k + eats

I was informed yesterday that it will likely take 2-3 weeks for my camera to be assessed, repaired, and returned to me; in the meantime I’m using my film camera, but there’s always that pesky delay of film processing in the middle, and using up an entire roll can be a bit of a task as well. I didn’t want to abandon posting altogether, so I thought I would post about a personal problem that’s been growing rapidly out of control lately: my cookbook addiction.

For someone who actually uses recipes about 5% of the time, I sure own a lot of cookbooks. I flip through them and find inspiration, recipe bases, interesting flavor combinations, and I do occasionally follow the recipe (particularly with baking – I’ll at least make it according to the recipe once, and tweak after I’ve tasted it).

Our Favorites

The American’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook is the most-used cookbook in our house, but not usually by me. The recipes’ main-selling point is that they are tried, tested, and ultimately fool-proof – perfect for my partner, who enjoys cooking occasionally. I’ve used some of their bread recipes, the challah recipe, which I really liked; and the recipe for cinnamon rolls. I find that their recipes tend to be a bit too basic for me, but they are also great jumping-off points for any recipe ideas that might bubble up, that need a little bit of help.

On Food and Cooking, by Harold McGee, is not a cookbook, per say. It’s more like the bible of cooking. McGee goes through the science behind why ingredients behave a certain way or how cooking methods work; the history of ingredients and cooking methods, and even more information you didn’t know you needed. But you do.

Ready for Dessert, by David Lebovitz, is a relatively new acquisition and it’s already making itself felt in my kitchen. His recipes are delicious, as my partner can attest to, having eaten a fair number of original and tweaked baked goods.

Other favorites of mine: The Conscious Cook, by Tal Ronnen, a vegan cookbook with absolutely gorgeous photos; anything by Lidia Bastianich; anything by Rick Bayless; Quick Fix Vegetarian, a staple for quick-weekday dinner ideas; and magazines the Vegetarian Times, and occasionally Cook’s Illustrated, though I think their recipes suffer from sacrificing any number of things for a foolproof execution.

I’ve also recently been turned onto the Food and Wine Magazine “Best of the Best” collections, which pull recipes from the top 25 cookbooks from each year. I’ve found past years in used bookshops and Goodwill and it’s a nice, inexpensive way to discover recipes from chefs or cookbooks I’m thinking of buying (or have never heard of). I’ve been working through interesting recipes in the 2001 edition, featuring cookbooks by Mario Batali, Tom Douglas, Julia Child, Rick Bayless, and more.

I scour the local Goodwill (most hardcover books are just 4.00) for cookbooks regularly: hardbacks are only 4.00, and though I  often come away with nothing, I’ll occasionally stumble across a valuable gem. Used bookstores or bargain-bins can also turn up some interesting finds, but I have to admit sometimes there’s nothing quite like buying a gorgeous, brand-new, beautfully photographed book right off the shelf.