"The Cookbook" received positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 74, based on 28 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Rich Juzwiak of "Stylus Magazine" gave the album an A rating, stating "Her adventurous and, yes, massive, persona is allowed to wander wherever it wants on "The Cookbook", be it avant or common." Alexis Petridis of "The Guardian" wrote, ""The Cookbook" is a convincing return to form... Sounding as unique and startling and formidable as ever, Missy Elliott is clearly not a woman to be messed with." John Bush of AllMusic noted that "Elliott forces a few rhymes, plays to type with her themes, and uses those outside producers to follow trends in hip-hop... What's different here is how relaxed Elliott is, how willing she seems to simply go with what comes naturally and sounds best." "Q" stated "If not Elliott's most inventive album, "The Cookbook" is certainly her most colourful and entertaining".