We've rounded up the best cookbooks for novices, adventurous home cooks and voracious foodies from the past year. From accessible odes to all things vegetarian to celebrations of comfort food, from grilling guides to celebrity collections, our list is sure to include something to inspire and sate any appetite.

Vegetarian India by Madhur Jaffrey

Madhur Jaffrey is the reigning master of Indian cuisine, and with decades spent on perfecting her recipes and with many cookbooks published, it isn't difficult to see why. Her collection of 200 plus easy-to-make dishes is the perfect introduction to what everyday Indians make and eat at home.

Ruth Reichl, editor of Gourmet magazine for 10 years, was left adrift after the publication suddenly shuttered in 2009. So she disappeared into her kitchen and crafted a brilliant culinary memoir, My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life. You'll want to make every single dish, from Salmon with Rhubarb Glaze to Perfect Poundcake, alongside her.

Near & Far by Heidi Swanson

Popular blogger and home cook Heidi Swanson of 101cookbooks.com brings a wonderfully diverse selection of vegetarian meals to life in Near & Far. Taste the flavors and signature dishes of Northern California, Morocco, Italy, Japan and more—all without leaving your own kitchen.

Feeding the Fire by Joe Carroll and Nick Fauchald

Barbecue lovers will delight in self-taught BBQ master Joe Carroll and Nick Fauchald's ode to the grill. With Carroll's 20 in-depth lessons, high quality meat, fish or vegetables and the right choice of wood, anyone can achieve barbecue nirvana.

New England Open-House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase

Celebrate the bounty and signature dishes of New England with the help of Sarah Leah Chase's 300-plus recipes and gorgeous photographs in her anticipated follow-up to the Nantucket Open-House Cookbook. Chowders, crab-based dishes, sweet treats and winning Lobster recipes abound.

The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook by Fania Lewando

Pioneering Jewish vegetarian cook Fania Lewando first published The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook in Yiddish in 1938, but all traces of her career and her life were wiped out after her death during the Holocaust in 1941. This piece of culinary history was recently rediscovered, and her healthy, bright Eastern European dishes are a delight.

A Girl and Her Greens by April Bloomfield

British chef April Bloomfield follows up her celebration of all things pork (A Girl and Her Pig) with a bit of a surprising change of direction in A Girl and Her Greens. But this celebration of each season's harvests includes plenty of meaty additions, like Broccoli with Bacon, so omnivores shouldn't feel excluded.

Nonna's House by Jody Scaravella

If you're drawn to the warm, comforting dishes of Italian cuisine, then Nonna's House is the cookbook for you. In her book, Jody Saravella meticulously chronicles the recipes from the real Italian grandmothers that cook at her restaurant on Staten Island. This lovingly photographed and chatty book highlights Italian family tradition at its tastiest.

A fundamental cooking technique like braising may not sound like the most exciting subject for a cookbook, but Michael Ruhlman makes it surprisingly inspiring in How to Braise. The three basics of salting, searing and simmering are highlighted, and the iconic, meat-focused recipes are sure to become dinner table staples.



The Tucci Table by Stanley Tucci and Felicity Blunt

Don't write off the multi-award-winning actor's cookbook as a mere vanity project: The Tucci Table is a fabulously written, easy-to-follow guide to some truly delicious dishes. Recipes reflect Tucci's Italian-American heritage along with his wife's British background, resulting in a truly unique and diverse collection.

The Pollan Family Table by Corky, Lori, Dana and Tracy Pollan

Author Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) is well respected for his intellectual commentary on the way we eat, cook and think about food in the U.S. So it's really no surprise that his mother and sisters are just as gifted and thoughtful in the culinary realm. This family-focused cookbook embraces fresh, whole foods while taking our busy lifestyles into account, making this a stress-free guide to eating well.

RELATED CONTENT: Read all our "Best of 2015" coverage on the blog.