Pix or not...?
Do you prefer cookbooks with pictures or without?
I like cookbooks with pictures of the finished dishes or cakes because I want to see what the author had in mind when he or she developed the recipe. It doesn't mean I'll do exactly what the author did but it's nice to have a visual reference.
Thoughts?
(PS - I'm putting this in cooking and baking because it's really not about media per se.)
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31 Comments:
I have a cookie cookbook that has the photos of the cookies along the outside edge of the pages. Sometimes I'm looking for a different cookie to make, and flipping through those pages makes the decision a lot easier than if I had to read the recipes. And even at that, photos help me figure out if the recipe came out right (darn you, high altitude). And when there are a great number of similar recipes (peanut butter, oatmeal, shortbread) it give me a better idea of how each will turn out.
Other cookbooks, if it's one where I'm browsing through, it's good to have photos, particularly if it's a dish or a cuisine I'm not familiar with. Photos have prompted me to try dishes that I would have bypassed if it was just a name in a book.
But if I'm hunting for a recipe and I know what it's supposed to turn out like, then the photos aren't as important.
Technique photos are good if it's something a little complicated. Slicing and dicing, I don't need photos, but if it's some complicated dough-folding/molding technique, then it's nice to have a visual reference.
dbcurrie at 6:55PM on 09/05/09
I'm all about the pictures--first of all, especially for cuisines I'm not familiar with, I need a visual to understand what I'm supposed to be making! And for more familiar things, the photo's value for food porn cannot be underestimated--I admit it, if I see a brownie that looks delicious I'm more apt to try to make it!
Even for older cookbooks, I love to see the different styles from different eras.
HeartofGlass at 6:58PM on 09/05/09
Pictures are great because they catch my eye and I'll end up making something I might not have wanted to just from reading the recipe title.
gingercookiewithlime at 7:01PM on 09/05/09
I'm with HeartofGlass--pictures all the way!! The one exception I've found is Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her directions/descriptions are so precise that if I follow closely, it's like I can see it in my head!
fujimama at 7:04PM on 09/05/09
definately need those pictures & I agree with gingercookiewithlime--If I seen an appealing picture of a particular recipe, I more inclined to make it
Italiancupcake at 7:53PM on 09/05/09
Photos are nice, but not necessary. Good recipes are more important.
As mentioned above, technique photos are very helpful.
CJ McD at 7:56PM on 09/05/09
I'm a sucker for cookbooks with pictures. But I really learned to cook with Fannie Farmer, which only had drawings, and I didn't seem to suffer. I'm just spoiled now.
lemonfair at 8:39PM on 09/05/09
Pictures for sure....line drawings and artists renditions of recipes don't inspire me. I've purchased cook books just for the photos even though I know I'd never make any of the recipes in it. On the other hand I have passed on some fine, very useful cookbooks because of the cheesy drawings and sadly those recipes will never have the chance to be tried in my kitchen.
kathyvegas at 9:04PM on 09/05/09
Gimmie the damn pron
sailordave at 12:03AM on 09/06/09
I'm a fan of the pictures -- food porn all the way. I'm also a visual learner so having the picture is incredibly helpful when I'm trying to learn a new recipe or comparing my finished product to how it's supposed to look like.
avaryne at 12:15AM on 09/06/09
Pictures, definitely. It's not a deal-breaker though. I learned how to cook before most cookbooks had pictures of everything and honestly, the one's I go back to again and again tend to be rather light on them. That said, if it's a style of cooking I don't know well, I need them. I'm a huge fan of technique shots.
I have several cookbooks that I bought just for the pictures. Morimoto, as example. It is the ultimate food porn, I've gone through the book a hundred times. The only thing I've made from it is the yuzu sorbet. I still consider it money well spent.
chisai at 7:10AM on 09/06/09
I do not buy cookbooks unless they have photos. And I do not buy cookbooks with photos unless the photo is right next to the recipe.
WickedGoodDinner at 10:43AM on 09/06/09
I had to go and look at my cookbooks! I have a Lidia Bastianich book that has a handful of pics, but I have made nearly everything in that book, so I didn't rely on the pictures in that case. But I have all Paul Prudhomme's books and they are rife with pictures and I believe that is where I started. After I bored my family with those recipes it was time to move on to the rest of the recipes.
When I married my mother in law gave me a "Joy of Cooking" book published in the '50's. She didn't like it. There are only a few whimsical drawings. However, if it had not been for this book, I wouldn't be here today.
janaatwg at 11:13AM on 09/06/09
I have bought cookbooks because of the pics. Some have lived up to expectations others not so much. But the pics are still drool worthy and therefore stay in my collection.
finsbigfan at 11:31AM on 09/06/09
When i'm browsing the web for menus from restaurants i love those virtual menus where they display the dishes it makes it more enticing as for web browsing receipes and such, a picture is worth a thousand words I would be more likely to make something with a picture rather than without. I like a preconceieved notion of what something looks like before I make it. Plus it will give me and idea if I royally screwed up the dish (smile)
tenille10 at 12:21PM on 09/07/09
I like pictures because for me they're almost like another part of the recipe. The photo tells me what's in there, and what I'm shooting for in a way that the written recipe doesn't - not that it's more important, just that I see it as extra info.
I vastly prefer a good, solid, useable recipe without a photo to an okay-but-needs-help recipe with a photo. There's no amount of help a picture can give to a shoddy recipe, however glossy the image may be.
AliceBlue at 12:48PM on 09/07/09
I love my Joy of Cooking cookbook and use that book the most, but it has no pics in it. I love looking at pics anyways so I LOVE cookbooks with pics in them, and more then likely will not buy a cookbook unless it has pics in it, drawings will not cut it with me or books with just a photo on the chapters page, it has to have pics everywhere lol.
pjracz10 at 4:41PM on 09/07/09
great question. sometimes i don't give cookbooks {especially some old ones} a second glance because the layout seems so unapproachable that my instinct tells me that the recipes will be too.
I don't cook from cookbooks anymore, except when I'm baking. I'm more apt to picture what i want after seeing what's available in the market and then improvise as i go along, or to see a recipe and then do something based on the idea.
cybercita at 4:53PM on 09/07/09
If the recipe is describing something and I am not sure exactly what that would "look" like then I'd love a picture.
lexophile at 7:14PM on 09/07/09
I'm a bit on the fence about pictures. I like them for baking, mostly for sizing purposes, although for techniques drawings are fine too.
There is definitely something very lovely about having a cookbook with excellent pictures; yet, I tend to find, when cooking, things always turn out differently than i expect, and sometimes having a picture of what it is "supposed" to look like makes me feel like I haven't succeeded (even if the dish is awesome). That might sound silly, but yeah.
I will say, I am guilty of subscribing to Bon Appetit almost solely for the pictures...a lot of the recipes are out of my budget range, but they are gorgeous...
trepidatiousbaker at 8:16PM on 09/07/09
pics please!
ive noticed that in the books that have pictures for only some recipes, I'm much more likely to make the ones with the pics.
and when i cant decide what i want, pictures usually help convince me to want to make it....
nalega at 9:21PM on 09/07/09
Pictures are a definite plus for a cookbook. It tells you how it should look when it 's done. What would also be helpful are pics that would show you how to do some special technique or know when it is done.
haglered at 10:09PM on 09/07/09
pics for sure! i rarely pick a recipe without a visual. it's more of a security blanket. it doesn't prevent failure but it nice to see what it should look like. :)
Shr1mpch1p at 3:18AM on 09/08/09
@dbcurrie - Here's a good reference for adjustments on high altitude baking. It also mentions one of my very favorite cities so it's doubly pleasurable for me to post it. I lived at 7K feet for four years and had to do very little in the way of adjusting. The one exception where there was a marked difference is yeast-risen doughs. Thirty seconds after you mix them, they're overflowing the KA bowl. (Yes, that was an exaggeration.) I rose EVERYTHING in the fridge overnight in order to develop any flavor.
therealchiffonade at 5:58AM on 09/08/09
One of my favourite sources is Donna Hay and I love that she has beautiful photography of every dish in her cookbooks and magazines.
I have purchased cookbooks without pictures in the past, but I find myself being drawn to the visual and therefore use books with pictures much more frequently.
The odd thing is I often download recipes too and many times those don't have pictures.
Peony at 8:02AM on 09/08/09
My food porn addiction probably accounts for one of the reasons I love Saveur so much. As far as "real" cooking mags go, it's got the best photography.
Wow - I'm thrilled with the response. I've been flamed elsewhere for my preference of cookbooks with pictures.
therealchiffonade at 12:36PM on 09/08/09
I think pics are necessary to entice you to make the recipe!
arm1970 at 2:09PM on 09/08/09
I'm with you all on pics, but in the spirit of indulging in a futuristic fantasy, it'd be great if it came with flavors too - often when I'm making something for the first time, especially from a different cuisine, I don't know if it's as good as the recipe intended. Wouldn't it be nice to pre-taste recipes to see how they'll turn out?
tatianak at 2:19PM on 09/08/09
Gotta have the photos! My wife and I were looking through our cookbooks this weekend looking for photos where the photographer is reflected in the cutlery.
pearce77 at 6:04PM on 09/08/09
Yes, pix. I use cookbooks for inspiration, and ALWAYS modify recipes. In fact, I am very into Photograzing in this site now. That's all I need.
Carioca at 8:08PM on 09/08/09
As far as photos in a cookbook, photos are great in that it helps me become inspired to try the recipes. Otherwise, I prefer diagrams and drawings for visual assistance.
blizcheetah at 8:16PM on 09/08/09