Cookbooks – How Many Do You Own? (Part 4)

[maggiethecat]

And two more for me! David Tanis's "A Platter of Figs" and Jennifer McLagan's fab "Fat."

157,698.

Keep counting and reporting, mes amis!

[maggiethecat]

Oops, one came in the door from Half Price Books an hour ago. "Vietnamese Food and Cooking" by Ghillie Basan.

157,699.

[Alex]

Alex, I always forget about the computer calculator -- shame on me. But I'm comforted to know that I can still do something I could when I was a kid.

My friend, I know you've acquired a cookbook or six since you last posted on this topic. Tell.

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'Fraid not. We literally have no room for any more books, cook or otherwise, unless we start making piles. At least ten cookbooks are still completely unread. Self-discipline is no fun at all.

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My name is Alex, and I'm a cookbookholic. [Hi, Alex.] It's been over three months since my last purchase. <applause>

[apronless]

I think I just passed the 90 mark this week. Most of those have been amassed in the past 3 years. I'm TRYING to slow down because I've already filled up my allotted bookcase. When I did that about 15 books ago, I complained, thinking I needed to pare down the collection. My husband said "No, you just need another bookcase." THIS is why I married the man.

[maggiethecat]

157,789.

[judiu]

I think I just passed the 90 mark this week. Most of those have been amassed in the past 3 years. I'm TRYING to slow down because I've already filled up my allotted bookcase. When I did that  about 15 books ago, I complained, thinking I needed to pare down the collection. My husband said "No, you just need another bookcase." THIS is why I married the man. 

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You didn't marry a MAN, you married an angel!

[RobertCollins]

I see all these cookbook numbers and have to wonder; do these numbers reflect any thing to do with what these people are interested in?

I posted some time ago and actually counted what I have at home. Mostly I only read what I am looking for at the time, which isn't often important as much as a desire to know. I should get rid of what I never use and keep building what I want to learn more of .[i think that is a dangling participle].

Right now my interest is preserving and smoke although tonight I spent an hour searching in my books for various recipes for "Goulash" as in , maybe Hungarian or maybe something else. This request was from my Greek ancestory neighbor, whose husband asked if she could make a Goulash.

For this I like a cook book collection in the broad sense. The truth is I am afraid to admit; I love books. I love having a question asked, a thought meandered, a food stuff begging an equation. I still have about 150 cookbooks although I have bought a couple since I last posted this thread..

As I read this thread more, I love looking up what I have no idea of the answer. It is more satisfying when I can define the question to be looked up. Books can be SO much more satisfying than the net.

So I ask, why do we care how many books we own. Perhaps a better question would be have you read any thing lately that lit your fires. I have.

edit:spell

Edited September 25, 2008 by RobertCollins (log)

[maggiethecat]

So I ask, why do we care how many books we own.  Perhaps a better question would be have you read any thing lately that lit your fires.  I have.

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Robert, I understand, and often on this topic people do tell about what lit their fires -- in fact many folks have started topics about what cookbooks lit them up.

Check out the age of this topic: it was then, as now, just meant to be fun. Any worthier posts always appreciated

And like you,and others here, I just like books. They do furnish a room.

[maggiethecat]

Groan. Add 15 for me, even though I'd taken the pledge. 157,804.

Everyone, rush out and buy "Fat."

[maggiethecat]

Six more. Groan.

But please rush out and buy Fat Guy's "Asian Dining Rules." It rules. Really.

157, 810.

[Shinboners]

I counted 148 cookbooks in my collection.

And there's another five or six on order that I should receive in the next month or so.

[judiu]

At least another 5 for me; I HAVE to remember to update this more often! Plus 2 on order, and at least 2 requested for the coming holidays!

[Gilb3rt]

Cees Helder: Restaurant Parkheuvel (Dutch Fish book)

Gagnaire: Reflections on Culinary Artistry (Picture book)

Thomas keller: The French Laundry Cookbook

The Dylan Amsterdam: A Tasteful Exsperiance (Dutch Restaurant)

Tropical Asian Cooking

Masaharu Morimoto: Morimoto

De Kaiseki Keuken (Dutch Hotel Okura Amsterdam)

The World Encyclopedia of Cheese: Juliet Harbutt

Charlie Trotter's Cookbook

R A W: Charlie Trotter and Roxanne Klein

Tetsuya: Tetsuya wakuda

East West Food: Food from the Pacific Rim and Beyond

Pastissima: Pasta the Italian Way (Pane & Vino)

Fjerkræ (Danish poultry book)

The Japanese Foie Gras Project

Nobu Now

Nobu: The Cookbook by

Gordon Ramsay *** Chef

Søllerød Kro's Desserter: Markus Grigo

The Cinnamon Club Cookbook

Asian Tapas

The Complete Book of Sushi

Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges

Sri Owen: New Wave Asian

Cocktails #7

Essence: Recipes from Le Champignon Sauvage

The Return of the Naked Chef by Jamie Oliver

Nico by Nico Ladenis

Korean Cooking

Harumi's Japanese Cooking

Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking

Beef: Menu

White Heat by Marco Pierre White

Daniels Kokkeskole (Daniel letz)

Estonian Cooking

Helados y Sorbets

Further Adventures in Search of Perfection by Heston Blumenthal

In Search of Perfection by Heston Blumenthal

Grand Livre De Cuisine: Alain Ducasse's Culinary Encyclopedia by Alain Ducasse

Sushi: Taste and Technique by Kimiko Barber

Piri Piri Starfish: Portugal Found by Tessa Kiros

The Big Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal

Alinea by Grant Achatz

45 i think there is..

Alinea is a amazing

[Peter the eater]

I'm not sure how many I own, but I usually have five or ten from the library.

Right now on loan I've got four Michael Ruhlman books and another three about hunting and eating wild game.

The beauty of this system is that I get to enjoy the book cover to cover for three weeks before passing or buying for the home library. They'll even order books if I ask politely, and explain how it will fill the holes in their collection.

Try it.

Edited October 24, 2008 by Peter the eater (log)

[Special K]

403, and yet somehow there are still a bunch more on my wishlist!

[maggiethecat]

I'm not sure how many I own, but I usually have five or ten from the library.

Right now on loan I've got four Michael Ruhlman books and another three about hunting and eating wild game.

The beauty of this system is that I get to enjoy the book cover to cover for three weeks before passing or buying for the home library. They'll even order books if I ask politely, and explain how it will fill the holes in their collection.

Try it.

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It is a great system. I did this for several years, and when I missed some of the books I returned I went straight to Amazon.

158,411.

[eldereno]

Since I last posted here, I have gotten atleast 15 new cookbooks......3 of them signed by the authors (thanks to a wonderful friend in Boston who goes to book signings).

[Peter the eater]

158,411

A good hardcover cookbook weighs three pounds. That means you've got half a million pounds of cookbook -- that's like the weight of three thousand chefs!

[Special K]

Four more from Value Village on Wednesday, plus one (a thin little quiche and savory tart cookbook) I found stuck inside Alton Brown's "I Just Came Here to Cook."

And I just re-read the beginning of this thread and found out that the books in the bar section count, too, so I'll get those counted this weekend (I think there are about 30).

What about travel memoirs that contain recipes and loving descriptions of meals?

[Special K]

So, 27 bar books, and 22 from the travel section that are definitely all about food (mostly French).

[maggiethecat]

Thanks, Special K.

When will it end? Two more for me, including one of those generic huge authorless Australian cookbooks -- yet another about tapas. His Handsomeness is addicted to Half Price Books, he had a coupon, whatever!

(I'll be making the zucchini fritters tonight.)

158, 462.

[chefgregory]

I see all these cookbook numbers and have to wonder;  do these numbers reflect any thing to do with what these people are interested in? 

Right now my interest is preserving and smoke although tonight I spent an hour searching in my books for various recipes for "Goulash" as in , maybe Hungarian or maybe something else.  This request was from my Greek ancestory  neighbor, whose husband asked if she could make a Goulash.

So I ask, why do we care how many books we own.  Perhaps a better question would be have you read any thing lately that lit your fires.  I have.

edit:spell

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Hmm, well firstly the goulash recipe was actually on one of my cooking tests; equal amount of onions as meat by weight, caraway, hungarian paprika and diced potatoes. I put diced pickles in mine (a very northern way) and I've known german chefs who put spaeztle. Theres tomato paste as well as beef stock (now that was the most backwards recipe I've ever written:-)

Now to add to this thread;

Wow, this was enlightening as I just did a count . I own 88 "about foods" or industry related books and 275 actual cook books. Most of them purchased in the past 2 years. PLus I have 4 more en-route.

I freely admit to being adicted to cook books; there is a huge feeling of satisfaction with curling on with alinea, or the big fat duck book, a cup of tea and a roaring fire - along with my note pad. I am trying desperatly to keep the Gastronomic Event Horizon in view.

There are so many great ideas that I have just never even concieved of, and methods I just never would have dreamed of. And I'm not just speaking of Molecular Gastronomy.

Another favorite is; The Art of Eating and Gastrononica are my 2 favourite periodicals. I subcsribe to 20 odd periodicals and for recipes Cuisine, Good Food and Olive are my favorite.

I so want an immersion cooker. Upon the recommendation of a fellow egullet member I just ordered a Jaccard meat tenderizer. I keep repeating the mantra "I am not obsessed" but I did just dream of being attached by a stale pita pocket.

Cheers

GB

[Tom Gengo]

New to eG, but here's my contribution. I have 112 cookbooks and all the subscriptions to Bon Appetit, Cooks Illustrated (love Cooks Illustrated) and Taunton's Fine Cooking since 1999. As such, I probably have about 250+ magazines on top of that.

Actually, there is a quasi-qualifier in this category. From my graduate school days I have a book that I have clandestinely placed amongst my cookbooks on the bakers rack adjacent to my kitchen You should see the look on my guests faces when they come to dinner and are perusing the cook books... they usually wait for me to take a bite of my food first... the book is Toxicology. I guess that makes 113, lol.

Oh, and then there are gardening books... have to raise the little rascals (slow food believer) so about 10-15 more.

Regarding lit fires, I read Charcuterie and it inspired me to purchase The Art of Fermenting Sausages by Marianski, Cooking By Hand by Paul Bertolli, Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery by Jane Grigson and Garde Manger by the CIA. In addition, although superfluous to this thread I have bought over the past few weeks beef bungs (for Cotta), beef rounds (what the hell do you do w/ 400 miles of 2.5 inches wide beef intestines) for Genoa Salami, 2 additional dies for grinding the oink, bacteria (for fermenting), dextrose, TCM #1 & #2, etc. I think if my physician knew all this she would diagnose me w/ OCD, lol.

Edited December 17, 2008 by Tom Gengo (log)

[judiu]

Quote: (what the hell do you do w/ 400 miles of 2.5 inches wide beef intestines)/quote

Uh, crochet doggie treats? (Runs away, quite fast...)

[dougal]

New to eG, but here's my contribution. ...

...

...  I think if my physician knew all this she would diagnose me w/ OCD, lol.

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Welcome to the asylum - you'll be quite comfortable here!