What do you look for in a recipe book?

[worm761]

My best friend and I are thinking of writing a recipe book. I love looking at recipes for ideas and then tweaking/ changing them to fit my needs. I don't buy recipe books and I can't really put my finger on why I can't find one that I would. So, I am wondering what makes a good cookbook? Is it pictures? easy recipes? healthy? a little bit of everything? Do you like them to be just meals, desserts, apps, or do you like a combination?

 

[dngnb8]

My best friend and I are thinking of writing a recipe book. I love looking at recipes for ideas and then tweaking/ changing them to fit my needs. I don't buy recipe books and I can't really put my finger on why I can't find one that I would. So, I am wondering what makes a good cookbook? Is it pictures? easy recipes? healthy? a little bit of everything? Do you like them to be just meals, desserts, apps, or do you like a combination?

In order

1. Would I eat the dish
2. How clear are the instructions
3. Are the ingredients hard to find
4. Cost

Example, if I see a lot of recipes with Truffles, Saffron etc, Im not interested.

If I see a lot of lingo without explanation, Im not interested

If I see easy to follow steps, ingredients I dont have to run to 10 different stores to get, and the price of the book isnt paying for someones Corvette, then I will stop and consider it.

I personally have 42 cook books.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

I really like "community" cookbooks. You know, the kind where everybody pitches in. I figure nobody will want to put their name on a bad recipe. I always find something I like in them.

 

[monkeybug]

I used to love buying recipe books, and as such have quite the collection! I don't really buy cookbooks anymore because recipes are so easily found on the internet, and I like that they usually include reviews and comments.

I can tell you what my favorite cookbooks and websites both include.

1. Good Photos!! If the food looks good, I'm WAY more likely to want to cook it. I like lot's of good quality photos.

2. I want the recipes to be mostly from scratch using whole food ingredients. No canned soup!!!

3. The food has to taste good! That probably seems obvious, but I have a whole line of cookbooks (gooseberry patch) that I bought for their sheer adorableness. There are some good recipes, but there are also some not so great ones, and as such I almost never use those things for anything other than decoration. I want the food to be dependably good!

4. I buy cookbooks that are from sources I trust, and I would say that this is my #1 criteria when choosing a cookbook (especially now that recipes are so plentiful online). I trust Martha to have a book full of stuff I want to cook, same with Rick Bayless and restaurant cookbooks like French Laundry and Moosewood. My most recent cookbook purchase was Our Best Bites which is a food blog I read that consistently has really good recipes.

Have you thought of starting a blog? Maybe building a following and then compiling your recipes into a book? You may have more success if people know who you are and if you build a reputation for having good recipes.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I'm definitely drawn to great pictures first. Then it must pass the "weird ingredient test" - if I have to buy something that I will never use the rest of, the recipe probably isn't for me.

 

[Magic Mom]

In order

1. Would I eat the dish
2. How clear are the instructions
3. Are the ingredients hard to find
4. Cost

Example, if I see a lot of recipes with Truffles, Saffron etc, Im not interested.

If I see a lot of lingo without explanation, Im not interested

If I see easy to follow steps, ingredients I dont have to run to 10 different stores to get, and the price of the book isnt paying for someones Corvette, then I will stop and consider it.

I personally have 42 cook books.

I would change that to...

1. pictures
2. would I eat the food
3. cost of ingredients
4. clarity/ease of recipe
5. are the ingredients easy to find

 

[maslex]

Photos, photos, photos!!!

I have a bunch of cookbooks and I'd say 95% of them are Taste of Home. I love how most of their recipes have a photo. I love how the ingredients are simple and easy to find. And I love how the recipes are pretty easy.

 

[C.Ann]

I really like "community" cookbooks. You know, the kind where everybody pitches in. I figure nobody will want to put their name on a bad recipe. I always find something I like in them.

Photos, photos, photos!!!

I have a bunch of cookbooks and I'd say 95% of them are Taste of Home. I love how most of their recipes have a photo. I love how the ingredients are simple and easy to find. And I love how the recipes are pretty easy.

Both of these..

 

[kacaju]

As others have said..pictures and ease of getting the ingredients. Truthfully, now that is is so easy to find any recipre online..I do not buy cookbooks like I used too.

 

[mhsjax]

I used to love buying recipe books, and as such have quite the collection! I don't really buy cookbooks anymore because recipes are so easily found on the internet, and I like that they usually include reviews and comments.

I can tell you what my favorite cookbooks and websites both include.

1. Good Photos!! If the food looks good, I'm WAY more likely to want to cook it. I like lot's of good quality photos.

2. I want the recipes to be mostly from scratch using whole food ingredients. No canned soup!!!

3. The food has to taste good! That probably seems obvious, but I have a whole line of cookbooks (gooseberry patch) that I bought for their sheer adorableness. There are some good recipes, but there are also some not so great ones, and as such I almost never use those things for anything other than decoration. I want the food to be dependably good!

4. I buy cookbooks that are from sources I trust, and I would say that this is my #1 criteria when choosing a cookbook (especially now that recipes are so plentiful online). I trust Martha to have a book full of stuff I want to cook, same with Rick Bayless and restaurant cookbooks like French Laundry and Moosewood. My most recent cookbook purchase was Our Best Bites which is a food blog I read that consistently has really good recipes.

Have you thought of starting a blog? Maybe building a following and then compiling your recipes into a book? You may have more success if people know who you are and if you build a reputation for having good recipes.

YOu beat me to my main requirement. I don't want a cookbook full of creamed soup added to anything.

I want ingredients that are fairly common, but they don't have to all be everyday items.

Trust and knowledge for me also. I will buy anything Southern Living, but for me personally I won't touch Martha,as I don't find her food appealing at all, but that is my taste, and also why there are so many cookbooks out there.

I also want different styles of food, comfort food, food for dinner parties, you get the picture, and yes lots of pictures.

I love cookbooks, I can sit and look at them for hours.

 

[JessicaR]

#1 Good photos

Easy to follow instructions

Food that appeal to me in a fun whimsical way.

In other words nothing similar to whats out there (same old same old) - everything presented is aesthetically pleasing.

 

[JLCJMC]

Pictures -- nice color photos of the finished product --- also LOVE when they include photos of the steps in the process.

I don't mind funky ingredients -- but I (to echo PP) do want REAL ingredients -- no cans of stuff!

I like a variety of dishes -- but I do have a selection of books of just desserts or just soups etc.

I love cookbooks -- buy them all the time -- I love to cook, but also love to just read them -- I particularly like the ones that come with a story for each dish.

Clear steps/directions are also important.

What a fun idea -- I wish you much luck and success!

 

[worm761]

Thank you for all the replies. I don't use weird or hard to find ingredients because they are weird and hard to find. If I can't buy when I am grocery shopping it is a pretty good bet I won't be using them either. And I don't do canned ingredients. This is actually part of how the idea came about. I was searching for some recipes since I was tired of the same old same old. Unfortunately, a lot of what is out there is use a can of this and a can of that. I don't actually consider those recipes. I have high blood pressure. I just can't eat that way. So, I started just reading recipes and coming up with my own. Making modifications for my health but that the kids would still eat.

 

[Goofyluver]

1. Pictures!!!!
2. Detailed yet easy to follow directions
3. Details which others may think are unimportant should be included as well, such as serving size and prep time.
4. Easy to find ingredients
5. I'm a sucker for gimmicks. Sell me southern food, or mexican food, or recipes using pre-made ingredients. In other words, you need a gimmick!
6. Includes all courses...apps, mains, sides, desserts. I like complete cookbooks, especially when you are targeting a specific genre or type of food.

 

[powellrj]

I still buy lots of cookbooks, but I like ones that are almost like a real book. I like a book I can read and also cook with. I like pictures and I also like a story to go with the recipes. I have cookbooks that I have never made anything out of, but I keep them because I enjoy reading them!

 

[nancycg56]

I have a huge cookbook collection ~ over 1,000. Here's what I look for:

1. I will buy Junior League or community cookbooks sight unseen because they have always been a reliable source of good recipes that don't use weird ingredients that I can't find in my grocery store and the recipes always work out.

2. For other types of cookbooks they must have pictures, not assume the reader knows what they are talking about if the recipe requires lots of steps, the recipes must have good directions, and reliability. If the recipe I make does not work out through no fault of my own, I get rid of the book.

3. I won't buy cookbooks from certain personalities because their recipes often don't work for the home cook and ingredients are too expensive to be throwing away!

4. Unless I really want a cookbook (and then I buy it anyway), I can usually find some of the recipes online somewhere and "try out" one or two before buying the book or I take it out form the library (my library has a great selection of cookbooks). I don't buy nearly the amount of cookbooks I used to

 

[worm761]

Thank you for all of the input. We are definitely going to start with a blog and see if that works out for us.

I have another question though:
Do you care about nutritional content? It is something that I usually provide when posting a recipe.

And yeah, no weird recipes here. Just things that normal people eat. I am a former restaurant manager and a current stay at home mom. I enjoy cooking but I don't like weird for the most part.

 

[Mrs.Malone]

You've gotten great advice.
I'll add that I love cookbooks that have a nice personal story for each recipe: "Aunt Jenny used to always make this for her famous 4th of July Picnic." And I like when suggestions are given: "You can substitute sauteed sliced mushrooms for the bell peppers."

I like these extra personal touches especially now that it's so easy to get recipes on the internet. If I'm going to use an actual cookbook it needs to be an enjoyable read as well as a useful tool.

 

[Mrs.Malone]

Thank you for all of the input. We are definitely going to start with a blog and see if that works out for us.

I have another question though:
Do you care about nutritional content? It is something that I usually provide when posting a recipe.

And yeah, no weird recipes here. Just things that normal people eat. I am a former restaurant manager and a current stay at home mom. I enjoy cooking but I don't like weird for the most part.

Oh yes, definitely nutritional content.

 

[worm761]

You've gotten great advice.
I'll add that I love cookbooks that have a nice personal story for each recipe: "Aunt Jenny used to always make this for her famous 4th of July Picnic." And I like when suggestions are given: "You can substitute sauteed sliced mushrooms for the bell peppers."

I like these extra personal touches especially now that it's so easy to get recipes on the internet. If I'm going to use an actual cookbook it needs to be an enjoyable read as well as a useful tool.

This is actually how most of my recipes are. There is chicken scratch all over with modifications or thoughts about modifications if we haven't tried them. I tend to like a basic recipe that I can switch up depending on what is in the house. I don't care for anything that is too strict. I would also suggest sides I think. I hate when I find a recipe but can't think of a side dish to go with it so I just skip over it.