The Internet is an amazing thing. Stand in the middle of a grocery isle, pull out your smart phone and google a recipe for marinara sauce, in the blink of an eye you'll have hundreds of recipes to choose from. No longer do you have to rifle through a pile of cookbooks to locate a recipe, it's at your fingertips faster than you can say Reggiano Parmigiano.
However, as efficient as that may be, it doesn't give you the stories behind the recipe or the tactile pleasure of leafing through a favorite cookbook that you've reached for time and again to help guide you through another meal. It would seem that with the ease and speed of the internet, cookbooks might have become a thing of the past, but every year new ones hit the market and top best seller lists across the country. It's no wonder, cookbooks have become as much about where food comes from and the lives and personalities of the chefs and authors that write the books as they are about the food itself. Cookbooks are filled with beautiful stories built around the love, exploration, education, and enjoyment of food. You can spend hours immersed in a good cookbook without the slightest intention of trying a recipe, but merely for the pleasure of seeing food through the eyes of the chef / author. You will gain insight to their personalities and learn where they derive their passion for food and cooking and why it's a lifelong pursuit that never gets old.
My first cookbook, 'Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook', circa 1976 was the perfect basic cookbook for the beginner/intermediate cook (me!). I looked it up online and a 'good' condition used copy is selling for $200! Wish I still had mine, but I suspect Bossy may have decided it was not worthy of shelf space in his culinary library and likely disposed of it via garage sale or recycle bin. His first cookbook was probably 'The Professional Chef' from the Culinary Institute of America, or Julia Child, James Beard, Escoffier.... blah, blah, blah.....
There are thousands of cookbooks covering every known cuisine. If you can think of a type of food, you can find a cookbook for it. A quick search on Amazon showed over 60,000 cookbooks in stock, and that's just the beginning. So how do you choose a book that will fit your style, tastes and skill level? Well, you can marry a bookaholic chef like I did who collects cookbooks like some people collect coins. Three walls of his office are covered floor to ceiling with shelves overflowing with books, 95% of which are cookbooks, the remaining 5% are on food, travel & golf. There is also a bookcase next to the kitchen reserved for new releases and well worn favorites.
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| Bossy & Amos |
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| Bossy, Abe, Amos, and Molly |
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| Kitchen favorites |
But if you're not living with a bookaholic, an easier way would be to spend an afternoon browsing the cooking section of your favorite book store, although sadly, they're becoming almost as rare as phone booths. If you watch cooking shows, books by your favorite chefs is a great way to find ones you'll enjoy.
Some of our regular go to's are: Jamie Oliver, Tyler Florence, Ina Garten, Lydia Bastianich, Dorie Greenspan, Maida Heatter, Judy Rodgers, and David Lebovitz. New releases that have become instant favorites are: 'Art of the Pie' by Kate McDermott,
'Zingerman's Bakehouse' by Amy Emberling and Frank Carollo, 'Shaya' by Alon Shaya (Chef and owner of the newly opened Safta here in Denver.) And 'Cooking with Italian Grandmothers' by Jessica Theroux. Terrific reads all of them, whether you're looking for inspiration or just a pleasant escape into the wonderful world of food.
And don't forget, cookbooks make fantastic gifts, (As of this writing Christmas is 95 days away ;) A great way to build your cookbook collection is to buy gently used books through Amazon and other online retailers. The prices are a fraction of what you would pay if new and the books are most always in excellent condition.
Have fun, and if you would like suggestions or recommendations please message me!
Thank you for reading and sharing in our love of food, wine, family, and friends.
Real Estate is my other great love, if you're looking for a dedicated Broker to help you navigate the challenging paths of buying or selling a home, I'm your girl. Call me!!
Becky Goldsmith, Broker, GRI, CNE, SRES
Equity Colorado Real Estate
720-979-3184
Becky@beckygoldsmith.com
