally off-the-grid restaurant in the middle of the jungle in Tulum, Mexico, open-fire cooking isn’t just his preferred method of cooking, it’s the only method. So before he gets to the recipes in his first cookbook, Werner shares step-by-step instructions on how to build an outdoor kitchen at home, along with practical tips for keeping it stocked and managing live fires.

Sometimes when chefs try to retool their restaurant dishes for home cooks, their recipes just don’t translate. But that’s not the case here. Werner’s totally approachable Butterflied Chicken, Jerk-Smoked Shrimp on a Stick, Skirt Steak with Coriander-Ancho Rub, and Smoked Short Ribs with Chile Glaze feel more like how chefs like cooks on their days off.

If you’ve got your sights set on Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, or Turkey as soon as it’s safe to travel again…

Caroline Eden’s award-winning book is equal parts travelogue and cookbook. If you’ve never traveled to the fascinating countries situated along the Black Sea, this multi-country tour with stories and evocative recipe titles like Bedtime Pudding with Tahini Cream, Trolley Kebab, and Cornershop Pilaf to accompany each stop is the next best thing to visiting in person.

If you want to eat the entire world…

Perhaps you can’t narrow your wanderlust down to just one country. Or maybe you’re craving being outside in a big city, smelling unfamiliar spices and food cooking over open flames. Either way, this extensive collection of recipes and stories from around the world will transport you. Its 88 recipes from 40 diverse countries come from chefs at the Queens Night Market. Learn about the people behind recipes like Trinidadian callaloo, Portuguese pastéis de nata, Persian halva, laksa noodles from Singapore, Polish pierogis, and Balkan Baklava — to name just a few of these mouthwatering dishes.