How many cookbooks does one chef need?
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325584)
Rockingham, Australia
March 17, 2021 3:04am CST
I wrote about going through our many glasses and deciding what to keep and what to donate. The next big chore was to go through our recipe books. As you can see from the photo, we have A LOT. Nowadays, or course, it’s easier to do an internet search for a particular recipe. Most of these books are unused. I’ve looked at the pretty pictures and almost got enthused once or twice but that’s about it.
We gave the expensive-looking books to an upmarket secondhand bookshop in town. I’ve picked out some to give to the library. They have a shelf of books for sale for a gold coin donation. Hopefully someone will buy them and the library will get the money. The rest I’ll take to the thrift shop. Most of these were stored in a high cupboard. Now it’s almost empty.
37 people like this
38 responses
@allknowing (130066)
• India
17 Mar 21
We have a few and well used though. Even if the Internet has the largest cookery book I still refer to our old and faithful collection.
Looking at yours it seems you had a hobby to collect cookery books and yes just collection 
8 people like this
@allknowing (130066)
• India
17 Mar 21
@JudyEv My daily cooking is what I learnt from my mother
4 people like this
@JudyEv (325584)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Mar 21
@allknowing I learnt most of my skills from my mother too but she was a better cook than I am.
5 people like this
@lazydaizee (6734)
• United Kingdom
17 Mar 21
Buying cookery books used to be a big thing before the internet. I go to car boot sales and most stalls have cookery books for sale. These books became popular when TV chefs and other celebrities started to sell books with their own recipes.
4 people like this
@lazydaizee (6734)
• United Kingdom
17 Mar 21
@JudyEv I used to watch his programme on the TV, I did like some of his cookery methods because he made it all look so easy.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (325584)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Mar 21
@lazydaizee Haha - most of them make it all look easy! 
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (169828)
• United States
17 Mar 21
I have quite the cookbook collection too. Not sure why I am keeping them other than I feel attached.
3 people like this
@snowy22315 (169828)
• United States
17 Mar 21
@JudyEv In honestly, unless I have to I am probably not going to get rid of mine. I did throw away a small cookbook though that has some creole crab recipes in it I am never going to make. It was small,paperback and not worth donating.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325584)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Mar 21
@snowy22315 If and when we move, it will be into a much smaller home. Otherwise, I'd keep all mine too. We just won't have the same sort of storage areas.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137145)
• United States
17 Mar 21
Wow! Did you ever cook out of some of those, Judy? Or were they gifts from others? (I started to ask if Vince gave them to you as hints about your cooking but decided that was a bit too far. 
)
Way back when, I started writing recipes I liked into a notebook. I wrote everything very neatly and categorized the pages in it. I've still got that notebook somewhere, I think... Found it!
)
Way back when, I started writing recipes I liked into a notebook. I wrote everything very neatly and categorized the pages in it. I've still got that notebook somewhere, I think... Found it!3 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137145)
• United States
17 Mar 21
@JudyEv Were you giving each other hints?
Were you giving each other hints?2 people like this
@JudyEv (325584)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Mar 21
@DaddyEvil I don't think so. Don't forget - we've been married nearly 50 years so we've had a lot of years to buy the occasional cook book.
2 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (79645)
• United States
17 Mar 21
When it comes to cookbooks I only have a few. I went through all of mine last year and narrowed it down to a few I wanted to keep. One in particular is my grandmothers and I kept it more for sentimental reasons than anything I would ever make from it.
You certainly do have a big collection of cookbooks. I used to have the same one on the top of your pile (Heart Healthy cookbook)
3 people like this
@Marilynda1225 (79645)
• United States
18 Mar 21
@JudyEv its always good to have someone else to blame
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325584)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Mar 21
@Marilynda1225 Yes, that's so true! lol
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38645)
• Midland, Michigan
17 Mar 21
I have a lot too and that's a good idea to give them away.
Will you or something else into that cupboard or leave it empty? I'd don't have cupboards that are too high.
3 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38645)
• Midland, Michigan
17 Mar 21
@JudyEv I want to do the same thing but not too move but so my kids don't have to later in life.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325584)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Mar 21
@MarshaMusselman Originally I was decluttering to make it easier for the boys when we die but it looks now like we might be moving.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (155843)
• United States
17 Mar 21
I have probably close to 50? 75? cookbooks. I'm not ready to give any up.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (325584)
• Rockingham, Australia
17 Mar 21
@LindaOHio I've kept about a dozen. 
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (155843)
• United States
17 Mar 21
@JudyEv Then keep some. It's better to keep them than to regret giving them all away!
2 people like this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
17 Mar 21
depends on how wobbly your furniture is.
the more wobbly the more cookbooks you need to stabilize!
3 people like this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
17 Mar 21
@JudyEv in my house it is 6 - 4 to balance to the baker's shelves in the kitchen. 2 to balance the bookcase in the living room!
2 people like this
@youless (112103)
• Guangzhou, China
17 Mar 21
Wow! You really have quite a lot of cookbooks
I even had some cookbooks but today I seldom will buy it. As it needs more room to store them. Besides, today it is easier to find a recipe online and it is OK that I don't buy the cookbooks.
I even had some cookbooks but today I seldom will buy it. As it needs more room to store them. Besides, today it is easier to find a recipe online and it is OK that I don't buy the cookbooks.2 people like this
@LadyDuck (457822)
• Switzerland
17 Mar 21
Real chefs do not use cooking books, they have the texts of the basic cooking techniques from their hotelier school (I have seen those of my cousin). I have many cookbooks because I used to buy one or more in every place I visited, just to know more about the local food.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (457822)
• Switzerland
17 Mar 21
@JudyEv My cousin had a look at some of my books, we discussed a few things and he is right, most cookbooks are written by people who never put a foot inside a kitchen. I know, but I often get the idea and then I re-write the recipe to be sure that it will work.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118416)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Mar 21
With the popularity of the internet, and social media sites like Pinterest and YouTube, I would think the cookbooks and recipe books are almost obsolete now.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325584)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Mar 21
@moffittjc Do you set whatever up close at hand? I find I traipse back and forth from the kitchen to the computer to read and reread the recipe. If I think I'll be using it again I print it out.
1 person likes this
