When I started collecting cookbooks, I was in my late teens. I remember going to Chapters and walking around the store, touching books and looking at the beautiful pictures. I loved the smell of the fresh pages and the weight of the books. I thought to myself, these books must be full of information, since they weigh so much!
I’ve accumulated many cookbooks over the years. Some of them were gifts and others I’ve purchased myself. Some of my collection is for reference and others are for practical use. Some were purchased on recommendations and others have been passed on from family members or friends.
I’m not sure how many people are buying Modernist Cuisine to cook in their kitchen at home, but I’m a more practical kind of cook. I like books that are easy to navigate through, with clear recipes, beautiful photography and a good back story. I also choose ones which I know I will actually cook from.
If you ask some chefs why they love certain books, it may be about the recipes, the pictures or the author themselves. I think I choose books based on all those characteristics as well as the layout. Are the recipes easy to read? Are they slightly challenging? Does the food look like something I would really want to eat?
Cookbooks are the type of book that people still physically buy. I personally find it very challenging to read a recipe on a device or virtually. I think it takes away some of the sentimental value of making the recipe if you have to look at it on a digital device.
There are a few reasons why I love cookbooks, other than the obvious fact of me being a professional chef…
#1-Cookbooks are a beautiful decoration to add to your kitchen or reading space. The colours and imagery on the cover and bindings are usually vivid. They look aesthetically pleasing stacked together tightly on a bookshelf.
#2-Cookbooks serve as a good conversation starter between guests. What you are making for a meal will often be a conversation and will invite questions from your guest. They may rejoice at the fact you have a cookbook from the same author as they do or think of a sentimental memory from the book you are cooking from.
#3-Cookbooks are not only informative, but are full of beautiful photography that can transport you to the setting of the book. I can say that I definitely make purchases on colour and the style of how a cookbook is set up. I love pictures that bring you in and connect with the reader. The images and story should make you savour or want to eat whatever you are looking at. If that happens successfully, chances are there will be people interested enough to make a purchase.
#4-Cookbooks are meant to be shared. One person can prepare a dish and another person can cook a different recipe from the same book. I really enjoy finding some old food or wine stains on the pages, because it tells you someone actually used it and enjoyed what they made. It’s like a silent note from the previous reader.
Our family still uses books from many years ago and some of the recipes are as good as they were when the book was first printed. We have books from famous chefs, home cooks and even personal family recipes passed down from generations before us. Some examples of books that we still use are Italian Regional Cooking, by Ada Boni, The Best of Northern Italian Cooking, by Hedy Giusti-Lanham and Company’s Coming: Cookies, by Jean Paré. They may look a bit rough around the edges and corners may be folded, but the recipes still work great today and give a great result.
For individuals interested in cooking and food, I don’t think the collection ever stops. The collection changes and preferences may change, but I don’t think we will ever stop accumulating new recipes to cook.
What are your favourite cookbooks? Anything that has been passed down to you from family?
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