Reading cookbooks
I read cookbooks the way most folks would read novels...Very relaxing, plus great ideas for the next day's feasts!!
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18 Comments:
Oh, I do, too! Whenever I get a new cookbook, I read it cover to cover. I remember getting Bittman's How to Cook Everything some years ago, and I read it from Christmas to New Year's Day. Next week, however, will be devoted to Harry (yes, I'm one of those).
Barbara Hanson at 10:52PM on 07/10/07
me, too! I even take them out at the llibrary along with novels
NanaJoie at 6:29AM on 07/11/07
Don't take me to a bookstore's food section.....hours elapse and there I am, actually sitting right on the floor, with half the selection sprawled around me, engrossed in the fine details of when exactly you add this and this herb......at what point do you take the pan from the oven.....the suspense, the wonder of it all.....!
stareater at 7:52AM on 07/11/07
Count me in! A new cookbook and a glass of wine and I'm in heaven!
ride&cook at 7:57AM on 07/11/07
If you read cookbooks, Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook is one to seek out. Being laced with his style of profanity, it's a hilarious read all on its own.
LunaPierCook at 8:36AM on 07/11/07
I love reading cookbooks as well....I gravitate towards those that include little stories or tidbits with the recipes.....they make for the best reading! This also gives me the perfect opportunity to thank Serious Eats for my newest cookbook, thank you for the copy of The Summer Shack Cookbook...I've already begun reading it!
btw...BaHa...I'm one of those too. ;-)
mepolo at 8:47AM on 07/11/07
I'm a sucker for a cookbook that doesn't just have recipes, but stories and really helpful information. My favorites include Vegan With a Vengeance and the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book. So much useful info!
hereandthe at 10:09AM on 07/11/07
I'm one of those who buy regional or national cookbooks when I travel. Often you get pictures better than most postcards, narratives about food history and culture as well as the role that local products play in determining their cuisine. On top of that, you get unique recipes that help you figure out how that restaurant you visited prepared the new dish that you just love. Read 'um from cover to cover repeatedly and revisit travels enjoyed...
Yes, there are the standard reference-type cookbooks that are read like textbooks. Gotta take those refresher courses you know. Not yet mentioned are those books that train and encourage you to "cook without recipes". They should be required reading for anyone who has spent more than a week in the kitchen.
czken at 10:34AM on 07/11/07
I love to read cookbooks! And menus - usually after I order at a restaurant I ask to keep the menu (and drink menu) and give it a closer look while we wait for the food.
K at 11:04AM on 07/11/07
The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook is the most entertaining I've ever come across. Buy one right now if you haven't already.
sawyerriley at 12:14PM on 07/11/07
I'm glad there are other out there who read cookbooks too! No one around me really seems to get it. Some of my favourties are the Moosewood restaurant cookbooks that have been around my house since my mum's healthy-vegetarian days... they have great anecdotes and really good, interesting vegetarian recipes. Another category are dessert books... I can stare at the chocolate porn to my heart's content!
flye3076 at 12:53PM on 07/11/07
Two must-read cookbooks: The Times Picayune Creole Cookbook and The Settlement Cookbook. Both are from the very early 20th century. Absolutely wonderful reading.
1stmakearoux at 2:02PM on 07/11/07
I have shelves & shelves of cookbooks that are all well read by me. However, food blogs are giving my cookbook reading time a run for their money now!
JEP at 6:38PM on 07/11/07
Absolutely! You always learn some background of a dish, or how the chef arrived at it or some other great tidbit. I think it's a great tool in improvisational or "I'm-starving-and-only-have-corn-tomato-paste-and-chicken" cooking. I store up techniques or interesting flavor combinations without even realizing it.
LizNYC at 6:45PM on 07/11/07
Check your local library...most have used book sales.
I find really interesting cookbooks many of which have have been donated to the library and have regional recipes, such as my two most recent purchases: " Lighthouse Secrets" compiled by the Junior League of St. Augustine (1999) and "America's Best Recipes: A 2000 Hometown Collection" recipes from Junior Leagues, Churches, community groups...I love to read and read, then cook and cook. By the way, they were $2.00 each.
elaine at 7:05PM on 07/11/07
if you're looking for true new orleans style cooking without all the fancy sauces etc., try books by frank davis, he's a native and his books have recipes for food that we actually cook down here. dropping red pepper into a dish doesn't make it cajun.
olddad at 8:21PM on 07/11/07
It's great to hear that other people read cookbooks like novels as well! I love reading cookbooks right before going to bed - the stack of cookbooks on my nightstand has to be just as large as the collection in my living room. One of my favorites is Nigella Lawson's How to Eat - I've read it cover to cover at least 10 times.
Jj6407 at 11:42PM on 07/11/07
i love cookbooks too. i think it really escapes many people who are not in to food why you would sit and read a bunch of recipes that you may or may not ever make! But i have to also say, im also a big menu reader. pretty much anything food related really...
lbg716 at 10:32AM on 07/12/07