5 cookbooks you need in your kitchen right now

Written by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs, Ten Speed Press. “The biggest obstacle to eating well isn’t the cooking, it’s the organizing.” The book is segmented by seasons, with four weekly meal plans per season (two from each author). That’s five dinners a week, plus brown bag ideas for the leftovers, game plans (what to tackle when) and grocery lists. People who have read this book claim it’s changed the way they cook. $41, indigo.ca

Written by Deb Perelman, Penguin Random House. The recipes are destined to become standards: kale Caesar with broken eggs and crushed croutons, dal-style red lentil soup, tomato and gigante bean bake (a cheesy, family-style pasta dish without actual pasta—Perelman swears the beans make like noodles), sheet pan chicken with cauliflower, and “bake sale winning-est” gooey oat bars. $40, indigo.ca

Written by Melissa Clark, Clarkson Potter. All 200 recipes in this book are for dinner—one pot or one pan, a single main dish with a creative twist. Though Clark develops recipes for the New York Times and is a veteran cookbook author, she’s kept it doable—minimal ingredients go for big flavour, and every category is covered off, including meat, eggs, pasta and noodles, tofu, beans, legumes and vegetables, grains, pizzas, soups and salads, plus all the sides, too, if you’re feeling ambitious. $47, indigo.ca

Written by Samin Nosrat, Simon + Schuster. “Anyone can cook anything and make it delicious.” There’s no way this joyful book won’t help you feel excited about getting in the kitchen. The gorgeous illustrations plot things out so simply: matching the right dressing to salad; 10 simple, smooth soups; a chart of perfect grain-to-water ratios; the cooking stages of a boiled egg up to 15 minutes; and a sauce for literally everything. $47, indigo.ca

Written by Ceri Marsh + Laura Keogh, Appetite by Random House. The chapter on “transformers”—three large-portion proteins, with three ways to use each one. Because cooking once for multiple meals? We’re into it. Plus, all dinner recipes in the book are designed to make six servings instead of the usual four—so leftovers are almost guaranteed. $30, indigo.ca

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