Cookbooks. How many do you have?
I just counted and I have 16. I have no idea why I keep buying them. Yesterday I picked up another one off the library sale table for $3.00 and everything in it looks SO GOOD!
Ina Garden Go-To Dinners. You can never go wrong with an Ina Garten cookbook but this one looks especially promising.
For starters the pictures are gorgeous, and her recipes are always really straightforward and contain hardly any oddball/hard to find ingredients.
Heirloom tomato and blue cheese salad? Yes please!
Maybe when the HH asks me what I want for my birthday this year I’ll pick out four recipes from this cookbook and ask him to make them for me.
Yes! I think that’s a grand plan, don’t you?
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Not all in one day though. Maybe over the course of a weekend?
What a great gift that would be. 🙂 I’m doing it!!
So cookbooks… How many do you have? Curious minds want to know.
Do you find yourself still buying them even with pretty much all the recipes online these days?
~Mavis
Tracy says
I have in excess of 100 cookbooks. I don’t even know why, I don’t really use them very often. I seldom use a recipe when cooking dinner. Crazy I know. But I just enjoy looking at cookbooks and most of them have been given to me or came from a thrift shop or yard sale.
Erin says
I hate using my phone for recipes. Every site has an obnoxious amount of ads these days, even on the “print” pages now. Or the page constantly reloads because I try to skip the ads, I definitely use cookbooks all the time. I have many go-to recipes where I don’t need one, but I love trying new recipes. I mostly have America’s Test Kitchen cookbooks (Mediterranean, Chinese, two gluten free ones), but I also have two great Vietnamese cookbooks (amazing soups!), the old school Better Homes and Gardens book, the one my mom put together of her family recipes, & a couple others. I found that I never used them until we remodeled a kitchen & put the cookbooks in a glass cabinet. They were out of sight, out of mind before that. Now I see them & use them every day, & it’s been great!
Mavis Butterfield says
I love the America’s Test Kitchen cookbooks and Cooking light. Some of the best recipes I’ve ever made are in those!
Erin says
Ohh! I’ll have to check out Cooking Light. I’ve never seen theirs. I bet my library has some I can borrow.
Nancy Settel says
Oh any old Ina Garten cookbook is great to me! I love them. That being said I don’t like to watch her on tv though. I have about 5 of hers and oh how many cookbooks all together? heaven knows . I just have always loved a good cookbook.
Carrie says
10… after a lot of downsizing I have the “cooky” cookbook my grandmother used, a photo album with hand written 3×5 recipe cards from over the years, a few basics and 4 of Ina’s. Her recipes are the right amount of elevated without being crazy complicated and I’m inspired every time I flip through them. Overall, I love her style, her memoir was one of my favorite reads.
Mavis Butterfield says
I liked her memoir too!
Dawn says
I probably have about 10 cookbooks. My most used ones are the stand-by Better Homes and Garden’s red and white checked one and my George Hirsch “Know Your Fire” cookbook, both of which I have had for probably 30 years. I can’t remember the last time I bought a cookbook. If anything, I’m now wondering if maybe I should donate them if I’m not going to use them.
Sue says
My cookbooks are mostly from pre-internet days. I love being able to look at multiple recipes for the same item and then cobble my own.
I do sometimes buy specialty cookbooks (anything by Ina Garten would certainly be worthwhile). My most recent one has recipes from old Cape Ann, Mass. inns and bakeries. But I bought it specifically to learn how to make authentic Anadama bread.
Anita says
Now that made me curious— and now anadama bread is on my list to make! It sounds interesting!
Mavis Butterfield says
It’s really tasty!!! One of my favorite breads to buy from a roadside stand.
linda says
I keep buying them. Love Inas cookbooks. Have way to many.
Joely says
I have a whole bookcase full of cookbooks. They are treasured resources that I return to. Many are ones from loved ones who are now gone. The handwriting in the margins and signs of age/loving use are a great comfort and connection for me. I
Julie says
At one point I had more than 200, but have gotten rid of a lot of those. I do collect local, spiral bounds and/or older (pre 1960s) cookbooks. Otherwise I love Laurel’s Kitchen for vegetarian, any edition of Joy of Cooking, and the Wellesley Cookie Exchange for phenomenal cookies. There’s also Cook & Tell which is comprised of recipes and stories from a newsletter.
Mavis Butterfield says
I love cookie cookbooks!!
Christa H. says
Well…. good cookbooks and nice antique ones are my weakness since I taught cooking for many years. I do not like clutter, but I do like organized books in my home. Many are from library book sales, thrift books online, or gifts.
They all have a place to be since I have a library room and a large built in cookbook wall in my house that people love to peruse when they visit. They are organized by category. I do look through them for inspiration and they make me happy. I would guess by looking and counting the approximate number on each shelf that I have well over 1500….not joking. 🙂
Mavis Butterfield says
Oh my word! I would love to see that!! I’ve always wanted a “library” room.
Anne in VA says
I have a bunch although I have gotten rid of a lot. My go-to’s are the old Betty Crocker basic cookbook and some Pampered Chef ones from probably 25 years ago. Its sad when I keep the cookbook because I have one or two recipes in them that I love.
I mostly look online these days but there is a certain comfort to pulling out the old, semi-stained cookbooks from many years ago. I love a church cookbook also. I like to read through the names of the contributors and reminisce about times past.
Carla says
I did downsize a few years ago. I think I’m down to only 4 or 5 of the really treasured ones. I rarely try new things in the kitchen unless it’s a mod of a dish I already do. If I do try a new recipe, it’s often from a search on the internet.
I have at least 3 of the old time church cookbooks that I pull baked goods out of, but most main dishes are variations on the same dinners I usually make, so no recipe is needed.
Mona R McGinnis says
There are 20+ cookbooks on the island shelves; most of them are the Company’s Coming series by Jean Pare, a “local” caterer who founded the company after repeated requests for recipes. Another go-to book is a spiral bound 500+ page The Clarke Family Cookbook that a friend passed on to me. I culled cookbooks some years back & no longer purchase cookbooks which creates a challenge for me ’cause I love cookbooks.
Sue says
From our penny-pinching days–“More with Less Cookbook” which is full of simple, tasty food with lots of international recipes.
A recent addition is “Good Food, Great Medicine” which is brimming with helpful information and many real-food recipes.
Ashley B says
I have tried to minimize our books which has been really hard for me. But I have slowly done it. I try to go through media and clothing every few months and keep minimizing. Somehow though, things continue to accumulate in my home.
maureen detmer says
i must have around 500 easy, i kind of collect them, i prefer older cook books. our local dump has a huge free books on friday mornings. i think my all time favorite is fanni farmer, use it often, has everything.
Gigi says
I have a Fannie Farmer too! It’s my favorite and was my grandma’s from 1951. (And I’m 45) It has everything and then some. I also have my other grandma’s which is a Betty Crocker from 1950 with a lot of other recipes tucked in.
There are about 17 other books on my shelf.
Suzanne says
I’m down to about a dozen including canning books. I have a collection of old spiral bound ones from various ladies groups with the side notes written in. A couple old Sunset’s for oh so fancy lasagna and succotash variations. A few winemaking recipe books. But my favorite is gram’s old joy of cooking because you never know when you might need to skin a squirrel, pickle pigs feet or cook muskrat for your guests lol. I also have a binder stuffed with printed recipes which includes many from your site.
Christa H. says
I love Sunset recipes too! I remember reading the magazine at my college library and writing down recipes instead of studying. LOL
Carla says
Ooo. I forgot about canning books! I have Ball’s big book of canning that sits with my recipe books.
I would LOVE to find an old cookbook that includes skinning a squirrel, etc. Not that I want to eat squirrel, but that era just has so much wisdom on making what you have work for you. I recently shared an old recipe for chicken noodle soup with a friend and I had to modify it because boneless, skinless chicken breasts were not a “thing” when this recipe was written.
Lana P says
In my family, we joke that collecting cookbooks runs in our genes. As you can guess, my Mom has and my Grandma had a massive collection of cookbooks. I’m right there with them. I probably have at least a hundred. Everything from church cookbooks to Ina Garten.
Cindy says
A lot….my most recent comes from a local person on the NYT Bestseller list….Turkauz Kitchen. I started following her on IG. Her videos are soothing and make everything seem so easy. She had a local book signing at Christmas and I was able to meet her and get my book signed
Jeanie H says
I just bought that one too!
Mrs. C. says
I have 1000+. I gave away another couple thousand that I inherited from my mom and her sister.
Mavis Butterfield says
Crazy!!! But then again, I do love a good collection. 🙂 Are they all out on display? In boxes? Curious minds want to know.
Mrs. C. says
Ha ha! Some are in small bookshelves in the family room, but the huge bulk of them are on floor to ceiling built-in bookshelves – 12 feet high – in the bonus room next to our garage.
Amy Drorbaugh says
I have about 20 cookbooks, but full disclosure, that’s after I just donated about 15 to the thrift store. 🙂 I LOVE cookbooks. My favorites right now are America’s Test Kitchen Mediterranean, Feeding the Frasiers, and Love Real Food!
Jody says
I am currently cooking/baking my way through Magnolia Table (pimento cheese-yes please!)
I have around 10 and multiple binders full of downloaded recipes. I too find recipes on my phone to be obnoxiously loaded with ads. One of the notebooks has a section with Mavis’s recipes.
Denise says
So strange to see this post as I was just telling someone that I have over 100 cookbooks, many from library sales. I have most cuisines and some are over 100 years old ones. I even have a sauerkraut one in German. Love cookbooks!
SueD says
I have over 1000 cookbooks, including one that was my great-grandmother’s, from the late 1880s, written in old German. Many of the ones that either my OH or I bought, have been from a local used book shop. Most cuisines, and many are specific to one type of cooking/baking.
Gigi says
Total about 20. I even have mine from when I was a kid. Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Cookbook. I just looked and it’s worth about $30. I do enjoy reading old books and seeing how food and culture has changed over time. Old recipes seem so much more afraid of spices and spicy seasoning.
Carrie V says
I only have 2 cook books, down from maybe 20. My first cook book was bought in 1977 when I was in college to make quiche and souffles and The Joy of Cooking when I got married in 1981! Something I did with the Joy of Cooking is fun to look back on: I wrote the dates and any thoughts on the page of the recipes I made! I remember trying to learn to make a loaf of bread. I proofed the yeast and mixed in the ingredients and then to keep it warm sat it on an old fashioned radiator!! It ended up killing the yeast and the loaf never rose! Live and learn!!
Christy Rose says
I too write in my cookbooks, the date I first made something, any tweaks I did, and wrote how good it was.
Kim says
I have hundreds of cookbooks! Some ladies collect shoes and purses but I collect cookbooks. The kids and I are currently trying to complete our family cookbook with recipes from 4 generations of cooks in our family. We started back in November. Old family recipes we dont want to get lost!
Mavis Butterfield says
What a wonderful idea Kim!!
Christy Rose says
I easily have in excess of 500 cookbooks. Some of my favorites are those spiral bound fund raiser cookbooks where various members of that organization contributed their favorite recipes as most are winners.
I have 4 little metal recipe boxes filled with index card recipe and easily a REAM of printed out recipes. Can you guess I love to cook? Well, I love to EAT and try new things so I have to make them first. Sadly my husband can only make popcorn, but his popcorn is amazing!
Oh, I too am annoyed by all the advertising crap in on line recipes so I cut and paste just the ingredient list and pertinent cooking info into Word and print it out. I swear some of those recipes all but tell you which end of the spoon to hang on to!
Jules says
I have about 21 cookbooks in the cupboard, and then a box full of cooking magazines I *need*to go through. I love looking for inspiration on those days when I’m tired of the same old recipes. Most of mine are Taste of Home cookbooks; and then I have a number of curated recipes put into binders. My problem is I’ll find a couple of recipes in a book and keep it just on the off chance I want to try some other recipes someday.
Deb from Ohio says
I have well over a dozen, but after reading the other comments I guess I’m a minimalist.
Mavis, have you ever thought about publishing a cookbook? You already have tons of recipes & photos online. Plus you could include photos of Lucy
Mavis Butterfield says
I have thought about it, but just don’t have the extra time right now. Maybe someday though.
Sue S. says
Wow, lots of comments on this topic! I have 4, having just culled my stash to sell at an upcoming craft fair. I confess, I don’t use them so I only buy them for gifts. I especially like the one-pot ones. So easy to use, little clean-up mess.
Mary Neathway says
I have 40 or 50 and use most of them. Some belonged to my mother, who would be over 100 if she were alive. Others are from church groups, fundraising efforts by groups, and lots of Company’s Coming. I volunteer at a thrift shop and often bring home cookbooks to check out. Sometimes they get to stay, sometimes they don’t. Plus. Have four binders of hand written tried and true recipes. There are worse things I could be hoarding!
Kirsty says
Around 1000, English, Australian, New Zealand ones
The oldest would be an old British Good Housekeeping Cooking Encyclopaedia
The newest Recipe Tin eats “Dinner”
a few American ones because who has time to translate from ounces and pounds to metric. But I am assembling the ingredients to try those Mexican Drunken beans, a bottle of Mexican dark beer is going to cost me $7
Can you tell I love cookbooks
Katherine says
I borrow cookbooks from the library copy the recipes I’m interested in. But mostly I get many of my recipes off the internet and save them on my iPad. It’s about all I use my iPad for.
Mary says
I have about 300. I collect the Betty Crockers and have all from the 1950s on. I read them like books. I love ethnic food pictures. I love Ina!
Anne P says
I have about 15. But my two favorite are Joy of Cooking and Betty Crocker’s (40 years ago). I got both when I got married and will never be able to give those up! The newest ones are whole 30 which my daughter was hoping we would get into but never really get into the vibe.
Kayla says
Since we moved, I widdled my collection down to 15. But I love cookbooks.
We joke in our family that the only thing we will fight over once my parents die is Mom’s “Scratch and Sniff” cookbook. It has been in our family for two generations and the most worn pages are the best recipes. If you want to decide on a recipe, you scratch and sniff the pages…
Brenda says
Do you know the story behind Anadama bread?
Mavis Butterfield says
Way better than cornmeal mush. 🙂 https://newengland.com/food/anadama-bread-recipe/
Maxine says
Poor Anna!
Katy @ Practical Walk says
I have somewhere between 5-10. I prefer physical copies to internet recipes, but at the same time my minimalist side tells me to keep the number down. I do frequently borrow cookbooks from the library.
Elaine N says
I have about a dozen cookbooks, also four 3-ring binders for recipes I copy from online or cookbooks I don’t want to keep. I keep this hodge podge in order with a spreadsheet giving the name of the recipe, the source (book or website) ingredients, date I first cooked it and also the most recent, and notes. Otherwise I will forget how to find a recipe to make it again. I have always written notes on my recipes so it’s fun now to show my grandchildren a recipe that says when I cooked something with their parent and if they liked it or not.
Jeri says
I love to look at cookbooks just to see the pictures. If a cookbook doesn’t have pictures, it would not be on my list of favorites. The first cookbook I got was the result of hosting a Tupperware party in 1971! I was in high school, and my best friend and I were planning to move out as soon as we graduated, so we were both collecting things for our apartment. By the way, we never did move in together, lol, but we’re still friends! The hostess gift, based on sales, was a Betty Crocker cookbook and an electric broom! I’m sure I earned some free Tupperware, too! I do still have that cookbook
lafn says
Ina Garten is one of the most relaxed chefs on TV. Her dishes are delicious! Another chef you might like. if you live on the coast and have access to fresh seafood. Andreas Viestras, “Kitchen of Light New Scandanavian Cooking” is a visual delight and a fun travel cookbook. His TV series was a trip worth taking.
Stephanie in Utah says
I have 10 cookbooks. I bought one a year or two ago from my favorite food blogger. So many of my most used recipes I got from her website, and I wanted to support her. It’s also a beautiful book and it motivates me to try more recipes, I’m slowing making my way through every recipe in the book, it’s so satisfying when I can check off a new recipe on the table of contents!