Are Cookbooks Still Relevant?

I will be the first to admit, I love cookbooks.  Give me a cookbook with big glossy photographs of food  and I will read it from front to back. Whether or not I ever make a recipe out of it is questionable. Perhaps I just like looking at well photographed food?


I will also admit,
I rarely buy cookbooks for myself.  I believe in the almost 15 years that I've been a homeowner, I've bought 2 cookbooks. One was a great big Taste of Home Cookbook, that was awesome and really helped me out as a newlywed, and the other was a Disney Cookbook that I basically read for fun.  All the other cookbooks in my collection were either handed down to me or given to me as a gift. Some of them came with appliances and cookware that I've purchased and I've been given more than half a dozen to review for the blog. Or at least I assume I was suppose to review them. The only one I ever got around to reviewing was The Runner's World one. Truth be told, that was the only one I ever made a recipe from. I guess I have some cookbooks to go through on a rainy day.


Except for a select few, I've actually downsized my cookbook collection over the years because really, anytime I want to look up a recipe, I can look it up online. Why would I waste my money and my bookshelf space on another cookbook?

Which brings me to question if anyone else buys cookbooks anymore?  The elite runners that come out with cookbooks, do runner's buy the book because of who wrote it or who is endorsing it or do they truly want the recipes that are inside ( that could probably be found online anyway).  I feel there are so many blogs and resources online now, that perhaps cookbooks will be a thing of the past. Still, I know I have some that I probably won't part with anytime soon.  -M

Tell me, do you still buy cookbooks? What is the best one you have? Have you ever bought a cookbook just because it was authored by an elite athlete or famous person?





27 comments:

  1. Good question! I have a lot of cookbooks--we still use them, but when I'm looking for something new, I turn to Google.

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  2. Like you, pretty much all of my cookbooks have been gifts, and most of those have been from "local" churches or women's groups. Truthfully, I prefer the local-type cookbooks because most of the recipes are simple and don't require exotic ingredients. I prefer an actual book, too, over a computer screen ;-)

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    1. Haha, some of my best recipes for baked goods have come from those local church cookbooks!

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  3. I like cook books but I find I mostly print recipes from the 'net!

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    1. Printing? What is that?....haha. Most of mine are just screen shotted...haha

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  4. we have cabinets full of cookbooks but I rarely even open them any more. I use Pinterest for everything and also love to create my own recipes

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  5. I love cookbooks! You know (from all my IG posts! ha!) that I love to bake. One thing I enjoy is comparing recipes from cookbook to cookbook and then figuring out what works and creating my "own" rendition. Like you, I have the Disney cookbooks and they're fun! But, if there is one cookbook I recommend to anyone who wants tried and true recipes that work every time, it's the America's Test Kitchen! It's the best! I've never had to alter a recipe and everyone loves the end product. Plus it has recipes for every possible category. Anymore, I find that I always consult it first!

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    1. That sounds like my Taste of Home cookbook! I too end up picking and choosing parts of recipes (based on the ingredient I have or that I like) from several different recipes, and then making my own recipe (and hoping it turns out)...lol

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  6. I LOVE cookbooks. Always have. Always will. Finding it online -- even if I've pinned it -- can be a royal pain! I am always experimenting & always changing up what I eat.

    I don't often buy a physical cookbook, though. For years I searched for a good way to get recipes from cookbooks into a computer (long before tablets and even cell phones), and my ipad is actually the perfect way to do that. I have a ton of cookbooks on Kindle, and that's mostly what I cook from.

    I'm really good at picking good recipes, but not so good at creating my own -- which is why I love cookbooks!

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    1. I actually had some cookbooks that came with a CD. I've never once used them and not my computers don't even have a CD drive...lol

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  7. I have one in my Amazon cart right now :)

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  8. This is a great question! I have a few cookbooks and while I don't use them as often as I should, I like knowing that they are there in case I want to try a new recipe!

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    1. Yes, me too, I don't want to get rid of any of them though.

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  9. I have lots of cookbooks but I never use them. Much more valuable and interesting recipes t hat I can find online. Don't need to bring a biok toi the store or make a physical shopping list.

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    1. So true! I usually look up recipes on my phone while in the store too.

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  10. I agree about the online thing - that's the easiest, quickest way to find a recipe for me. I have a couple of cookbooks that I've kept out of sentiment but I never refer to them anymore. I did receive the Magnolia cookbook as a gift recently and I love it - fun to read and there are some great recipes in it. Plus it's pretty enough to be a coffee table book, so I'll pick it up while I'm sitting on the couch for a nice little read.

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  11. I adore cookbooks--I know you can get most any kind of recipe online now, but there's just something about the physical book that makes life easier! One of my goals is to make 1-2 recipes per month from them! :]

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    1. Wow, that is a great goal! Will you show your recipes on IG?

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  12. I to enjoy looking at glossy cookbooks, but I had to laugh because I have bought a few through the years, look through them but never make anything from them.
    My mom however gave me a cookbook that she and the other ladies in church put together of their favorites. There is no fancy pictures, simple cover and a receipe title with the woman who lent her submission of that recipe. Its black and white only categorized by food subject and I have picked that up and made something out of it frequently for I'd say the last decade. Lol, so yup I laughed because I don't think I need fancy cookbooks, I just need family favorites, old ladies best dishes in black and white lol

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    1. I will tell you that I would never buy just a black and white cookbook without pictures, but I will also admit that the ones I have ( also from church groups) are some of my favorites and have some of the best recipes!

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  13. I bought both of Shalane's and have made a few recipes from each. Mostly, there are recipes that I don't like, and only pull out the books when I'm ready to make the dishes I do like. Some are so simple I don't need to read the recipe anymore.

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  14. I don't buy them anymore but I sure do like looking at them!

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