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

Marlene

By Marlene
in Cookbooks & References

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  • 2 weeks later...
claypot2

claypot2

Posted
Posted

This is my first post on the forum. A conservative estimate is about 600. I can't count because I loaded them all in boxes about 3 years ago when I redid my kitchen and I only unboxed about 3 boxes. I still need to get new shelving so I can have somewhere to put them all. But now I'm at the point I'm afaird to look in the boxes. I hope they haven't gotten ruined sitting in those boxes for so long.

C. sapidus

C. sapidus

Posted
Posted

claypot2, welcome! Is your collection diverse or specialized? :smile:

Six more books on the way, for a net gain of five (one replacement). Cookbooks will displace another shelf of knickknacks.

Monisha Bharadwaj: Indian Spice Kitchen: Essential Ingredients and Over 200 Authentic Recipes

Camellia Panjabi: 50 Great Curries of India, Tenth Anniversary Edition

Jaya Chaliha, et al: The Calcutta Cookbook [one of the Penguin India series]

Rick Bayless’ Mexican Kitchen: Capturing the Vibrant Flavors of a World-Class Cuisine

Diana Kennedy: From My Mexican Kitchen: Techniques and Ingredients

Marcella Hazan: Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking [replacing a falling-apart 20+ year old paperback of The Classic Italian Cookbook]

Bruce, a.k.a C. sapidus

eG Foodblog: Crabs, borscht, and fish sauce

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted
This is my first post on the forum. A conservative estimate is about 600. I can't count because I loaded them all in boxes about 3 years ago when I redid my kitchen and I only unboxed about 3 boxes. I still need to get new shelving so I can have somewhere to put them all. But now I'm at the point I'm afaird to look in the boxes. I hope they haven't gotten ruined sitting in those boxes for so long.

Hello Claypot.

Don't worry about your books. Three years is nothing. We unpacked books after 12 years of sitting in boxes in our drive shed and they were fine. I really thought they would end up in the trash bin. :wink:

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

claypot2

claypot2

Posted
Posted

After posting about my cookbooks I was insired to get the shelving I need to undo all these boxes. Just went this weekend and got stuff from the container store. I'm going to make a wall of books. I'm so glad to hear that books have survived after 12 years in boxes. Mine are in a hot garage.

My collection I would say is diversified with little niche categories. As I pull them out of boxes I'm going to catalogue them on a master list. I also want to pare down. I'm only going with one wall of books and no more. If it doesn't fit I'm going to start divesting. And, if I buy new stuff I'm going to get rid of something.

judiu

judiu

Posted
Posted
After posting about my cookbooks I was insired to get the shelving I need to undo all these boxes. Just went this weekend and got stuff from the container store. I'm going to make a wall of books. I'm so glad to hear that books have survived after 12 years in boxes. Mine are in a hot garage.

My collection I would say is diversified with little niche categories. As I pull them out of boxes I'm going to catalogue them on a master list. I also want to pare down. I'm only going with one wall of books and no more. If it doesn't fit I'm going to start divesting. And, if I buy new stuff I'm going to get rid of something.

AHHH, volunteering here for the disveseture (sp?) project... :raz: Seriously, if your old books need new homes, please go to the Free Cookbooks thread (though it might have been retired...) I will always be happy to replenish my (many years ago fire-devestated collection). So many books, so little time!

"Commit random acts of senseless kindness"

Tela T

Tela T

Posted
Posted

Same here - first post - couple of questions - it may be somewhere in the thread - but what counts? Food writing books with/or without receipes? Glossy, hardbound, compendiums from magazines? or just cookbooks - and of course books about home brewing.... :)

thanks, I'll start counting tonight...

t

Live and learn. Die and get food. That's the Southern way.

tsquare

tsquare

Posted
Posted

after comingling for a few years, I'll add the SO's pared down 77 plus the 3 arriving anyday now for plus 80.

He has 3 on eating bugs. Should I wonder about him being the main cook in the household?

GwennP

GwennP

Posted
Posted
There have been a few cookbook/recipe threads happening recently.  I simply want to know, as a strictly academic exercise, how many cookbooks the greater eGullet commumity owns.  End to end, would they circle the world?

C'mon, take a few minutes or half an hour.  Post the totals here.  And it ain't some friggin' contest!  Many great cooks have few books, and many non-cooks own lots.

Food magazines don't count.

I'll keep a running total.  Awbrig, don't forget to count the Nancy Silverton book we borrowed.

It's relaxing.  Glass of wine in hand, go out there and count.

Good grief, I only have 85! I thought I had a lot of them,but I guess not!!! :shock:

cupbaker

cupbaker

Posted
Posted
There have been a few cookbook/recipe threads happening recently.  I simply want to know, as a strictly academic exercise, how many cookbooks the greater eGullet commumity owns.  End to end, would they circle the world?

C'mon, take a few minutes or half an hour.  Post the totals here.  And it ain't some friggin' contest!  Many great cooks have few books, and many non-cooks own lots.

Food magazines don't count.

I'll keep a running total.  Awbrig, don't forget to count the Nancy Silverton book we borrowed.

It's relaxing.  Glass of wine in hand, go out there and count.

I have about 52 and 8 coming in the mail...I love cookbooks what can I say:)

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

Two more for me. O Amazon! Where have you been all my life?

Ice Cream: The Whole Scoop by Gail Damerow (just got a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker)

La Dolce Vita: Enjoy life's sweet pleasures with 170 recipe for torte, biscotti, etc, etc, by Michele Sciciolone

Both oldies, but goodies. :wink:

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

  • 3 weeks later...
judiu

judiu

Posted
Posted

Four new ones for me, but they came from Rebecca's sale, so maybe they have been counted already... :blink:

"Commit random acts of senseless kindness"

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

Add 13 more for me. Most from a second-hand $.25 sale.

Others include Corriher's Cookwise and an old, but wonderful, Chinese cookbook, The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook.

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

judiu

judiu

Posted
Posted
Add 13 more for me.  Most from a second-hand $.25 sale. 

Others include Corriher's Cookwise and an old, but wonderful, Chinese cookbook, The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook.

I like The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook but her recipes call for CELERY! (yucky face here). Not cooked celery in my Chinese food, dammit. It's too easy to find Bok Choy! Maybe this is just a factor of when it was published, but it's just WRONG! :wacko:

"Commit random acts of senseless kindness"

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted (edited)
Add 13 more for me.  Most from a second-hand $.25 sale. 

Others include Corriher's Cookwise and an old, but wonderful, Chinese cookbook, The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook.

I like The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook but her recipes call for CELERY! (yucky face here). Not cooked celery in my Chinese food, dammit. It's too easy to find Bok Choy! Maybe this is just a factor of when it was published, but it's just WRONG! :wacko:

I think you are correct about the date of publication and the ingredients called for. 1981. You probably couldn't even buy Bok Choy anywhere in North America except for a few cities in which there was a sizable Oriental population. And then only in an Asian grocery store. Now it and Lo Bok and Lychees and so on are available in mainstream markets...except in Moab, Utah.

We are off to Grand Junction...two hours away and where many folks from Moab go to buy 'stuff'... to pick up a friend at the airport in April and will stock up on Chinese goodies.

Meant to add that several of the new books are Sainsbury cookbooks. They seem wonderful...I have a few at home...but I still don't know the relationship between the stores and the books.

2nd edit: found one more Sainsbury cookbook today...missed it yesterday. Also four of the books fit into a little box and are from Bon Appetit. Someone was clearing out their life for sure.

Edited by Darienne (log)

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

Special K

Special K

Posted
Posted

Two more for me from the thrift shop:

Real Fast Indian Food, by Mridula Baljekar - I am new to Indian cooking, and I think this one will be very helpful.

and

Pierre Franey Cooks with His Friends - This was published jin 1997, just after he passed away. There's a lovely tribute in the foreword written by his daughter, who is listed as co-author.

Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

Ditto for me. Two more from the thrift shop, including an old...old...candy book from the 60s. What a hoot!. Each recipe bears the name of its donor, most of them signed, Mrs. Husband's name, town and state.

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

kayb

kayb

Posted
Posted

52 on the shelf, plus 2 e-books, plus my own digital compendium of recipes I've collected and filed away from various websites and friends. Plus at least two that I can't find right now, so I think I must have loaned them out. Plus an Essential Bartender's Guide.

So that's what, 57? I don't feel nearly as profligate now.

I think I'd best go buy cookbooks. I have a 40-percent-off coupon from Borders.....

Don't ask. Eat it.

www.kayatthekeyboard.wordpress.com

gallucci

gallucci

Posted
Posted

66 here - most recent, "Master Class at Johnson & Wales" (thanks suzilightning!) (she confirms it has not yet been counted here).

2 editions of "Joy", do both count?

How about food-related audiobooks (Reichl, Pollan, Bourdain, Trillin...) - if so, you can add 8 more...

mark

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