Between the collections that The Intended and I brought along when we moved in together (and two recent purchases en route), there’s a fair number of cookbooks lining the shelf in our kitchen. So what I’m kind of curious about is – do folks treat their cookbooks strictly as reference material, plucking them from the shelf when looking for specific information? Does anyone read their cookbooks like a novel – i.e. cover-to-cover and front-to-back?
Me, I treat ‘em like reference books. But there are cookbooks I could see myself curling up in a chair with, like the gorgeous Pork and Sons.
It depends on the book. I read smaller ones like a novel – Zucchini or my new Tate’s. Bigger ones are reference.
A rule seems to be that if it’s a singular subject (French food, one bakery’s specialties) then it’s a read through. Anything that functions like an encyclopedia – multiple pages on multiple categories – should be treated as such.
ditto
i tend to read most of mine and then use them for reference or a place to shop for inspiration. no one’s ever not accused me of being dork.
//no one’s ever not accused me of being dork.//
I’m still trying to parse that sentence, Strongbad.
*sigh* the arkansas’s clawing it’s way back to the surface. dammit.