Cookbooks – How Many Do You Own? (Part 1)

[Suzanne F]

Torakris, sure you're anal, but that's one reason (among many more important) that I you.

[maggiethecat]

26,332.

The collection is arranged in crazy random order. Kind of depends on who shoves what where when clearing off the table.

I believe that there was originally a plan. The series (Time-Life, Look and Cook, etc.) stay together. Apart from that, it's every cuisine for itself.

Yes, this is a terrible idea. On the other hand, one runs across old friends while looking for the new Hottie.

[guajolote]

Date of Purchase

Think about it, it makes sense (kinda)

[maggiethecat]

Date of Purchase

Think about it, it makes sense (kinda)

Actually, Dean, this is absolutely brilliant. Verge? A third the way down the shelf. "Joy?" Right at the top. New Eric Ripert/Ruhlman? On the coffee table until it hits a lower shelf.

One's life, chronologically, through cookbooks. But then, you are a cook/engineer/writer. The combination to find the right solution.

I may have to reorganize right now!

[sonnykilstein]

Size. The big ones go on the tall shelf and so on. There's nothing like your own ordering system.

[jackal10]

The ones that won't fit on a normal shelf go on the big shelves at the bottom

There are seperate sections for antique and precious books and books mostly on wine or gardening

Then there are the not-very-good books that seldom get used - they are in the hard to reach places

Then there are the ones, like Bourdain, that are mostly essays not recipes

Then the are the food guides, like Michelin.

Otherwise they are roughly grouped by cuisine

[janebono]

Off the top of my head I would say 20...my favorite is Thomas Keller's French Laundry. The man is insane about food and a great inspiration.

I also enjoy Rao's for the familiarity, as I cook in the same style and with the same passion.

Ebay is a great source for ccokbooks are resonable prices.

Jane

[guajolote]

Date of Purchase

Think about it, it makes sense (kinda)

Actually, Dean, this is absolutely brilliant. Verge? A third the way down the shelf. "Joy?" Right at the top. New Eric Ripert/Ruhlman? On the coffee table until it hits a lower shelf.

One's life, chronologically, through cookbooks. But then, you are a cook/engineer/writer. The combination to find the right solution.

I may have to reorganize right now!

I got this idea from Nick Hornby's High Fidelity. The guy in the book is constantly reorganizing his record collection, and this was one way he did it. My records/Cds are organized by date of original release.

[maggiethecat]

26, 352.

So close I can smell the "Famous Football-Sized Burrito" 4.99 miles.

[tsquare]

I keep forgetting to get the exact count, but I'll venture 110...that's the minimum.

Food essays stored separately from cookbooks. Cookbooks kind of organized by type, ie, vegetarian, baking, Italian, Asian...but it breaks down for oversized books that lay flat, or new books when I haven't taken the time to reshuffle.

[maggiethecat]

26,462. 5.01 miles!

Thanks, tsquare. I'm inside El Taco Loco, right at lunchtime!

[maggiethecat]

Two for me, two for Marlene. 26, 466.

[tighe]

84 in my household.....

Edit: only outnumbered by the quantity of books on economics and statistics....

Edited April 25, 2003 by tighe (log)

[maggiethecat]

Thanks, tighe. 26, 550.

That is a whole lotta cookbooks!

[Xanthippe]

Socrates and I have 183, with three more in transit . . .

[Crystal]

Add another one for me. 800 recipes strong.

We're ignoring the fact that I'm also thinning out the herd by about 4 or 5 cookbooks.

Crystal

[maggiethecat]

800 recipes strong. 

26, 734.

Cystal, you bring up a whole new train of thought here. If I were placing recipes end to end, not cookbooks, I could probaby be having dinner at St. John tonight.

Edited April 25, 2003 by maggiethecat (log)

[Xanthippe]

Cystal, you bring up a whole new train of thought here.  If I were placing recipes end to end, not cookbooks, I could probaby be having dinner at St. John tonight.

Well then, if we're talking recipes, it's gonna take me a while to count 'em all . . .

[tighe]

84 in my household.....

Edit: only outnumbered by the quantity of books on economics and statistics....

OK, I'm +14 after today's trip to the used book store. Hardbacks were 2 for 1!! Found a stunningly beautiful French book called 'De la Vigne a l'Assiette' by Georges Blanc....

[Marlene]

800 recipes strong. 

26, 734.

Cystal, you bring up a whole new train of thought here. If I were placing recipes end to end, not cookbooks, I could probaby be having dinner at St. John tonight.

counting recipes? i don't think I can count that high!

[maggiethecat]

Found a stunningly beautiful French book called 'De la Vigne a l'Assiette' by Georges Blanc....

Deep jealous sigh. 24, 267.

[jackal10]

I've just bought Keller's French Laundry Cookbook.

{rant} Why do publisher's produce books in over-large and non-standard sizes? Do they assume we all by books just for the look and to leave on the coffee table to impress people who we carefully invite so that they will turn green with envy because they do not have one.

It means that this book, no doubt otherwise excellent, will be relegated to secondary storage, in the shelves out of site at the bottom of the stack, and out of its natural place. The chances of it being consulted at random or browsing is thus greatly reduced. {/rant}

Edited May 10, 2003 by jackal10 (log)

[torakris]

Just ordered Jacques Pepin's Simple and Healthy, I have got three more waiting in my shopping cart though!

I ordered it used through Amazon Japan market place for 791 yen, just over $5!!

[Dave the Cook]

Three more, Lily: Bittman's The Minimalist Cooks Dinner, Cornbread Nation from the Southern Foodways Alliance, and Pepin's The Apprentice, the last being a gift from someone who knows the way to this man's heart is not just through his stomach, but also through books about keeping his stomach well-tended.

I recently acquired a first edition of Thomas Berger's Reinhart's Women, my favorite non-cooking food book (it's about a cook). Does that count?

[maggiethecat]

26, 272

Arche:Thanks for reminding me to get "Cornbread Nation." The South is still inscrutable to me.

Unbeliveably enough I am reading "Reinharts' Women" right now. First edition, huh? Nice. I love it. But it's not really about food, is it? So, sadly, it ain't gonna count.

edited for stupis typos

Edited May 11, 2003 by maggiethecat (log)