The allure of cookbooks
In this digital age, cracking open a glossy new cookbook still makes my heart beat a little faster. There’s something about holding a heavy cookbook in your hands, opening the spine for the first time, touching the pages and anticipating what’s inside. The recipes and all the glorious food porn. Cookbooks are the best books. You can devour them like a novel from front to back or go straight to a recipe you can’t wait to try. Cookbooks offer a new adventure every time you open one and speak volumes sitting on a kitchen windowsill or a coffee table. Yet, basically every recipe is available online. So … what is the allure of hard-copy cookbooks?
These are my most recent cookbook acquisitions.
In my search for how many cookbooks are sold each year or how many are published each year, the most recent numbers I found were cited in an August 2018 NBC News article by Martha C. White. According to NPD’s books industry analyst Allison Risbridger, roughly 17.8 million cookbooks were sold in 2017 and “Cookbook sales for the first six months of 2018 were 21 percent higher than for the first half of 2017.” Risbridger goes on to say, “The success of cookbooks is really related to a broader phenomenon in the United States of people wanting to spend more time in their homes and in their kitchens.”
This couldn’t be any truer than it is now during the 2020 pandemic. By all indications, interest in cookbooks is not slowing down. (Tell me I’m not the only one who can’t resist driving my cart by the Costco table to see the latest cookbook selection.) Hundreds of new cookbooks come out every year. Fall, and October in particular, have historically been big months for cookbook releases, hence the term “Cookbooktober.” The lovely community cookbook store in Seattle called Book Larder has been keeping busy posting “New Release Tuesday” videos on Instagram and they have a full calendar of virtual author talks. Each week Lara, the owner, provides a preview of so many wonderful-looking new books (including imports!) making it difficult to keep up.. All of this has me dreaming about cookbooks.
It’s not that I have a shortage of cookbooks. In reality, I have cookbooks that I’ve never made anything from, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not attached. I buy cookbooks for a variety of reasons beyond cooking. Of course, the cuisine or actual recipes are important. But when the cover speaks to me—like when I found the vintage aqua-blue Joy of Cooking book at Powell’s in Portland years ago, I was a goner. Malibu Farm Cookbook that my husband gifted me has a special spot on my coffee table and visiting the restaurant is on my bucket-list. I also have a soft spot for a pink or coral cookbook. It may be that a book adds to a specific author collection or is authored by a favorite celebrity. Cookbooks that celebrate local cuisine or that are written by restauranteurs are favorites of mine as well. When you walk into someone’s house and they have cookbooks on display, it tells you something about that person and gives you a window into their joie de vivre and relationship with cooking and entertaining.
Cookbooks are a great conversation piece. I could talk about cookbooks all day. But instead, I’ve gathered some of my favorites to share with you via my kitchenistics Bookshop. Bookshop is an ecommerce startup that encourages people to support their local independent bookstores. You can choose which bookstore you want to support or have your order contribute to an earnings pool that is evenly distributed among independent bookstores. Note that if you purchase a book I recommend through links on my site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Your purchase still supports indie bookstores.
Over the last couple months, I’ve become the happy owner of these books:
100 Cookies, Sarah Kiefer. I’m so intrigued with her pan-banging technique, plus, cookies may be the most relaxing thing for me to make. I also “met” Sarah through a virtual author talk and she was delightful. I can’t believe she’s made so many cookies. I’ve made her Pan-Banging Ginger Cookies and next up is her pan-banging sugar variety where I plan to use my aqua-glittery sugar sprinkles. I can’t wait to dig deeper into this book. Oh, did I mention it has a lovely blush spine? I’m especially looking forward to picking out some new recipes for the sister holiday-cookie baking day.
Sarah Kieffer’s Pan-Banging Ginger Molasses Cookies
Pie Camp, Kate McDermott. Pie crust has always intimidated me. But I’ve decided that this is the year to master the making of pie crust. Also, Kate is nearby in Port Angeles, Washington. I’ve tried to sign up for one of her Pie Camp classes in the past, but they’ve always been booked. When the book of the same name came out, I had to have it! I joined an author talk with Kate from her kitchen and loved her comments about (rolling) pins and how you should find one to fit your hand. Love that she has three ovens in her house and her “toast method” for testing those ovens. Getting to know the author of a cookbook makes me feel more connected to the book.
Modern Comfort Food, Ina Garten. Well because she’s Ina! And, okay, I figured I needed some recipes for “real food” that wasn’t dessert. The first thing I made was her Skillet-Roasted Chicken and Potatoes for a lazy Sunday night dinner. Very tasty. I also want to make the much talked about Black & White cookies. Oh, wait. That’s dessert.
Skillet-Roasted Chicken and Potatoes from Modern Comfort Food was Sunday night’s dinner.
The Flavor Equation, Nik Sharma. This is the book that I’ve been surprisingly most excited about getting my hands on! Nik is a molecular geneticist who decided to switch gears to his first love. I hated science in high school and graduated from college without taking a science class. However, I’m totally intrigued with how science affects cooking. (If only schools would have taught “applied” science as in how it applies to cooking and baking.) Nik’s goal is to teach you to become a better cook through the science of flavor and sensation. The premise is that if you know the reason behind why something happens in your cooking, then you’ll have more confidence in the kitchen.
Nik states that when we eat, we rely on a variety of senses and feelings. His equation: Emotion + Sight + Sound + Mouthfeel + Aroma + Taste = Flavor. Every time you cook, you’re trying to hit seven notes which add up to the “anatomy of flavor”: brightness, bitterness, saltiness, sweetness, savoriness, fieriness and richness. He includes 115 recipes in the book that draw on his Indian heritage. And A LOT of science. Illustrated with lots of diagrams, charts and pictorials. And, wait for it, a primer on how food molecules work. Umami synergism, anyone? Maybe I’ll skip to the recipes. Seriously, there’s so much to absorb in this book. I’ve read the intros to each anatomy of flavor and now I’m going to re-read with the recipes.
And just today, Snacking Cakes, Yossy Arefi arrived in my mailbox! This one includes 50 recipes for single-layer one-bowl cakes. Looks like a great excuse to whip together a cake for two! Perfect. Next week is my birthday. I even picked up an 8x8 Wilton cake pan yesterday at my local Ace Store (who knew? That Ace is the Place) so I’m ready. Perhaps I should treat myself to a new cookbook? Or maybe I’ll wait to see what’s under the tree come December 25. I’ve been eyeing several food-related books that would be perfect for curling up with this winter— In the Kitchen: Essays on Food and Life, a UK import; Be My Guest: Reflections on Food, Community, and the Meaning of Generosity by Priya Basil; and Cook, Eat, Repeat by Nigella Lawson.
So many beautiful cookbooks. The more the merrier in my mind.
