How the Cookbooks of 2020 Tell the Stories of Our Pandemic Kitchens
From beans and baking projects to vegan and global recipes, the year’s best sellers show the ways home cooking changed, and what may lie ahead.

Comfort, Speed and Dessert: The Best Sellers
The top 10 cookbooks for 2020 on the New York Times best-seller list.

1. “Magnolia Table Volume 2: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering,” by Joanna Gaines. (William Morrow & Company)

2. “Modern Comfort Food: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook,” by Ina Garten. (Clarkson Potter)

3. “The Happy in a Hurry Cookbook: 100-Plus Fast and Easy New Recipes That Taste Like Home,” by Steve and Kathy Doocy. (William Morrow)

4. “Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering,” by Joanna Gaines. (William Morrow )

5. “Salt Fat Acid Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking,” by Samin Nosrat. (Simon & Schuster)

6. “The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100,” by Dan Buettner. (National Geographic)

7. “Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence,” by Claire Saffitz. (Clarkson Potter)

8. “Skinnytaste Meal Prep: Healthy Make-Ahead Meals and Freezer Recipes to Simplify Your Life,” by Gina Homolka with Heather K. Jones. (Clarkson Potter)

9. “True Comfort: More Than 100 Cozy Recipes Free of Gluten and Refined Sugar,” by Kristin Cavallari. (Rodale)

10. “Just Feed Me: Simply Delicious Recipes from My Heart to Your Plate,” by Jessie James Decker. (Dey Street)

By Kim Severson

CRITIC’S NOTEBOOK
Will Fish Sauce and Charred Oranges Return the World Covid Took From Me?
Regaining my sense of smell is tedious and slow, but I’m using the only therapy proven to work.
By TEJAL RAO

How to Pretend You’re in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, Today
You might not be able to travel on spring break this year, but you can immerse yourself in Maya culture from home.

The Riviera Maya, a popular vacation corridor, is the Caribbean coastline south of Cancún to Tulum, where El Castillo, perched above the sea, is among the ancient ruins.
By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM

FRONT BURNER
This Cheese Is Made for Aging
The latest raw cow’s milk from Meadow Creek is an eight-month aged cheese named for Appalachia.

By FLORENCE FABRICANT

FRONT BURNER
Venison All the Way From Hawaii
Maui Nui sells various cuts from Axis deer, and the harvest helps combat erosion that has affected the island’s coral reefs.

Maui Nui Venison, mauinuivenison.com.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

FRONT BURNER
This Book Covers the Hard Stuff
“American Cider” looks at the history of the beverage, and it discusses how it is made, too.

“American Cider: A Modern Guide to a Historic Beverage,” by Dan Pucci and Craig Cavallo (Ballantine Books, $18).
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

Stop and Make This Rice Pudding
Warm and smoky with spices, this take, from Sara Mardanbigi and Edgar Rico of Nixta Taqueria, is worth making — and soon.

By SAM SIFTON