"The intention of every other piece of prose may be
discussed and even mistrusted; but the purpose of a cookery book is one and
unmistakable. Its object can conceivably be no other than to increase the
happiness of mankind."
-- Joseph Conrad
When I was young, there was a time in my life when I did not understand the attraction of cookbooks, and placed a value proposition on them which was quite unfair. My argument went something like this: You buy that cookbook - how many of the recipes in it will you actually make? Will you, within the next year, or even next few years, attempt that Braised Lamb in Rosemary Sauce? Will you, with coffee, offer your guests a slice of Triple Chocolate and Pineapple Cheesecake? Will you even buy one of those spring pans that are required to make a cheesecake?
Silly me. I now have cookbooks everywhere. Some sit on shelves, gorgeous books more to be revered than to be used, as if they contained alchemical secrets that might turn ordinary foodstuffs into edible gold - which some of them might. Others are beaten up, dog-eared, and seem to be covered in a fine coat of flour on every page - these give the term "used book" new meaning. And then there are the ones in between, the ones I would never part with because there is just one recipe in that book that I could not live without.
Were these cookbooks worth their price? Must you ask?
So how do you define a "best cookbook?" Is it by how many times it it used? I would say - and this will surprise some, but not all - that one should judge the value of a cookbook by how emotionally attached its owner becomes to it. I can explain what I mean with one quick example. Back when I was a dealer in used books, I'd often visit the homes of older women; married, divorced, or widowed. These women would always sell me the books they'd acquired for a reasonable price, and they seemed happy to get rid of their husband's (or ex-husband's, or late husband's) books. But no one would ever sell me her copy of The Joy of Cooking. It didn't matter what edition it was, it didn't matter what condition it was in, it didn't matter how many times I said I really didn't want the book; The Joy of Cooking was staying with its owner to the end, when it would be passed on to some (hopefully appreciative) daughter or niece. Now that, I thought, is a cookbook!
Some Recommended Cookbooks:
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And here, some useful and recommended kitchen gadgets:
D J McAdam © 2005.
See Also:
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