Maybe it says something about our age differences. I just turned 40 on Thanksgiving, so I was certainly a bit later in life to be finishing up my MFA, and the question came from a twentysomething. I think the question said more about the internet and the vast trove of recipes that live there. And yet, my collection of cookbooks persists. So why do I stand in defense of cookbooks? Why do I prefer them to Tasty or Food Network or the myriad recipes I can bring up on my smart refrigerator?
Who Are You, Anonymous Internet Chef?
As with any nonfiction book, I believe credentialing to be important. It’s not the end-all-be-all of determining if a book is worth my time and money. After all, while Paul Hollywood worked as a professional baker for decades, Mary Berry is a home chef, but nobody would put Paul over Mary when it comes to cakes. Training means something, though. If I see one more web recipe that calls for only one clove of garlic (three is the minimum for any recipe) or says to cover a pan while sautéing (sauté is literally done to get rid of moisture, so you never cover it), I might have to throw the internet out the window. Go google a recipe. Go on. Find one that sounds good. Now, who wrote it? Have you heard of them? Do they have a Michelin star or a restaurant or a culinary degree? I know plenty of good recipes can come from people that don’t have those, but I find that people with those credentials are consistently pumping out incredible, if high-skill recipes. The internet can be a crapshoot, but a recipe book from a great chef will rarely disappoint.
Do You Really Understand My Dietary Needs?
My wife and I have been vegetarian for over two years now. We love it and don’t miss meat at all. My wife has a gluten allergy on top of that. I’ve lost track of how many internet recipes proclaim to be gluten-free but incorporate barley or some other glutenous element that isn’t as obvious as wheat. This defense of cookbooks isn’t just about taste, but about health. Surprisingly, I have the same issue with vegetarianism. I don’t evangelize my vegetarianism or start conversations with it, but when it comes up, almost half the time it’s followed by an assumption that I eat fish. I’m not pescatarian, I’m vegetarian. I’m not a Catholic on Fridays during Lent. I’ve found many internet recipes that make the same assumption.
Hi. Have You Met Me?
I write books. I write here at Book Riot. Most of the rooms in my small house have bookshelves. I. Like. Books. So of course I still use and stand in defense of cookbooks. Plus, who hasn’t been following a recipe on your phone or tablet, your hands covered in oil or dough, and the screen goes dark? Not a problem with a cookbook. A sure sign of a well-loved cookbook is the detritus of prior meals on the pages.
