More on Books

Back to my obsession.

Cookbooks are not as quick for finding a specific recipe, but overall they will impart more general knowledge. You will find things you did not know you wanted to know

I don’t use books so much to find recipes, I use them more to impart a general feel of how a particular culture will flavor their foods. It is easier to flip through 10 or 15 recipes that are grouped together in a book, than it is to follow a thread on a website. Clicking from site to site usually leads me away from the group of recipes I am trying to focus on.

If I am trying to do an ethnic theme meal, I usually have a central recipe that is my initial focus, then I starting looking for side dishes, then appetizers, then desserts. If I have a good book, there will be ideas for me to follow up on. I probably won’t use the recipes I find there, but I will have an idea of what to look for. Then I can focus on specific recipes in other books or online.

If you are collecting cookbooks, new books are expensive. Unless you are buying a specific book, look for used. Yard sales, flea markets, second hand book stores are all good options. Marshals, and Winner usually have cookbooks. Where you get them does not matter. The knowledge that is in them may help you at some time.