NY Times: Cookbooks as Edible Adventures

[Renew Deal]

LONG before Internet avatars, home cooks knew the way to self-transformation: cookbooks. Bonding with a new one means assuming a new identity, if only for a week or two.

Those who dream of buying cumin in the souks of Marrakesh (wearing a fetching caftan, of course) can work through Paula Wolfert’s tagines and mezzes; fans of Provençal flavors channel Patricia Wells when sautéing her carrots and black olives.

That’s why, even in the age of ever-expanding recipe databases, cookbooks are still alluring. In the good ones, voice, images, recipes and food sense knit into edible autobiography.

This fall, readers are getting fewer convoluted recipes that are like postcards from the frontiers of gastronomy (and about as useful in the kitchen). There are more home-cook-friendly recipes, like salt- and sugar-roasted pork belly from a New York chef or prune cake with buttermilk icing from a ranch wife in Oklahoma.
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Lots of great recommendations: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/dining/04book.html

[grasswire]

1. this raises an interesting question

What does your cookbook collection say about you?

Heh. I guess mine would say that I am seeking nostalgia -- I have hundreds of old obscure regional cookbooks. The odder they are, the better I like them. But I don't cook out of them, really. I read them for entertainment.

I do have a lot of other newer cookbooks too. I love to read cookbooks.

What does your collection say about you?

[TygrBright]

2. That we are dutiful disciples of Mark Bittman, with occasional forays...

...into various world cuisines, and a strong side of diabetic/vegetarian orientation. And a solid grounding in Joy.

interestedly,
Bright

[grasswire]

6. magazines fill some of that for me.

The current issue of Saveur has terrific travel-food features with scrumptious photos. Last month's issue was on Greece, and it was superb.

[elleng]

4. Unfortunately, 'mine' say I left my house 4 years ago,

and haven't obtained many, certainly not most, of my fairly standard and useful (for family of 4, that liked to travel) cookbooks.

Sorry, feeling sorry for myself at the moment.

[grasswire]

5. well, here's a hug

:hug: and a hope that your situation improves soon. I'm separated from a lot of my *stuff* too -- much of it in storage cuz this dwelling is too tiny. In fact, I've probably paid enough in storage here and there over the years post-divorce to put a down payment on a house. I could have made better decisions about weeding out. But sometimes urgent circumstances precluded any deliberations.
For now, I have some of it.

Would you be able to pick up used copies of some of your favorites? I have done that when I could find them at tag sales and thrift shops.

[elleng]

7. Thanks, gw.

Looked for some 'used' but didn't find, and store is much too large and disorganized to provide anything but headache!

[Tesha]

8. I was able to replace a few of mine...

but I've moved on, and now I have an entire book shelf of
entertainment, and training, and memories...

Maybe if you give us the names of the books you're missing we could find them on line for you...:hug:

[grasswire]

9. I could watch in thrift stores, too

Be happy to do that. Or maybe I have what you want sitting right here on a shelf. Lord knows I'd like to thin the herd a bit. :-)

[Warpy]

3. After a massive weeding out

mine tend to be rather basic, long on theory if short on actual recipes.