Acquiring cookbooks

[Businessness]

I've just recently started getting into cooking and want to go further in my journey than the starter book that I currently have

My questions is it worth in this day and age to acquire cookbooks or can a lot of the wisdom be found online for free and in videos

I am wary of the fact that several cookbooks interest me and the cost will quickly add up I get into this

 

[maxman]

I suppose it depends on what you want to learn.
I like older cookbooks like "The Joy of Cooking" because they give you some cooking theory and techniques as well as recipes.
Some are nice to read just because they are classics and loaded with information like Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", Larousse's "Gastronomique" or even Martha Stewarts "Entertaining"

For actual recipes, I just go online and look at a few to find what one will fit.
I've even been known to cobble a few together to make a dish I like.

Knowing the theory and the technique will give you more of a critical eye when looking at a recipe online.

 

[maxman]

Oh and I forgot to mention, if you really want to get into it, visit a used book store and see if any culinary students have turned in their text books. Lots of good info can be found cheap.

 

[Capt]

The book I recommend the most, an so do my chef buddies, is the book called Culinary Artistry. No recipes. But tons of techniques and flavor combinations and profiles.

 

[wimbouman]

The internet is a rich source of recipes indeed.
Still, my Robuchon is the one cook book I would rather not live without:

Mine is second hand, and a only a couple of USD.

 

[MrBurns]

I have 4 cookbooks and beyond the reading when originally purchased, I have not opened them.
There is ample and easy access to recipes and techniques online that I cannot foresee us ever buying another cookbook again, I do occasionally borrow one from the library.

Save your money is my opinion.

 

[packtray]

I'm a huge fan of hard-copy cookbooks, especially if you're after specific ethnicities or regional specialties. You'll find absolute gold in civic organization or Junior League cookbooks for that sort of thing, and usually at a very low price.

 

[rxonmymind]

Starter does not imply simple. I go to estate sales now and then and happen upon some OLD cookboooks that I reallyl ike due to the simple language, the odl standard of measurement and english that's easily understood. Best of all most of them were solid comfort food that OBVIOSLY resulted in our papents living to their 90's. My wife has one from her family that's hand written close to 70 years old. Very cool old school European recipes.

 

[Domminigan]

I have a shelf in my library devoted to cookbooks. Then again, I am a book collector.
If you enjoy turning pages, tactile feel of paper or just sitting down and reading; any technique, recipe or treatise on cooking will be well worth it to you to acquire in book form. Old books can be found, sometimes extremely cheaply. I found many of my favorite books for less than a dollar at the library sales. I still pick up new books to add, but I always first borrow them from the local public library to see if they are worth it to me first. I borrow them for a week, try out the information and a couple recipes and then buy them if I really like them. I've found quite a few that had only a few tidbits of useful information lifted up by a mountain of fluff and common as dirt recipes. I've also cabbaged on to a few that I want to read again and again.
If you prefer looking online, nearly every bit of information, more recipes than you could imagine, videos on techniques, reviews and everything but a dispenser for popping out fully prepped food can be found on the internet.
I enjoy using both, but for the times when I really want to sit down and relax, nothing beats a book.
My advice is to start with the internet. Go cheap at first, keep an eye out for the books you want to pop up used... and check the library to see if you can find them there first to try them out.

 

[ouch]

On my desk at work I keep Larousse Gastronomique.

 

[Businessness]

Thanks all for the responses, I decided to purchase la technique because it's theoretical and I found a good price on a second hand book store

My thoughts so far are that when it comes to the science of cooking, the actual methods and techniques, that sort of information is really dense and not easy to study from websites but lend themselves well to learning from textbooks

However when it comes to the artistry of cooking the subtle nuances that make everyone do things slightly differently that's the sort of thing I would be happy to get online from various different sources because it's not worth buying expensive books to get what can easily be had for free

The ideal I feel would probably be to take classes and to have a teacher but the return on investment probably won't justify the cost unless you have the disposable income or plan to be a chef

 

[dpm802]

I kept all my mother's cookbooks when we settled her estate. Lots of classics like "The Joy of Cooking" and something by James Beard and lots of Jewish recipes.

But for the most part, I taught myself how to cook a few years ago by watching The Food Network and other cooking shows. Rachel Ray was fun to watch, but I could never follow any of her recipes. Emeril is a great chef, but his bloated ego overshadoes learning anything useful.

My favorite TV chef was Ming Tsai. His dishes use simple ingredients and quick, easy techniques that produce elegant results, and that is the style I tend to go for in the kitchen. Alton Brown is a wealth of information, as long as you don't let you get overwhelmed by all the data and trivia he throws at you in the course of an episode.

And of course, I use the Interwebs a lot for recipes, definitions and techniques. If I were going to remodel my kitchen, I'd include a waterproof terminal right on the counter for quick reference. Besides, I can check B&B while I'm making breakfast.

 

[mretzloff]

Good cookbooks are worth every penny. Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Larousse Gastronomique, etc. are all worth it because they not only contain recipes, but they teach you indispensable techniques. I would avoid cookbooks from celebrity chefs.

 

[Alacrity59]

I have a few cookbooks. Only a few. Joy of Cooking is a fine place to start. My wife and I did our best to collect recipes from our families as well. We gave all the family members the whole collection. These days I find much of my inspiration here . . . someone posts a nice picture of a meal . . . and boom I'm off to see a few recipes. I take what I want from each based on my experience or lack of experience and come up with what I'll try. So far hardly any failures. And what I like I do again and tweak.

 

[Rushman2112]

Leith's Cookery Bible. Has it all, techniques, recepies from simple to dinner party, all very clearly laid out. I am on my second copy as the first one fell apart(!)

 

[Talal]

+1 to the joy of cooking. a classic and legendary book. my copy is very old gifted to me by my mother in law.

ive never really used it but its nice to know its there.

also heston blumenthal has a nice book "at home"

modernish cuisine at home also has a ton of information , i hope to pick that up some time.

 

[Sullybob]

IMO a good technical instruction book like The Professional Chef by the CIA or one of the other classic text books are a must have if you want to build a good cooking foundation. I also think that there are a lot of bad or mediocre recipes on line and you need to be able to recognize that they aren't that great.

On my desk at work I keep Larousse Gastronomique.

+1 to the joy of cooking. a classic and legendary book. my copy is very old gifted to me by my mother in law.

ive never really used it but its nice to know its there.

also heston blumenthal has a nice book "at home"

modernish cuisine at home also has a ton of information , i hope to pick that up some time.

At home by Heston Blumenthal and Modernist Cuisine are on my short list. You can try a few of the Modernist Cuisine recipes here http://modernistcuisine.com/recipes/

 

[ouch]

I would avoid cookbooks from celebrity chefs.

This is almost always a good idea, except when the celebrity is the real deal, like Jacques Pepin. He's an exception that confirms the rule.


Having said that, I think the best book I read from a celebrity chef recently is David Chang's Momofuku. It really has lots of great information.

 

[Talal]

At home by Heston Blumenthal and Modernist Cuisine are on my short list. You can do a try of the Modernist Cuisine recipes here http://modernistcuisine.com/recipes/

at home is well written IMO..

Modernist cuisine is just got tons of info that i know will be useful at some point

 

[The Knize]

I agree that Jacques Pepin, especially La Technique, is outstanding. I am less a fan of Joy of Cooking.

I think it is good to have some real cookbooks. I know what I own, have always relied on, and turn to again and again, but I am not sure they would be the best place to go these days. I think Cooks Illustrated does a good job all around, whether in the magazine, on-line, in the various TV shows, or in their cook books. There is lots on-line otherwise that to me is not very good.


I think cooking leasons are worthwhile, if rather expensive. In particular, to watch a real chef in action is a wonderful thing. Technique is important. For another, in my experience, the recipes presented in a good cooking class are excellent recipes. This is not true of recipes in general.