Meet Our 16 Favorite Cookbooks of 2018 (& Tell Us Yours)

Have we reached a Golden Age of cookbooks in 2018? We certainly think so. Which is why we're thrilled to welcome another rousing rendition of the Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks, now celebrating its 10th birthday (my, don't they grow up fast?)!

Kicking off in March 2019, the nearly month-long, bracket-style tournament will go down in four rounds. 16 incredible cookbooks go head-to-head in the first round, and will be reviewed against one another by an illustrious cast of judges. Over the three weeks that follow, the strongest books advance through the rounds until one winner comes out on top. Along the way, all manner of surprises, upsets, triumphs, and *oops!*es in the mix will keep you hanging out on the edge of your seat!

In addition to the drama, the Piglet is all about getting acquainted with some of the year's best cookbooks. And boy, do we have a line-up for you. In fact, we were too excited to keep our picks to ourselves that we had to share them with you, here and now.

But—before you scroll down—there's more we'd like to share! We're bringing back Piglet Community Picks, the tournament's more laid-back, just as festive cousin. It goes a little something like this: you nominate your favorite cookbooks from 2018 that didn't make it into this year's Piglet, we share the 10 nominees you loved best, and give you the chance to pick one to review at home and send our way.

We'll select a handful of these reviews, and will run them on the site once a week, starting in January, right up until the Piglet tournament starts in March. (We hope that helps you cope with the anticipation for the tournament—we know we'll definitely need it.)

Now that the housekeeping's taken care of, without further ado, here are (in no particular order)...

Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food by Nik Sharma

Rose's Baking Basics: 100 Essential Recipes, with More Than 600 Step-by-Step Photos by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Solo: A Modern Cookbook for a Party of One by Anita Lo

At My Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking by Nigella Lawson

Shaya: An Odyssey of Food, My Journey Back to Israel by Alon Shaya

All About Cake by Christina Tosi

Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day by Alexander Smalls, JJ Johnson & Veronica Chambers

Superiority Burger Cookbook: The Vegetarian Hamburger Is Now Delicious by Brooks Headley

Soul: A Chef's Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes by Todd Richards

Coconuts and Collards: Recipes and Stories from Puerto Rico to the Deep South by Von Diaz

Bottom of the Pot: Persian Recipes and Stories by Naz Deravian

How to Eat a Peach: Menus, Stories, and Places by Diana Henry

Mastering Pizza: The Art and Practice of Handmade Pizza, Focaccia, and Calzone by Marc Vetri

The Flavor Matrix: The Art and Science of Pairing Common Ingredients to Create Extraordinary Dishes by James Briscione and Brooke Parkhurst

The Noma Guide to Fermentation(Foundations of Flavor) by René Redzepi and David Zilber

I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook by Nicole Ponseca and Miguel Trinidad

We're so excited about this year's Piglet books! Anything we missed? Let us know in the comments. And stay tuned for Piglet Community Picks reviews, starting on January 11!