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Achieve Dinner Party Greatness With the Best Australian Cookbooks
Whether you're a novice in the kitchen or Masterchef guru, our pick of the best Australian cookbooks will guarantee your next dinner party is a complete success
From the culinary novice to the cook who’s comfortable in the kitchen, there’s no denying just how special the act of making meals for yourself and your loved ones is. Watching your nearest and dearest eat something you made with love and care just for them is truly a cup-filling quest.
And if you want to up your culinary game, who better to turn to than some of Australia’s most respected chefs and cooks? Keep reading as we round up the best Australian cookbooks to satisfy anyone’s appetite…
Home Food by Elizabeth Hewson
Elizabeth Hewson’s Home Food is the key to unlocking effortless and nourishing weeknight dishes that can be ‘whipped up’ without too much fuss. Expect plenty of one-pot wonders and midweek pastas, alongside a couple of aptly named dishes for specific moments we’re sure you can all relate to — think Soup for Exhausted People. Achievable and uncomplicated, this cooking companion is your ticket to adaptability in the kitchen.
Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere by Nat Thaipun
Instagram favourite and winner of Masterchef ’24, Nat Thaipun’s first cookbook is making Thai cooking accessible to us all. Her approach is practical, with plenty of ingredients swaps and handy tips. You’ll find over 100 recipes of Thai favourites and fusion dishes, ranging from Thai sausage rolls to drunken noodles and Thai-style roast potatoes. The gorgeous photography is the cherry on top!
Mali Bakes by Patti Chimkire
After taking over our feeds with her pastel confections, Patti Chimkire has dropped this beauty, sharing all her secrets with us. It’s no style-over-substance affair here, though. You’ll learn how to combine delicious flavours to make the perfect cake — think buttermilk and vanilla and brown butter and mandarin cotton cheesecake — and how to pipe perfectly.
Tender by Lucy Tweed
Lucy Tweed, aka Every Night of The Week over on the ‘gram, is known for her nourishing comfort food and easy-to-follow recipes. Her latest compilation, Tender, full of nourishing soups, stews, and ragu recipes, has hit shelves just in time for winter. Full of recipes designed to warm you up from the inside out, you can expect Lucy’s same simple approach to good food. These heartwarming comfort classics are designed to be returned to again and again, maybe even becoming part of your family lore.
Tonight by Nagi Maehashi
Nagi Maehashi, aka recipetineats of Instagram fame, is a household name with home cooks to students. Her mooreish and approachable recipes are perfect for busy bees who don’t fancy sacrificing on flavour. Tonight, her second cookbook is packed with 150 recipes you won’t find online, with QR codes linking each recipe with a handy how-to video. You’ll never have to wonder what’s for dinner ever again with chapters dedicated to topics like 20 minute recipes, one pot recipes and pantry staple recipes.
The Cook’s Companion by Stephanie Alexander
Writing cookbooks well before the internet was a go-to, Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion is much more than a collection of recipes. This hefty tome is packed full of information about ingredients, techniques, equiptment, advice, storage and preparation. It’s an education and lessons from a friend all at once, complete with margin notes and close to a 1000 recipes. Celebrating 30 years this year, it’s an essential volume for any kitchen.
Maggie’s Harvest by Maggie Beer
A pioneer of seasonal cooking, Maggie Beer is a household name for her array of relishes, gourmet ice creams and other goodies. Offering up decades of hard-earned wisdom, Maggie’s Harvest includes over 350 of the chef’s favourite recipes that are destined to become part of your own hosting repertoire. Think quince and prune tart, marinated butterfly lamb leg, and roast potatoes with preserved lemon and rosemary. There’s some serious bang for your buck here!
Ester: Australian Cooking by Matt Lindsay and Pat Nourse
One of Australia’s favourite chefs and thinkers, Matt Lindsay, with the help of Pat Nourse, has put together this treatise on Australian cooking that delves into the fundamentals of cooking outside of the box at home. Notably, Ester: Australian Cooking is not a restaurant cookbook, but rather a collection of recipes that can be made at home.
Ellie’s Table by Ellie Bouhadana
Melbourne chef Ellie Bouhadana’s debut cookbook — Ellie’s Table — is full of old recipes passed down through generations, and new treats inspired by her travels through Italy. From the secret to the perfect fried zucchini to traditional Moroccan recipes, dishes from dinner party starters and snacks to desserts are all covered.
Home by Stephanie Alexander
Legendary Australian cook Stephanie Alexander’s offering, Home, is a collection of more than 200 original recipes, finely crafted in tribute to her passions and preferences for produce and flavour. There are detailed recipes for the more ambitious home cook, as well as simple ways to combine beautiful ingredients to make meals for everyday eating.
First Nations Food Companion: How to Buy, Cook, Eat and Grow Indigenous Australian Ingredients by Damien Coulthard & Rebecca Sullivan
This groundbreaking cookbook celebrates the most accessible and popular Indigenous Australian ingredients and their uses in the everyday home kitchen. Flavour profiles and tips for buying, growing and storing these ingredients is also included.
This glorious book also features 100 delicious recipes with the best native ingredients, from Bush-Tomato Cheese on Toast, Anise Myrtle and Macadamia Poached Chicken, Myrtle Tea Cake, Quandong and Davidson’s Plum Iced Vovos and more.
The Whole Fish Cookbook: New Ways to Cook, Eat and Think by Josh Niland
Love fish, but not sure how to prep and cook it at home? Look to Sydney chef and seafood savant Josh Niland’s new cookbook, The Whole Fish Cookbook: New Ways to Cook, Eat and Think. With more than 60 recipes showing readers how to make the most of the humble fish, you will soon discover there is so much more to seafood than the fillet.
Simple Chinese Cooking by Kylie Kwong
In the kitchen, there is only one Kylie, and the beloved chef’s offering, Simple Chinese Cooking, is a master class in how to cook and use the freshest produce — and all you need is a wok and a trip to the supermarket. From soy sauce chicken and sung choi bau to ultra-fresh button mushroom salad and prawn wonton soup, the book uses step-by-step pictures to guide you through bringing these classics to life.
The New Classics by Donna Hay
No round-up of the best Australian cookbooks is complete without a mention of cooking queen Donna Hay. For decades, the foodie has been a mainstay in our homes and this book is a celebration of Donna’s all-time favourite classic recipes.
The New Classics is a definitive collection of classic recipes featuring everything from beef and ale pies to dulce de leche, mac n’ cheese to macarons; it’s exactly the food that we want to cook and all written in Donna’s trademark simple, clear and easy way.
Australian Food by Bill Granger
the late Bill Granger was the godfather of Australian cuisine, and in his cookbook, he explores fresh flavours, lively ingredients and the Aussie lifestyle that’s shaped how he cooked and entertaied and, of course, the joyfully casual Australian way of eating the world has fallen in love with.
The Food I Love by Neil Perry
The Food I love is undoubtedly one of the most timeless Australian cookbooks. First published 18 years ago, it is still as relevant as ever. Part cookbook, part bible, this will be something you’ll refer to time and time again. Perry shares methods, skills and wisdom that draw from the food of the Mediterranean and have stood the test of time, now revised and refreshed for a new generation of readers.
Including straightforward advice on everything from holding a cook’s knife to trussing chicken and filleting fish, you’ll also find 200 delicious recipes for every occasion and skill level — from light breakfasts and sandwiches to an array of seafood, meat and vegetable recipes, and a bounty of timeless desserts.
Enjoyed our edit of the best Australian cookbooks and after some more entertaining inspo? Check out our chat with Lia from Stories to Gather on how to make the ultimate grazing table. Then, read our wrap of the best alcoholic drinks in Australia right now.
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