YouTube and TikTok cookbook sensations from Joshua Weissman, Maangchi, Sam the Cooking Guy, and more
YouTube and TikTok have made these cooks into stars, and their fabulous cookbooks into must-haves. With these beautifully photographed cookbooks, you can get a cornucopia of their recipes without needing a Wi-Fi connection—but you may still want to, since all five (and many others) in Kindle format have a special enhanced view feature that provides valuable insights and content at a glance using a mobile device. These cooks may have taken social media by storm, but their cookbooks stand on their own merits, and all of them were chosen as Best Cookbooks of the Month when they released.
Preppy Kitchen author John Kanell, who has a whopping 4.4 million followers on YouTube, started his career as a middle school math and science teacher before turning to culinary arts—which he calls his true passion, as inspired by his mother, who grew up in Mexico. “Preppy” has nothing to do with style—it’s all about being “prepared” in the kitchen to make you more confident. The book is full of mouth-watering, vivid photos and recipes split up by season—and this year he’s releasing his next must-have cookbook: Preppy Kitchen Super Easy: 100 Simple and Versatile Recipes (August 20). We can’t wait to try it. —Lindsay Powers, Amazon Editor
Joshua Weissman is truly one-of-a-kind—he’s hilarious, irreverent, and absolutely devoted to making fantastic food, all of it from scratch. His debut cookbook brings together 100 recipes with the Weissman style and flair that we can’t get enough of. Joshua Weissman: The Unapologetic Cookbook makes home cooks want to up their game, make their own staples instead of buying them, and most of all cook like you love to eat. Weissman followed up this stellar debut with another winner—and Best Cookbook of 2023—Joshua Weissman: Texture Over Taste, and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
B. Dylan Hollis’ cookbook, Baking Yesteryear became an Amazon best seller before it even released—to give you an idea of how many people were eager to read it on day one. What’s so special about this book, you ask? The answer is simple: the author. Hollis is a TikTok star who stumbled into baking and fame during the pandemic, and he’s the antithesis of all those fussy, perfect baking shows and chefs. This is a person with a tiny kitchen, no frosting skills to speak of, a huge personality, and a curiosity for old-fashioned baked goods that would make grandma proud. Dive into these pages for a decade-by-decade jaunt back in time to recreate the best—and worst—of what home cooks were making in the 20th century. Now, who wants dessert? —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
The New York Times called her “YouTube’s Korean Julia Child,” and if you’re one of her 6.2 million YouTube subscribers, you already understand why. Maangchi has that special something that makes viewers and readers of her cookbooks feel like she’s a friend or family member who’s about to teach us how to make amazing Korean food. Her first cookbook, Maangchi's Real Korean Cooking, was a smash hit and this follow-up takes things up a notch, giving home cooks even more of her favorite Korean dishes, including special-occasion fare (always daunting to me in the past). I love the photography and ease of use from both her cookbooks, particularly the pictures of ingredients so I know exactly what I’m looking for when I’m shopping for something unfamiliar. My only question now is: When I can expect her next cookbook? —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
This remains one of my personal go-to cookbooks because I love a dish that can be made once and then dressed up a second time for a whole new meal. I would actually get this cookbook for Sam Zien’s meatloaf recipe alone—my favorite round two use of which is his Bolognese that even my picky teen loves. Each main dish doesn’t include just one recipe option for the leftovers, but multiple choices—every one of them tasty and different from where you started. My copy of this debut cookbook is spattered, wrinkled, and well-used, and now that grill weather has come to Seattle, I expect that Zien’s latest, Sam the Cooking Guy and The Holy Grill, will soon suffer the same fate. And that’s a good thing. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
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