Looking for a Good Cookbook

If you walk into a typical big box book store looking for a cookbook, you will be confronted with hundreds of choices. Many cookbooks are adorned with photographs so vivid, you can almost smell the succulent food. Others are written by celebrities, including celebrity chefs. With all these choices, how do you choose a cookbook that’s right for you?

­First, take your time. The cliché is true – you can’t judge a book by its cover. Or its title. I have not always taken my own advice, and have more than a couple cookbooks that I rarely open. I can be seduced by a clever title, particularly one that promises me that if I purchase this cookbook, I will have dozens of easy-to-prepare delicious recipes that will help me get a nutritious dinner on the table in minutes. I should have taken my time to:

Look at some of the recipes. Do you like how the recipes are organized? Are the instructions clear? Can you employ the suggested cooking techniques, or do you feel overwhelmed? Does the resulting dish seem like it would be nutritious? Would your family eat it?

Scan all the recipes. How many of the recipes would you actually try? How many of the recipes require a lot of prep time? How many would help you get a great meal on the table in the time you have for cooking?

If possible, go to your local library and borrow a cookbook you are considering buying. I recently checked out three new-to-me cookbooks from our local library. After reading through all three, I liked two of them so much I bought them.

Ask friends for their suggestions. Particularly if you enjoy a dish a friend made, ask, “Where did you get the recipe?” I have already suggested some of my favorite cookbooks (see the posts of November 16 and 17).

Once you have selected a good cookbook, what then?

When trying a recipe from a cookbook, be sure to:

Read through the complete recipe early on – Do you have all the ingredients you need? If not, be sure to pick up what you need, and in the correct amount, from the store. Do you have all the equipment?

Follow the recipe as written the first time – You turned to the cookbook for inspiration and guidance. So let the cookbook author guide you. You may have an idea about how to simplify the cooking, or how to add flavor. That’s great! Take notes and try your modifications the next time. But for the first time, cook the way the recipe suggests. There may just be a reason the author did not suggest what may seem to be a great idea.