The good, the bad and the unused

[lorilei]

Alright. We've already established that many of us here on the boards are cookbook junkies. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif It's a pleasant addiction ... but we all end up with at least a couple of cookbooks that we don't really use.

What is it that turns you off to a cookbook? On the other hand, what makes a cookbook INDISPENSIBLE?

I love it when a cookbook takes me to another place, makes me taste things in another way, or gives me a new appreciation for a certain type of food.

I tend to get rid of cookbooks that result in plain food -- chicken with little flavor, sauces with no "oompf"...

[funnybone]

I love cookbooks, whether I cook from them or not. Some I have actually bought because they may have local scenery of a country or region.

However, what makes me NOT want to cook from some of the books are the "exotic ingredients" that I cannot find locally. Also, recipes that require too long a preparation time with an endless list of ingredients. Sure, we all need these kinds of recipes sometimes, but not an entire book of them.

A friend bought me a beautiful dessert and cake cookbook, but I have never used it since it is from England and all the recipes are by weight. One day I will get a kitchen scale, but for the most part I have survived without one.

I love pictures also. I have made many recipes without pictures, but when I am not sure what I want to prepare, pictures are what grabs my attention.

[Mandy]

I really like good pictures in my cookbooks. When I'm looking for inspiration with a menu a beautiful picture will get me everytime. I also like recipes that are well organized. I love the way CL lays out their recipes, very easy to read while I'm cooking. I have a cookbook that has the recipes organized in the book by menus. I don't like that becuase I can't just flip through the desserts or the veggies or whatever I'm looking for, I have to look through the entire book at every menu.

[Jewel]

Because I have so many cookbooks and need to wean myself off, I am VERY particular anymore about what I buy. I've found the CL annuals for the last 11 years from 'alternate sources' than Oxmoor House, so they're now the prime sources I use. But, sometimes you need a book that focuses on something specific. I look for books that specialize: Crock Pot Cooking...Southern Cooking...Cajun Cooking, etc. Even if they're not light recipes I can adjust the ingredients, and it gives me one book to concentrate on if I'm intent on using that Crock Pot one day and have no idea what to put into it!

Photos aren't as important to me anymore, since I've gotten used to the CL annuals having limited photos. I can scan ingredient lists and get a good idea of how it's going to look! Well, hopefully how it's going to look! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[LGBurns]

I'd have to say the biggest turn-off for me is lots of high fat recipes that are not easily converted to low-fat. I don't have the time right now to spend trying to convert a high-fat, high-calorie recipe into a yummylight one (although, I think once I'm out of school I may start that as my new hobby http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif). For now, I look for books that have a large portion of recipes that are realistically light enough for me to make on an everyday basis or, at the least, are easy to convert.

[BarrieCov]

For me, I don't mind exotic ingredients so much, since it can be fun to explore.

What I dislike are recipes that have a huge number of ingredients. Sometimes, the list is longer than the recipe!!!! I look at the list, and it's too exhausting to contemplate unless I am really motivated to cook.

For this reason, the Rozanne Gold 1-2-3 cookbooks are good - only 3 ingredients!

My current faves are Marion Burros' (sp) "Eating Well is the Best Revenge", which has interesting, simple recipes and the new Ina Garten one on entertaining. I like to be able to assemble everything ahead of time and enjoy my own party! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Kelli Kerrigan]

I have so many cookbooks that I have promised myself that I'd go through them, sell the ones I do not like and will use that money to purchase another Moosewood that I've been drolling over. Luckily there is a second hand book store across the street from work.
The one cookbook that I have that I've NEVER used is Emil's Everyday's a Party. I am still wondering what I was thinking when I purchased it. (mail ordered, which I have stopped doing)
The things that turn me off are books filled with recipes that don't make me say "yum! I can't wait to try this!" Or I have some of Trotter's that might have given me good ideas, but they have really unreal ingredients. (I may like to cook and eat, but I can't afford to have my food flown in from Africa all the time)
Since I cook with my moods, I do like to have many ethnic books or specialized books. And when I find a good one I just can't keep my hands off of it!

[LaraW]

I only have three of the CL Annual's. The 1998 edition was given to me as a wedding gift, and we use it all the time. The thing that I love about it is that it is organized by month, rather than by desserts, vegetables, etc. I can flip through the current month and find something that sounds good.

I have several (well, ok, lots) of cookbooks that I don't use at all or very often. Many times it is because these recipes call for ingredients that I do not keep on hand, or are difficult to find. I should look at them again, because I got several of them when I was in college, and the stuff I keep on hand now is way different than what I had then! I have several books from Europe, and have not really made anything from those either. But they are fun to look at!

[Luiza]

One thing that really turns me off in a cookbook is long recipe names that are practically an ingredient list. This usually translates into fussy, pretentious recipes that I know I will love in a restaurant but will never make. I also pass over cookbooks with high fat recipes. Pictures help, but not always. I got as a present this giant cookbook with lots of pictures and amazing presentation (my friends have labeled it "food porn") but I never got the urge to make anything from it. On the other hand, my second-hand 1972 British edition of Claudia Roden's Middle Eastern cookbook in small paperback format, tiny print, no pictures, and lots of interesting stories gets lots of use. I guess personality matters.

Luiza

[lindrusso]

I guess I'm not a cookbook fanatic, but the ones that sit on my shelves unused are the ones that have a few good recipes, but on the whole just seem to be trying to fill up space with any old recipe and not just the really good ones. And though I love to try new and exotic things, recipes that constantly call for ingredients that you can't find in rural American can be tiresome.

I find that I'm also drawn to pictures. I have several Martha Stewart cookbooks that I bought mainly for the appetizers. Then her new Hors d'Oeuvers Handbook came out and I fell in love. This book has beautiful, artful picture of every single recipe. After reading, or, rather, drooling, my way through that book, I looked back at some of my other MS cookbooks. I realized that they had many of the same recipes, but they hadn't grabbed my attention without the photos!!

I suppose I'm a very visual person - I need to see it to get excited about it (unless it's rather self-explanatory, like a lasagna). Some dishes, especially when you're making appetizers that are stacked, stuffed, and otherwise "created", are just hard to visualize.

Another turn-off is related to the visual thing. I don't like cookbooks that assume a certain amount of knowledge and as a result, provide inadequate directions. Explain, illustrate, show me!!!! Details, details!!

[This message has been edited by lindrusso (edited 04-20-2001).]

[lindrusso]

ooopsss....sorry....

[This message has been edited by lindrusso (edited 04-20-2001).]

[Gail]

What don't I like in a cookbook? Keeping in mind that cookbook selection is totally subjective and that there is simply no such thing as "right" or "wrong," nor "good" versus "bad" my bugaboos happen to be:

1. An irritating format. I don't like the format of Diana Kennedy's books (or anyway the one I picked up) The basic layout was hard on my eyes and I just didn't have the patience to wade through it. Small print or inadequate spacing affects me the same way-- I'm reading a recipe, for gosh sakes-- not a novel.

2. Unimaginative ingredients. If you put salt and pepper on it and stick it in the oven, forget it. If it uses convenience products, ketchup, canned soups, it probably isn't my cup of tea. If it utilizes one garlic clove and very little in the way of herbs or spices, I'll probably put it back on the shelf.

3. Cookbooks from American Institutions. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with Betty Crocker and Fanny Farmer's recipes-- they just don't happen to appeal to my tastebuds.

4. Cookcooks which seem to me to be trying too hard. I'm not a nouvelle cuisine kinda cook. And I guess my taste buds aren't sophisticated enough to appreciate the innovative use of certain ingredients.

As to what I think makes a cookbook great, I'd have to say:

1. It invokes some sort of sensory memory. I turn the pages and spot something which makes me say, "Hey yeah! I had something like that before...I wonder if this will be as good."

2. The author isn't afraid of garlic, herbs and spices. Being Garlic Queen of the Western Hemisphere, the inclusion of this fragrant little bulb is essential to my cooking. Not enough garlic and you're back on the shelf. Ditto for other flavorings. A sweet potato pie which includes only cinnamon as a flavoring will be voted down in favor of something with a more intriguing mix.

3. Interesting ethnic foods. I love to explore new places and I love sampling local foods as a part of these explorations. Cooking the dishes common to another time or place is a way of armchair travel all year round.

4. Has the author proven himself/herself to me? Certain books I'll buy simply because I've tried others by the same person, sampled the dishes and have fallen in love.

"Food Porn." I like that term. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif I'll have to remember that one...




[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 04-20-2001).]

[patsyk]

I love cookbooks that draw my attention from the get-go... recipes that are not too pretentious that I'll only look at them and imagine having a really formal dinner party to use them (not gonna happen here)... we are casual, but like to have low-fat, yet full of flavor food! Pictures help a lot, especially, if it's something that I haven't made before - instructions are a must! Also, ingredients that I can EASILY locate in my local grocery will make me more likely to make a recipe that sounds like a good one! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[cryskie]

This may seem weird, but I hate cookbooks whose recipes or ingredients are written in Italics--they're so hard to read!

I also like lots of pictures, easy-to read formats, and shorter ingredient lists.

Crystal

[kwormann]

I cant have a cookbook without pitcures....the beauty of art work goes with the beauty of the food...it doesnt even have to be pictures of the food Im going to make.

On the other hand, I have been known to buy a cookbook just based on the fact that it has beautiful artwork....especially those with photos of scenery where the cusine comes from! If I am going to use the book, it needs to have easy to use recipes with exciting, fresh ingredients!

Kim

[This message has been edited by kwormann (edited 04-20-2001).]

[Jessica]

What a great subject--my cooking buddy and I were just discussing this.
I like cookbooks that include really good instructions. Even if I know how to do something, it never hurts to review or pick up new skills in the kitchen.
I also look for recipes with reasonable ingredient lists. I don't mind some unusual ingredients, but if every recipe has nine things I never have on hand, I'll never use that cookbook.
Of course, I also look for recipes that sound good to me http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
The cookbooks I have and never ever ever use are the ones from churches and community groups. I am sure there are fine recipes in those books, but they are buried among the cream-of-blank soups and Jello molds and Durkee fried onions. Also, the recipes tend to have a lot of fat.

[Marcie]

I'm feeling so proud of myself. Last week I actually got my unused cookbooks off the bookshelf, into a big bag, and dropped off at the library for their book sale. There were about 12 of them. I get the tax deduction, the spring-cleaning satisfaction of a weeded out bookshelf, and no more... oh, let's call it "guilt" that I hadn't touched those lovely (but totally useless to me) books. And I know they'll sell really well for the library sale, since the books had hardly been cracked open at all!

As for why they weren't making the cut for me, some of them were cookbooks that took non-fat to such an extreme that the recipes all seemed like strict diet fare. Others were too heavy, and I'd rather just use CL than have to rework recipes.

[chefbec]

I also love pictures. I look at many cookbooks, but the ones I buy have to make me salivate! If I'm drooling over the ingredients, the picture, and the recipes are not too tough, that book is MINE! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[TIGBOO]

I LOVE regional, small press cookbooks, as I find the most intriguing recipes hidden in them, as well as a personality. My personal favorite recipe ingredient was "1 cup rain water"! Living in Big City, like I would use that!

Pictures are a definite help, especially if its a cuisine I am not real familiar with.

Negative things? Celebrity books... they sometimes seem to care more about the celebrity than they do the recipe!

[Beth]

I pretty much agree with what's been said above, but I also find that I tend to shy away from menu cookbooks. It seems I very rarley, if ever, find a whole menu I would want to reproduce, so it just takes to much time and effort to find recipes. I like organization designed for cruising. I prefer recipes organized by types. Books arranged by season, nationality or the like are better than menus, but the best for me is straightforward (appetizers, beverages, salads, entrees, desserts, either alphabetical or with groupings within those categories as long as I can figure out which it is).

And it doesn't put the book back on the shelf, but does it throw anyone else when an all-purpose book has desserts at the beginning (CL Complete, as an example)?

[gertdog]

I love cookbooks in which many of the recipes are really just jumping off points for experimentation. I love it when the author makes a few suggestions for variations and new flavors... two books that come to mind are Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. Having a solid recipe to start with and a few suggestions for new things to try really increases my confidence in the kitchen!

I like books that tell me something about the origins of a recipe. I like a book that I can take to the couch and actually read.

I don't like cookbooks in which the author spends a lot of time telling which ingredients/brands I absolutely must use or must avoid. I don't like "food snobbery" when the author insists that her/his way of doing things is the ONLY way to get an authentic/tasty/successful result.

[ellielk]

I find that I go back again and again to a cookbook that my mother used in the 50's. It's called What Cooks in Suburbia and I've never cooked anything out of it that turned out bad.

There are no pictures at all but I seem to be able to tell from the ingredients list whether I'll like it or not. There are a couple of recipes (one for chicken livers in a wine sauce and one for pork goulash with kraut) that look as though they've already been eaten once but are really tasty.

Another standby is the Frog/Commisary Cookbook that my sister sent me from Philadelphia. Apparently these were two of her favorite restaurants. This one has the best salads and homemade dressings.

[LGBurns]

Reading over the posts I thought of a few more things:

Beth, I'm exactly the opposite to you -- I love books that include menu suggestions. I find it inspiring (and time saving). That's one of my favorite things about the Moosewood books; they have lots menu suggestions.

I love books with lots of new ingredients I haven't tried, especially if they're healthy. Things like millet, wheat berries, greens, etc. (I mean I cook with greens a lot but you don't often see a lot of recipes for greens in cookbooks.)

I love books that use lots of spices and herbs.

I don't really need pictures--I kind of like to imagine what the dish will look like. But I definitely need pictures to learn new techniques (like in Cooks Illustrated). But I find line drawings fine for that.