I have a confession to make. I’ve been simultaneously pursuing two diametrically opposed sides of my personality for some time. On the one hand, there’s the compulsive dispatcher, continually searching high and low for little used or unused objects filling up space in my house. Strappy black stilettos I never wear? Begone! Ceramic bowl gathering dust in the cupboard? Skedattle! VHS video lessons of bellydancing twins? Outta here! Mind you, my no longer- or gently used- items are removed responsibly, either donated to thrift stores or given to friends in need. The point is that I like to get rid of things. As in, like, really, really, really like to get rid of things, much to the hubs’ vexation. Except for one thing. Cookbooks.
That’s where the duality comes in. Cookbooks unleash my inner hoarder. I can never have enough. I hate the idea of parting with them. The images in this post don’t even account for the massive quantity of canning, dairy, chicken and bee books upstairs in my office, all used for research, but chock full of recipes, as well. I belong to two cookbook book clubs. I have more than seems rational and yet, I pine for further acquisitions, gazing longingly at the fresh, crisp, unstained pages of all those lovely unread and un-tried specimens found at the local book store. I imagine the exquisite pleasure I’ll encounter when finally making a pilgrimage to Portland, Maine’s Rabelais Books, a store devoted entirely to books that feed the senses. Swoon.
However, my cookbook loophole exists for good reason. Back in May I talked about the benefits, to health, ecosystem, and more, of eating at home. And that’s where cookbooks, serving as today’s “Small Measure”, come in. Since my husband and I are such avid cooks (and bakers! and eaters overall!), we’re always on the prowl for new ideas. Our cookbook collection serves as the spark. Hubs uses the books as inspiration igniters (he’s too much of a renegade to follow anyone else’s recipes start to finish without tweaking them considerably), while I, the baker in the house, peruse cookbook pages for delicious, brilliant flashes of baking insight, listening for the muse to speak to me.
In so doing, we save a bundle. Today alone I’ve made cinnamon rolls, had exquisite gazpacho, consumed unctuous turkey burgers with abandon, and just pulled a loaf of zucchini & spice walnut bread out of the oven. We’ve cooked and baked with what’s in season, using the best ingredients we could procure. When you make your own food, using your own cookbooks, you can splurge on ingredients of a quality most restaurants simply can’t afford to, as they’re cooking in volumes too great to allow for the use of premium goods on a daily basis.
CLICK HERE for the rest of Ashley’s post after the jump!
If you, too, share my passion (What do we call ourselves? Culinabibliophiles? Hmm, maybe not; sounds vaguely sinister…), you should feel good about it. I do! As long as I manage the shelves wisely, and duly dispatch those books not earning their keep (it’s almost impossible for me to part with my cookbooks, but it’s happened, particularly when a previous food inclination no longer applies, such as during my dalliances with a strict raw food or macrobiotic diet), I feel my obsession is justified. Our own collection is starkly divided into cooking and baking camps. Perhaps you prefer a more aesthetic and less pragmatic approach, such as that used by Jen Jafarzadeh L’Italien of The Haystack Needle who groups her collection by spine color. I seriously coveted her West Elm metal book spine for a long while, but by the time I finally got around to being ready to purchase my own, it was discontinued. Sigh. This offering has its own jazz and appeal, though….
Preservation and care is key, as well, to cookbook longevity. That’s not to say I haven’t splashed and dribbled and drizzled over my prized possessions. I have, but that was before I picked up a handy cookbook stand. Made of alder wood, this stand allows me to cook with nary so much as a chocolate-stained finger or egg yolk-riddled hand touching my cookbook’s cherished pages.
So, what’s missing from my collection? You know I want to know. And if you’re in the neighborhood, I’ve got some stilettos I’ll trade you for your Julia Child…-ashley
59 Comments
Great post! My boyfriend and I spend a couple days a week baking/cooking meals together. It’s a great casual date time and relaxes your mind..(or should if you enjoy cooking:)
Omigosh I love cookbooks too! But I try to satisfy my love by checking out books from the library as I can be fickle with my phases.
Have you checked out the Container Store for the metal bookshelf because I’m pretty sure I’ve seen one there recently.
Ah…cookbook *love*. I recently started buying whole year’s worth of cooking magazines from the used bookstore and then ripping out pages/articles for my binder. Sort of a healthy binge.
IMO you are missing Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques and at least one by Nigella.
I have to shamelessly plug a wonderful chef I used to work for–Frank Stitt. Both “Southern Table” (French meets Southern US ingredients and traditions) and “Bottega Favorita” (Italian) are decadently beautiful books filled with wonderful, food-honoring recipes and anecdotes. I also love Pat Conroy’s cookbook for its stories and the “Cornbread Nation” series of food writing collections. A16 is an Italian restaurant in California whose book is also to die for beautiful. Happy cooking (and eating)!
I’m right there with you, no problem giving away clothes I don’t use or dishes, etc. but cookbooks? No way.
We collect them, borrow them from the library, borrow them from friends…and we eat pretty well because of it. And because of my husband’s skill in the kitchen:) He just dived into canning and preserving this week in anticipation of our little Gummy Bear due in February so we are stocking up on even more books and I can’t wait to try the dragon carrot pickles he made yesterday.
Try http://www.cb2.com for the book spine bookcases, they carry them in silver and orange-red. I’ve been coveting one for quite some time…
I have a serious cookbook addiction as well. The Strand’s used section is my Achilles heel—I can always find something on my wishlist there, and usually for half price as well. In general, I’m a library/second-hand bookstore kind of reader anyway, and cookbooks are so expensive that I really can’t bring myself to buy them new.
As for your collection, I’m not at all surprised to spot Jamie at Home on your shelves! I’d recommend adding Nigel Slater— I love his writing, but I’ve never actually cooked any of his recipes. His style seems like it would mesh with your husband’s, tho. Also a huge fan of Sunday Suppers at Lucques and the New Spanish Table, and currently eyeing the new Lee Brothers’ book (I kept it checked out of the library for months), Good to the Grain and the Canal House Cooking series.
I also have an obsession with cookbooks – it is under control for now, but every time I placed an amazon order, a new cookbook manages to slip its way into the package. Oops!
A really good author is Michael Smith (he is Canadian and has a cooking show on Food Network Canada). The thing that I love about his recipes are that he doesn’t really use specific measurements and doesn’t really want you to follow his recipes exactly, but encourages you to experiment and tweek things to the way you prefer. I would recommend “The Best of Chef at Home”.
This post was such a joy to read! How engaging! Loved the style of writing and hte subject matter. Thanks for the inspiration!
My father is the same way, in addition to collecting years’ worth of magazines like “Bon Appetit.” We joke that he has never made the same meal twice.
I too share your love of cookbooks! It’s not uncommon for me to walk into Williams Sonoma and Sur La Table and walk straight past all of their items straight to the cookbook section. Or for my husband to loose me in the book store only to find me later sitting on the floor surrounded by cookbooks.
They’re so inspiring for a wanna be chef like me. My latest aquisition: John Besh’s “My New Orleans”. Excellent New Orleans recipies!
I love cook books. I don’t collect them. But I love them.
Fantastic post! I couldn’t stop smiling while reading and I was sad when I finished. I have the same inner duality, but there is something so lovely about cookbooks, that they never go out of style.
I was pleasantly surprised to see, at the Williams Sonoma store at Columbus Circle, that they had vintage cookbooks for sale, provided by the wonderful Omnivore Books of San Francisco.
There is one book I open at least twice every week: The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen. I picked it up in the other Portland (at Powell’s) and fell in love with it. I love the personal handwritten-ness of it. But what I use it for most is the handy grain and bean charts in the back. I can never remember the right ratios and times, but that chart has never led me astray.
If I started collecting cookbooks, we would have to move to a new house.
I agree with Maya, you need some Nigel Slater in there! Not only are his books a joy to read, his recipes cook up great too. We’ve never had one that flopped and we have nearly all of his books. I don’t know how available they are in the US, but do try to get your hands on some.
Also, if you’re ever in NYC, check out Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks – an entire shop full of vintage cookbooks.
Good point aboout the restaurants and top quality food.
I think deep down most enthusiastic home cooks are Recepe Book hoarders. I still have my 1001 Popular Recipes (received as a birthday present, not saying which one ) from 1979.
Looking through your extensive collection I saw the odd favourite of mine (Hugh Fearlessly EatsItAll), but no Delia! Shock Horror. LOL
Hmm… I’ve always been somewhat against book collections because they are HEAVY when you move frequently and it seemed a bit snobby. BUT I do love a solid cookbook. Now I’m married to a book collector and we both love to cook. The internet seems like an never ending source of good food ideas, but maybe I should work on the cookbook collection. Joy is only good for so much.
Oooh, Cat W., good one. I finally got my own copy of the original Moosewood cookbook, after years of coveting my mother’s copy—she has the Enchanted Broccoli Forest as well, and I’m tempted to elope with it every time I visit.
@Nick – I think Delia is a UK phenomenon…
This is a great post, you’ve made my day! Do you have Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of the Rose Bakery? It’s my absolute favourite!
CB2 has a similar bookshelf: http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=302&f=702
Fiona said it first, but Breakfast Lunch Tea is my very favorite! It’s so lovely and the recipes are to die for. (I think you’d love the antiquey shade of green of the cover, too.)
I’ve managed to cut back on cookbook hoarding through borrowing them from my local library. That way I can audition each book before I commit to having it on my shelf.
Rabelais is a wonderful bookstore, I hope you get to check it out soon (Portland is is an amazing place to visit (and to live) with lots of great food, etc). I try to limit myself a little bit since I am afraid I don’t use all of my cookbooks to the fullest. But you’ve inspired me to dig deeper into the ones I have and maybe pick up a few more along the way.
I do love books and consider them one of the few things worth collecting and I’m sure cookbooks are too!
Have you flipped through those cookbooks by Tessa Kiros (apples for jam, falling cloudberries, etc?) They are gorgeous and perfect for inspiration!
Recently, I’ve enjoyed going through Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home, the Momofuku cookbook, and one I picked up at the library called The Forgotten Skills of Cooking, by Darina Allen (it’s AWESOME!!!!). Nourishing traditions is always a staple for us, as is the Fanny Farmer Cookbook and Joy of Cooking, for reference.
I also second the recommendation to check out Sunday Suppers at Lucques…it was a bit too frou-frou for me, but I did get my all time FAVORITE recipe from it– the Flageolet Gratin. Divine.
oh, and you probably have it but Good to the Grain has been so much fun so far!!
I too have an irresistible urge to own every cookbook ever written. Recently, I discovered a book by the name “Books Do Furnish a Room” and it set me free to integrate my pride and joy (all these books!) into my home decor. The mantle of the dining room lined with books on wine. Baking books next to the stove. All purpose manuals displayed on a ledge outside the kitchen. Everywhere I go I get to enjoy them rather than stuffing them into a cupboard.
This is eerily the exact situation that we have in our home- with food/cookbooks/your husband & you being avid cooks & bakers/simplifying the rest of your belongings (other than the cookbooks)/etc. We are the SAME way and in fact, I also recently made a confession about it here (if you’re interested- http://torriesessions.blogspot.com/2010/08/confessions.html) too :)!
Oh! I second sk’s Tessa Kiros’s suggestions. As much for the recipes as the lovely nostalgia :)
I could have just as easily written this post as I too LOVE to purge, but refuse to part with my cookbook collection. And, I literally just put my strappy black stilettos in the “donate/trade” bag last week. :) The hubs loves cookbooks too, and even bought me Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking for Christmas. He’s a keeper. I recommend for you, if you do not already own, the following GREAT reference cookbooks, for recipes/tips/inspiration/eye candy/etc. Here goes: Williams-Sonoma Eat Well (a fav that sits on my cookbook stand all-year-round!), Food Network Kitchens How To Boil Water (for basics, temperatures, food prep and storage, etc.), Sondra Bernstein’s The Girl & the Fig (for a bit more fancy food a la Sonoma, CA), and all of Giada De Laurentiis’s cookbooks (for great use of leftovers). I love your photos of your cookbooks. It totally made my morning! Thanks for another fantastic post!
lovely post- and what a collection! oh my! i too have a book obsession. i read through cookbooks repeatedly, both for inspiration and just for fun. one of my favorite things to do on a lazy afternoon is to head to a bookstore (no used shops here, sadly), get some coffee, and read through stacks of cookbooks, even if i don’t want to buy them! books are the only thing i can’t get rid of, even if i have them stacked on milkcrates in this transitional period in my life!
and i love that your own canning & chicken books are included in your collection! they are happily a part of my collection now too :)
Yes, I too am a purger-slash-bookhoarder! Perhaps my worse offense? I am also a magazine hoarder! I have old cooking and design magazines stretching back almost a decade that I can’t bear to part with. So much so that I recently purchased two more bookcases, and now my cookbooks have a spot of honor in the living room (also arranged by color!) But hey, because of those books & mags, I can cook pretty well, and our house is coming together nicely, so who’s to judge! :)
A few must-haves from my own collection are: Anthony Bourdain’s “Les Halles Cookbook”, America’s Test Kitchen’s “Baking Illustrated” & Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything”. I also love Alton Brown’s “I’m just here for the food” (cooking) and” I’m just here for more food” (baking) which satisfies the scientist in me. In my new house, there will be a dedicated bookshelf for all of my cookbooks and cooking magazines!
I would have suggested the Flavor Bible, but I see that you already have it. It’s definitely the most frequently used tome in my house!
Goodwill…a seemingly strange, but consistently providential source of cookbooks for yours truly. Hardback, paperback, vintage, most hardly used (see the reason for this post – eating out vs. cooking and eating in) and the price is hard to beat! I’m just sayin’….
Love your writing so much, Ashley! That Gingerbread cookbook is next on my list -having past the test of being checked out more than 3 times from the library.
I love my Nigella Lawson cookbooks: Forever Summer, How to Be a Domestic Goddess, and How to Eat. You might also like Homegrown: Pure and Simple by Michel Nischan, or Christmas Sweets by Georgeanne Brennan. My most recent acquisition is Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (which I looked into because of Real Food by Nina Planck).
I love cookbooks so much. They are just a never-ending source of joy for me. Beautiful photos.
I love cookbooks. I’m too cheap and I move too often to buy many of my own but I haunt the cookbook section at the library and, the ultimate test of my will power, walk home past a cook book store where I will more often than not stop to browse. Torture, but still rather divine.
I have a huge collection of cookbooks too. Unfortunately I am not one of lifes good cooks. But cookbooks are always full of hope for me.
I have been getting rid of my cookbooks lately though because I can find any recipe I want online now.
I love all of these cookbook recommendations! I love cookbooks and can’t bear to part with any of mine. I inherited the tendency to collect them from my mom. I love to cook and try new things; we can go months without having the same meal twice. It’s so great to see so many like minds!
Ah, cookbooks – I can spend an entire lazy afternoon just reading one after another. My favorite is Dori Sanders Country Cooking – she has such great stories to go with her recipes and her chocolate zucchini cake is fabulous!
Loved this post! A couple people have mentioned Nigel Slayer already … definitely try The Kitchen Diaries. He records everything he cooks for one year, so days will be as simple as a lunch concocted of fresh cheese and in-season produce, or much more elaborate meals with recipes. I love it for ideas, just flip to the right time of year and you can always find a meal to fit your mood or what to do with the produce you just picked up at the farmers market! It almost reads like a book, but full of great recipes that are indexed like a regular cookbook.
I love cookbooks and i share your passion. I have hundreds of cookbooks some with autographs from the chefs: Thomas Keller, Julia Child, Ina Garden, Giada, David Lebovits, Alice Waters, just to name a few…..I call myself a chef groupie……I just shook Marimoto’s hand last week in Napa. I was thrilled!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I admit it is my vice, too. I cannot leave a TJ Maxx or Homegoods without leaving with a cookbook. They are so fun & beautiful!
I had to show my husband this post just to prove there are others like me. I can throw away anything, but shoe and books, and Cookbooks are my vice!!! Love it!
THanks for sharing I don’t feel so alone anymore. :)
I really like Junior League cookbooks, and try to find the Junior Leagues which have been publishing for a very long time because it gives a great glimpse into society (a certain kind of society anyway) at the time. I’ve collected all of the Nashville Seasons editions, starting in the 1930s. The Savannah Junior League cookbook is lovely, as well. The Charleston SC is interesting, too, and the Kansas City BBQ Society book (before the 25th anniversary). It’s not Junior League, but it’s community generated, so still interesting nonetheless.
I review cookbooks at MattBites.com if ever you’re looking for info on new titles/great older titles!
-k
it’s crazy. i am exactly the same. i get rid of everything! my clothes fit on one rack and my house has basically just furniture in it – and TONS of cookbooks.
you need the two seminal indian cooking books by julie sahni; classic indian cooking, and classic indian vegetable and grain cooking, madhur jaffrey’s world vegetarian, claudia roden’s the new book of middle eastern food, and lynne rosetta kasper’s the italian country table. and ok, one more gorgeous one chock full of amazing recipes, in season: cooking with vegetables and fruits by sarah raven.
I love and collect cookbooks too. My problem is I get so confused and spend so much time reading recipes that I never get time to try them!
Ashley,
Have you read the novel The Cookbook Collector?
A very sweet read. Sounds right up your alley. Available ar Amazon of course!
Lynn
ashley girl this is a great collection! i am madly in love with ‘jam it, pickle it, cure it’ as well – especially the ketchup recipe! one you must invest in especially as a new mum – the silver spoon, it’s italy’s answer to the joy of cooking, and over 1200 pages but every.single.recipe is perfection. and easy! always love your posts :)
I declare myself guilty of the same sin, and at the same time I reap the benefits you talk about.
Every weekend my family looks forward to my cooking and baking because they know I will prepare better food than any restaurant. My favorite book is The Joy of Cooking and the Company is coming collection.
You had me at this post title! I too am an offender, but I prefer to view it as a challenge. Our cookbook collection has finally outgrown its designated bookshelf in the kitchen and is now branching out to the living room. I will soon need to get creative about other ways to store them. I like your link to the metal bookshelf :)
I am 20 minutes away from a trip to the bookstore, the cookbook section, so the timing for reading this article was great.
I hope in a few years I’ll have a collection to rival yours and I’ll happily throw away half of the decorations I have to make room for the books :)
I have abt 120 cookbooks, now their designated shelves start to be quite full and I should slow down with cookbook shopping…
My cookbooks aer in good use. I believe in home cooking from scratch, even on busy weekday nights. I just make then simple dishes that take 10-15 minutes active cooking time.
I take few of my cookbooks out on Sunday and plan dinners and shopping list for the coming week. I have done this for years, it saves time (and money) when grocery shopping and we have a great variety every week.
Right now, I am reading Jamie at Home, Full Moon Feast, and Gaia’s Kitchen. I also have my eye on Nourishing Traditions.
I hoard cookbooks too, but try to limit myself as they’re a bit expensive here. I’m loving your bookstand! I have that Jamie Oliver book too. My favourites are my big Marie Claire cookbooks (complete kitchen and 4 seasons), and at the moment I’m eyeing Donna Hay’s Seasons. For baking I turn to Nigella Lawson (Feast) but only if I’m not watching calories. I only dispatch of cookbooks when several of their recipes fail!
Oh yeah, I forgot to add: while I do like trying recipes found online, nothing beats holding an actual cookbook. I bought Choclate & Zucchini’s cookbook because I adored her blog, and am now really looking forward to publications from the Wednesday Chef and Smitten Kitchen!
Like you, I love to collect cookbooks. I have a whole shelf devoted to vintage cookbooks, and sort mine by category (French, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, desserts, hors d’oeuvres, soups, salads, regional, BBQ, etc.) You really must come visit Portland, Oregon. We have a wonderful shop called “Powells Books for Cooks.” That’s right — an entire bookstore devoted to new and used cookbooks. I LOVE it.
By the way, I use my cookbooks often. I refer to my vintage “Congressional Club” cookbooks, published for decades by the wives of the U.S. Congressmen and Senators, for recipes to serve at election night parties. When a bunch of friends were laid off, I had a party featuring nothing but comfort food from my comfort cookbooks. My collection is a never-ending source of joy and great meals.
How long do you think it will take you to sample all the dishes, I tried to do that with just one book and gave up halfway so i will never know.
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