How many cookbooks do you need?
Jan 16, 2008 | 12:06 am
#18
In Memoriam
Join Date: Sep 2007
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Posts: 132
Need? hmmmm, I think you could be happy with maybe 15 or so. I like reading them, and have some from grandmothers, aunts, and mother, so I probably have 250 or so.
I'm also a fan of two websites.....Epicurious.com and the Splendid Table website.
I'm also a fan of two websites.....Epicurious.com and the Splendid Table website.
Jan 16, 2008 | 5:10 am
#19
Original Poster
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I've found good recipes at epicurious, but I if I have some idea of what I'm looking for, I just type it in a search engine and see what pops up. I'll type 2 ingredients and the word recipe - like: "maple pork recipe". Could get weird though - like: "cabbage cake recipe" - I don't think I'd try that.
Jan 16, 2008 | 10:30 am
#22
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i was looking at the books on the shelf the other day - probably between 20 and 30 - but since I cook infrequently, that's more than I probably need. I did decide not to get rid of the cookbooks but instead to throw out the old cooking magazines that I was also keeping.
I use search engines when I'm looking for ideas for specific things, like broiling the mahi mahi or swordfish I had the other day.
I use search engines when I'm looking for ideas for specific things, like broiling the mahi mahi or swordfish I had the other day.
Jan 17, 2008 | 9:45 am
#23
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 295
"need" and "want" are two very different concepts when it comes to cookbooks! You might only need half a dozen, or fewer; but I probably own about 100, and used to own more but had to reduce the herd during a move. Some are more used than others, but they are all fun to read. I also use Epicurious quite a bit; my go to cookbooks are probably Gourmet's big cookbook, a Mario Batali cookbook, a cookbook called Best of the Midwestern Table, and a few specialty cookbooks for cuisine like Thai food. I think the only time a recipe is truly essential is in baking...and I have probably twenty cookbooks just devoted to baking!
Jan 17, 2008 | 9:52 am
#24
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Houston
Programs: CO Plat; Marriott Silver; Hilton Gold
Posts: 623
I have probably close to 100 cookbooks - many are regional or fundraiser-type, a few are antiques. Also subscribe to Bon Apetit, so have a lot of recipes I've torn form mags.
Rarely do I follow recipe exactly. Use as a suggestion for starting point.
Rarely do I follow recipe exactly. Use as a suggestion for starting point.
Jan 17, 2008 | 10:12 am
#25
Join Date: May 2004
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Posts: 8,214
I have about 40, but there are only 3 or 4 that I refer to year in and year out, normally for techniques and technical information, including The Joy of Cooking and Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' and 'The Way to Cook'. Beyond that, like others, I use the remainder mostly for inspiration rather than to follow specific recipes to the letter.
Jan 17, 2008 | 4:37 pm
#26
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: PHX
Programs: US,HH
Posts: 636
During my last move I decided to unclutter my life and donated 30-40 books. I now only own 5. Betty Crocker - because for some reason I can never ever remember how to hard boil and egg
and 4 Williams Sonoma books. Fish, Seafood, Vegatables and Pasta. With these I manage to come up with some variation of a recipe that I love.
and 4 Williams Sonoma books. Fish, Seafood, Vegatables and Pasta. With these I manage to come up with some variation of a recipe that I love.
Jan 17, 2008 | 5:48 pm
#27
Join Date: Jul 2007
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I think there are a couple cooking "bibles" - for me, the first one is of course The Art of French Cooking by Julia Childs. Can't have a kitchen without it.
After that, I need one or two dessert books, a cocktail book, something by Bobby Flay (big fan of his style of cooking), need a New Mexican cookbook, and probably a Barefoot Contessa book.
After that, I need one or two dessert books, a cocktail book, something by Bobby Flay (big fan of his style of cooking), need a New Mexican cookbook, and probably a Barefoot Contessa book.
Jan 17, 2008 | 7:03 pm
#28
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The best and most interesting are from urban "Junior Leagues" and similar organizations in the US South, with the same true of a segment of the "Church Cookbook" market, Episcopal and Presbyterian Churches and Reformed Temples, again in the South, along with cookbooks from rural "ethnic" parishes, both Roman Catholic and "Old Denomination" Protestant. Affluent Southern women, especially those born before 1940, are more likely to be serious cooks or "preservationists of tradition".
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I like the regional church cookbook idea. I'd imagine there are a few treasures to be discovered.
Can you post a couple?
Jan 17, 2008 | 7:10 pm
#29
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: ,CT
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Great Cookbook!
Susan Mason's Silver Service -- Elegant Savannah Cuisine. Every recipe I have tried has been fab. Best crab dip, wonderful salads. She is a caterer so all the recipes are tried and true. Just delicious.
Jan 17, 2008 | 9:28 pm
#30
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 118
I probably have 20-25 cookbooks. I use quite a few recipes from maybe 4 or 5 of these -- of the remainder, maybe 2 or 3 recipes from each. So I've started checking cookbooks out of the library, and photocopying those few recipes I like.