The Cookbook Connoisseur

I have loved cookbooks ever since my father and I began making meals together when I was a teenager. We would explore cookbooks looking for tantalizing recipes, try them out, and then make notes in the margins as to what worked well and what did not.

Today, cookbooks fill a different role in many of our lives. With the proliferation of websites, blogs, and social media, recipes can be easily acquired online, so who needs a cookbook anymore? Some of us just like the tactile sense of holding a cookbook, turning the pages, and reveling in the recipes and photographs. Others select cookbooks as keepsakes of favorite restaurants, chefs, or places. Some want to learn more about fish or produce or grains; others hope to develop expertise in a particular style of cooking or in their favorite ethnic cuisine. Cookbooks offer all of these possibilities—and more!

Complementing my passion for cookbooks, I have written about food for magazines, newspapers, and websites. As a communications professor, I developed expertise in writing, editing, and design. All of this knowledge comes into play as I consider what sets a cookbook apart, and that’s the kind of information I will share with you:

  • What is the subject of the cookbook, and how comprehensive is the author’s approach?
  • Does this cookbook offer something not available in similar cookbooks?
  • Do the organization and design of the book make it easy to use?
  • Is it visually appealing?
  • Will the recipes be challenging or time-consuming because the ingredients are unusual or the instructions include many steps? Or is this a cookbook for someone just starting out?
  • Do the recipes include headnotes that reveal why the author feels a particular recipe is special?
  • Do the recipes offer tips or substitutions that increase their versatility?
  • Is the cookbook a good value for the price?
  • Who is most likely to want to purchase a particular cookbook?

With 3,168 cookbooks published in the United States in 2012 (the last year for which statistics are available), deciding which cookbooks to buy can be overwhelming. In selecting cookbooks to review, I will balance culinary classics and contemporary favorites, suggesting the best of the old and the new. I hope that you will find my cookbook reviews a valued resource as you choose new cookbooks for your collection.