Free Cook's Illustrated Cookbook for Amazon Kindle: Reason to Buy?
The Kindle 2. Kindle customers will be able to download a free copy of The Cook's Illustrated How-to-Cook Library. Amazon.com
Amazon is offering an exclusive Kindle download through a partnership with America's Test Kitchen. The Cook's Illustrated How-to-Cook Library will be available free for the Kindle starting February 24. (You can pre-order it here.)
I assume that Amazon will pay Cook's Illustrated founder, editor, and publisher Christopher Kimball and company a royalty each time a Kindle user downloads the guide. We are trying to find out more about this potentially far-reaching development.
At first blush this looks like another example of Kimball being way ahead of the curve. Serious Eats bets other publishers will follow suit, but it will undoubtedly take them awhile, because traditional book publishers are notoriously slow when it comes to adopting new technologies.
What say you, serious eaters? Would you buy a Kindle to get a free download of The Cook's Illustrated How-to-Cook Library? I think I would. The new Kindle is certainly portable enough to bring to a kitchen.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
25 Comments:
I think this may be the only good use for a kindle. It would be incredibly easy to bring this into the kitchen. Though, nothing beats a good, food-stained book with my notes all over it.
iahawk89 at 6:40PM on 02/16/09
Sorry guys--I love my books as books and I do make notes on the pages of my cookbooks, messy though they may be. And the Kindle costs a whopping $359 so the download being free is a very small cherry on top of a pretty hefty cake!
smallblondemom at 7:00PM on 02/16/09
How durable is this kindle thing? My cookbooks need to withstand batter-spattering, flour-dusting, liquid-splashing and occasional double duty as tofu presses.
KarynMC at 7:23PM on 02/16/09
Am I the only one who fails to see the venn diagram intersection between people who would actually buy a kindle and home cooks? A kindle seems like something a molecular gastronomist might have, while us old fashion cooks would stick to real books...
sailordave at 7:29PM on 02/16/09
Well, I have a Kindle. And I cook. I haven't used my year-old Kindle for cookbook yet, but I'm getting this download. So, it'll be an experiment! Possibly 1 conducted with the Kindle in a ziploc bag :D
txvoodoo at 7:40PM on 02/16/09
Hmmph to some of the above comments! I have a Kindle and I've pre-ordered this. I generally read cookbooks as well as use them while cooking, so I'm curious to see how this will translate on the Kindle. I own plenty of wood pulp variety cooking manuals, but for the past 8 years my laptop has been my primary cookbook (and it has the flour and sauce stains to prove it)
stonechiper at 7:41PM on 02/16/09
Technology is being used in actual cooking more and more, so why not as a delivery device for information about cooking? I second stonechiper's comment on using a laptop - while I still love my cookbooks, I haven't bought a new one in about 2 years, and find most of my recipes and inspirations online (looking at you Serious Eats :-) That being said, I'm not ready to abandon paper and print just yet. I love my books with their notes, stains, rips, photos, and spices in the spines.
erinlovestoeat at 9:03PM on 02/16/09
Would I buy a Kindle to take advantage of this? No. But since I already own a Kindle, I'm going to pre-order it!
IndyGal at 9:35PM on 02/16/09
Agree with iahawk. I don't think I would buy one for reading, but Kindle seems like a natural fit for a good cookbook, and I'm sure you could find a way to protect it with tomato sauce, grease, melting etc.
emilydev at 10:11PM on 02/16/09
I've got tons of cookbooks...but everyone above says, i've discovered Serious Eats and Smitten Kitchen and many other food blogs. I invested in a new laptop last spring and it works out quite well when I need to peer over a new recipes.
And, why should I give up my full color laptop screen or glossy cookbook for eight shades of grey? Just a thought...
mcanna at 10:17PM on 02/16/09
I'm still trying a master my cell phone.
dmcavanagh at 10:23PM on 02/16/09
Here's a weird juxtaposition: a kindle nest to a cast iron pot....
1stmakearoux at 11:15PM on 02/16/09
@dmcavanagh: lol
gaucholoco at 11:16PM on 02/16/09
I've used a laptop as an in-kitchen cookbook. But a kindle? If you've got a few spare hundos to spend on that, more power to you...but I sure as hell don't.
sailordave at 12:30AM on 02/17/09
Cooks Ill out ahead on a tech issue? They should start with their web site. I am a paying member of the site (also get the paper mag and own a cookbook), but doubt I will renew the site subscription unless they make improvements.
The bulletin board is full of gripes about changes made several months ago.
Remander at 1:04AM on 02/17/09
Wait...did you actually say "another example of Kimball being way ahead of the curve"?
LOL!
Pointy at 1:08AM on 02/17/09
It's funny. I cancelled my subscription to their online site since the price shot up from 17.95 to 34.95/year, which I cannot justify. I pre-ordered their awesome freebie yesterday. In fact, it's the first thing I got for the Kindle I've had on order since November (and which will hopefully actually arrive early next week).
chisai at 6:08AM on 02/17/09
I don't think the kindle will last long as a device. Eventually Amazon will just offer it as a service and you'll be able to get whatever you want on any electronic device, iphone, etc.
bobbob at 8:50AM on 02/17/09
I don't want it. My sister actually wanted to get me one when they first came out, but like most of the people on this thread, I prefer my books to be paper and a mess, haha. I do use my laptop for most of my cooking, lately, but I just feel like this is unnecessary.
kfarrel3 at 10:06AM on 02/17/09
I don't actually bring my laptop into the kitchen either, FYI. I print out or write down recipes off my computer. Seriously, I can do enough damage to a computer without having heating implements and cooking liquids nearby!
KarynMC at 11:56AM on 02/17/09
meh. considering that my dell mini cost less than a kindle and that used books are almost always cheaper than kindle books, i think i'll pass.
sloppy at 1:07PM on 02/17/09
Here's another thought - You can always read the book on your Kindle, and highlight a recipe as a note - transfer via USB to computer and print it out. No Kindle danger in kitchen!
txvoodoo at 3:39PM on 02/17/09
Like IndyGal above, I wouldn't buy a Kindle just to get the cookbook, but since I have one already I've ordered the download.
I don't know how practical it will actually be, though. My preference is to print out a new (disposable) copy of a recipe each time, so it doesn't matter if it gets dirty or things drop on it. Printing from a Kindle isn't nearly as convenient as either reading on a Kindle or printing straight from the computer, and I'm not inclined to leave my Kindle lying around exposed in the kitchen while I cook.
Still, I give them points for the experiment.
benbenberi at 4:09PM on 02/17/09
As a person who has just packed up in excess of 3,000 books--including more than 400 of the cooking type--in order to stage the house for selling, I ever so much look forward to my Kindle. And like others here, I have used the interwebs as my main source for recipes/menus/kitchen-love experimentation for several years now and DON'T have a laptop; thus the Kindle will save me much scurrying back and forth between kitchen and den to confirm particulars whilst my meal is in progress...Yeah, this old lady is ready for the tech upgrade.
BobbieAnne at 1:27PM on 02/18/09
Fat chance that anyone will see this after two weeks... but does anyone know if this is free to anyone using Kindle for iPhone, but who does not own a Kindle?
zy1125 at 1:02PM on 03/04/09