It's the most listicle-y time of the year, and it seems as though every single media outlet has released a list of the Best Cookbooks of 2013. The problem is, though, every single one of them recommends completely different books. The only way to reach consensus? Roundup the roundups. Below, Eater tallies the 40 Best Cookbook roundups from all around, and there is a clear winner: David Kinch's Manresa was on a whopping 16 listicles, while Andy Ricker's Pok Pok almost made it to the top on 15 lists. Now, on to the most recommended cookbooks of 2013:
A Note on Tallying: Books that were only recommended by one list are not included. Some of the books on this list came out in the US last year but were included on international lists. Similarly, some of the books on the list are not yet available in the US. Books with an asterisk were recommended on Eater's own Essential Cookbooks and Food Books of 2013 list.
First Place: On 16 LIsts
· Manresa by David Kinch and Christine Muhlke.* [Amazon]
Second Place: On 15 Lists
· Pok Pok by Andy Ricker and JJ Goode.* [Amazon]
Third Place: On 12 Lists
· One Good Dish by David Tanis. [Amazon]
· René Redzepi: A Work in Progress by René Redzepi. [Amazon]
Fourth Place: On 10 Lists
· The A.O.C. Cookbook by Suzanne Goin.* [Amazon]
· The Gramercy Tavern Cookbook by Michael Anthony.* [Amazon]
· Smoke and Pickles by Edward Lee.* [Amazon]
· Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison. [Amazon]
Fifth Place: On Nine Lists
· Eat - The Little Book of Fast Food by Nigel Slater. [Amazon]
· LA Son by Roy Choi, Natasha Phan and Tien Nguyen.* [Amazon]
· Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. [Amazon]
· Le Pigeon by Gabriel Rucker and Meredith Erickson.* [Amazon]
Sixth Place: On Eight Lists
· The Art of Simple Food II by Alice Waters. [Amazon]
· Ivan Ramen by Ivan Orkin and Chris Ying.* [Amazon]
· The New Midwestern Table by Amy Thielen. [Amazon]
Seventh Place: On Seven Lists
· Notes From the Larder by Nigel Slater. [Amazon]
· Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey by John Currence.* [Amazon]
Eighth Place: On Six Lists
· Coi by Daniel Patterson. [Amazon]
· Daniel: My French Cuisine by Daniel Boulud, Sylvie Bigar and Bill Buford.* [Amazon]
· Eat Your Vegetables by Joe Yonan. [Amazon]
· The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book by Emily Elsen and Melissa Elsen.* [Amazon]
Ninth Place: On Five Lists
· Balaboosta by Einat Admony. [Amazon]
· The Glorious Vegetables of Italy by Domenica Marchetti. [Amazon]
· The Heart of the Plate by Mollie Katzen. [Amazon]
· In the Charcuterie by Taylor Boetticher and Toponia Miller. [Amazon]
· Isa Does It by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. [Amazon]
· Mast Brothers Chocolate by Michael Mast and Rick Mast. [Amazon]
· Tartine Book No. 3 by Chad Robertson.* [Amazon]
Tenth Place: On Four Lists
· Cooked by Michael Pollan. [Amazon]
· Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop. [Amazon]
· I Heart NY by Daniel Humm and Will Guidara. [Amazon]
· Japanese Soul Cooking by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat.* [Amazon]
· The Kinfolk Table by Nathan Williams. [Amazon]
· Mastering Fermentation by Mary Kalin. [Amazon]
· The New California Wine by Jon Bonne. [Amazon]
· Roberta's by Carlo Mirarchi. [Amazon]
· Seriously Bitter Sweet by Alice Medrich. [Amazon]
· Summerland by Anne Quatrano. [Amazon]
Lists Cited
· A delicious dozen of our favorite cookbooks from 2013 [LAT]
· Cookery books for Christmas 2013 [Mumsnet]
· NPR's Book Concierge [NPR]
· The best food books of 2013 [Guardian]
· The best food books of 2013 [Guadian]
· 25 gift-worthy food books, magazines [Statesman]
· It's been a year of mouth-watering cookbooks. [Daily Mail]
· Great Gift Books in Food, Wine and Spirits [HuffPo]
· Holiday Books [NYT]
· Cookbooks to zuzz up your December [Montreal Gazette]
· Observer Food Monthly's 20 food books of the year [ObFo]
· 2013 Best Books of the Year: Cookbooks & Food Writing [Amazon]
· Gift Guide: Our Favorite Cookbooks of 2013 [SE]
· Top 10 cookery books of 2013 [MSN Food UK]
· The Best 2013 Cookbooks [The Kitchen]
· Cookbook authors offer their suggestions for holiday gifts [Tampa Bay Times]
· 2013's best cookbooks [Oregonian]
· Five great food reads for adventurous and appreciative cooks [KC Star]
· Washington Post's best cookbooks of 2013 [WaPo]
· The 4 Best Cookbooks of 2013 [MoJo]
· The Best of 2013 [Cookbook Look]
· Cookbooks For Every Food Lover [TONY]
· Chef-driven cookbooks: a delicious adventure [Star Tribune]
· 10 New Food Books You Actually Want for Christmas [FWF]
· Food Books for Gifts [Ruhlman]
· Cooking? Buy the book [Inquirer]
· Best Cookbooks of 2013 [Bookish]
· Best Restaurant Cookbooks [F&W]
· 2013 Cookbook Shortlist [T. Susan Chang]
· 2013 (Vegetable) Cookbook to Buy the Food Lover on Your List [52-80]
· 2013's gift-worthy cookbooks [AP]
· This Christmas, give books [Orlando Weekly]
· The Best Food Books of 2013 [Atlantic]
· 10 Southern Cookbooks [Deep South Mag]
· The best cookbooks of 2013 by the experts [EYB]
· Books For Wine and Food Lovers [Wine Mag]
· Favorite Cookbooks Of 2013 [WBUR]
· The Best Cookbooks of 2013 [Epicurious]
· Eater's 21 Essential Cookbooks of 2013 [-E-]
· All Cookbook Coverage on Eater [-E-]
· All Year in Eater Coverage [-E-]