Choosing Cookbooks

People get cookbooks in a lot of ways. They can come to you as gifts, or you’ll hear about one online or maybe see one that looks interesting in the bookstore.

Thing is, it’s hard to know if the recipes are accurate, or the if writer has any idea what he or she is talking about. I heard a long time ago that Martha Stewart’s first cookbook was of better use as a doorstop, as many of the recipes were said to have some bad mistakes.

I don’t know since I’ve never seen it, but I’ve seen my share of bad cookbooks.

One I had was about sourdough baking. There were some good ideas in there, especially a spinach-cheese bread that was more of a snack item than just bread. Problem was, the basic sourdough method was wrong. Not only were you using the sourdough starter, but adding yeast as you would for a regular bread recipe. This resulted in loaves that were a grey color—not very appetizing—not to mention there was an odd taste as well.

There was also one that was supposed to be low-fat, “healthy” recipes, which turned out to not to be low-fat at all!

Probably the best thing you can do when choosing a cookbook, especially if you’re new to cooking, is stick with the tried-and-true, at least until you know more about it and can better judge the good from the not-so-hot. You can waste a lot of time and money using recipes that have basic flaws or typographical errors.

Your first one or two cookbooks should be those that somebody you know uses frequently, or that you’ve heard about so often you know it’s reliable.

Otherwise, it’s probably best to stay away from impulse buying when it’s a cookbook you’re considering. Most of my major mistakes came from buying cookbooks from the remainders section at the bookstore, and/or the author was just somebody I’d heard about.

Now I realize those marked-down remainders got there for a reason, and it may not always be because of faulty marketing. Maybe the book itself has problems. Also, sometimes celebrities don’t write the book themselves. Well, you live and you learn.

Sometimes you can encounter a rare gem among the unpurchased and unread. Once you’ve had some experience in the kitchen and worked with a variety of recipes, then you can trust your own instincts.