Why do we keep buying cookbooks we might never use?
It’s spring in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and I’m writing this on my deck. Snuggling into my Oodie as my face soaks in the sunshine. My wisteria is blooming, the jasmine is about to flower, and after a long winter where I lost my cooking mojo, I’m feeling the need to potter around in my kitchen. An urge to flip through a cookbook.
To cook. Just because. Instead of cooking to feed the troops.
I’ve not used a cookbook in months. My favourite kitchen gadget is a Thermomix. This means that if I’m looking to cook something outside of the 25 or so dishes in my regular rotation, I use my Cookidoo subscription, type in the ingredient I’d like to use and then choose the dish with the lowest cooking time.
I don’t even have a cookbook collection anymore. Maybe only fifteen or so books that have been collecting dust on the top-most shelf of our bookshelf. I promised myself this year that I wouldn’t buy any new cookbooks until I had cooked atleast one thing from each of the cookbooks I already own.
But my Notes feed is crowded with foodies showing off their cookbook collections. And there’s been so much interesting discourse about cookbooks on my feed too. It got me thinking. When did the humble cookbook transform from being a book of utility to a collectible? And, why do we keep buying cookbooks we might never use?
What is the value of most cookbooks?
, Local Bread BakerOlga begins her piece with, “IF I SEE ANOTHER celebrity or personality cookbook, I will explode”. And, I agree.
“What are these cookbooks offering to their readers? What is their value? Is it simply another product to sell to make money? I’m afraid it’s more nefarious than that. These cookbooks are in the business of selling their readers a certain type of lifestyle, a certain type of femininity, and certain types of social and personal aspirations. These cookbooks are sold on whatever “perfect life” the consumer thinks they want. Don’t get me started on diet cookbooks.”
Read the full post: Stop buying shitty cookbooks, a short rant
On collecting mostly unreliable cookbooks
, Recipe GraveyardHannah is the opposite of me. She has a vast cookbook collection. An entire plastic tote of diet books from the 1980-90s, an entire shelf of vintage Betty Crocker and four boxes of brand booklets covering everything from baking soda to Crisco. Hannah admits it. She collects bad cookbooks. But why?
“I don’t buy and collect these books with the expectation they’ll be reliable. Many of them, I have no desire to cook from at all (looking at you, Butter Busters). For me, these books are essential to telling one of society’s most fundamental stories: how we feed ourselves. Going through a box at an antique store and realizing you’ve found the exact same Pillsbury Cookbook from 1980 that your mother used as her culinary bible is an unrivaled emotional experience.”
Read the full post: In defense of bad cookbooks
Can food blogs replace cookbooks?
Food blogs seem to get more sophisticated every year. The most successful ones have drool-worthy photography, recipes that have been tested multiple times and vulnerable stories. But we don’t seem to collect food blogs the way we collect cookbooks or old recipe cards.
“The food someone made was so delicious that you wanted to replicate the taste, or you remember a certain dish from your childhood, so you asked some version of the timeless question: Could I have the recipe? Chances are that you kept the physical paper recipe, rather than digitizing it and throwing away the original. The faded ink handwriting is unique to the recipe writer, and the grease stains on the paper attest to the recipe’s authenticity”
Read the full post: Preserving the old ways
Buying cookbooks when we’re drowning in recipes
We’re drowning in recipes. I have atleast fifty saved on Instagram, a similar number on tiktok and subscribe to 60+ food substacks. Not to mention the thousands of recipes available to me via Cookidoo and the various foodie Facebook groups I’m a part of. So what’s the role of the humble cookbook here?
“I maybe buy like a new one (cookbook) every month or so. And I'm realizing that increasingly I'm reading them like in bed, like novels, more than I'm reading them like actual cookbooks to cook from. I use my cookbooks sometimes, but honestly, I find myself overwhelmed. I’ve got so many now, and the digital space adds another layer. It feels like I’m drowning in recipes from everywhere, and cookbooks become more about nostalgia. I used to dive into them for actual cooking, but now they serve more like inspiration or even entertainment—while the online recipe world becomes this endless, chaotic resource.”
Listen to the full podcast episode: Cooking in the age of infinite recipes
Yet, we all persist with wanting to write a cookbook
, Not So Secret AgentSometimes, we yearn to do things that make no practical sense. For a while in 2024, I was knitting flowers. And for many years now, I’ve dreamed of writing a cookbook. Despite knowing how hard it is to get a cookbook published. If you simply MUST write a cookbook, then check out what might just be the best cookbook proposal guide on Substack
“If you want to write a cookbook, you need to start by writing a book proposal. Sure, there are exceptions to this rule. But generally speaking, even if a publisher approaches you directly or you want to self-publish, I am on team book proposal. Why? The book proposal is the business plan for your book. It is the who, what, where, when, and why”
Save the full guide somewhere safe: Cookbook Proposal Guidelines
But beware, you might hate your first cookbook
, L’AppetitoEarlier this year, my decade-old food blog on WordPress self-imploded. Okay fine, I forgot to renew the hosting. And now, I’m trying to find a new home for the 150+ recipes I put out into the world at that time. People keep asking for these recipes via DMs and yet, I procrastinate. Why? Reading through my early work makes me cringe. Which is why I found this post by Valentina so poignant.
“…I have a hard time leafing through my first book. One very wise person once said that you need to get rid of your first book (or album) to finally write all the others. All artists struggle with having to come face to face with their first work. It’s the nature of constant evolving: the further down you walk the path, the more distant your point of beginning blurs behind the horizon. While this is definitely not true for everyone, sometimes, the only way to start is to accept that you might have to put immature work into the world - especially when you start young”
Read the full post: I hated my first cookbook
Maybe what we all really want is a legacy cookbook
, Sunny Side Breakfasts and DessertsOne of the first posts I wrote on my food blog and the recipe I share to date is my Dolly Mumma’s Prawn Curry. It’s special because neither mum nor I could make our prawn curry taste like her prawn curry. Part of the reason I want to write a memoir-ish cookbook is for my sons.
“Inspired by my death doula training, I began reflecting on what food has meant to my own family and decided to create what I like to call a ‘legacy cookbook.’ Am I terminally ill? Well, in a sense, yes — aren't we all? No one is getting out of here alive. But in another sense, no — I hope to have many years ahead of me. Either way, this cookbook is my way of ensuring my family will always feel my love — even after I’m gone. A legacy cookbook isn’t just a collection of recipes — it’s a way to pass on affection, memories, and connection through the dishes that tell your life story. It is a way to reach across time”
Read the full post: What is a legacy cookbook?
Cookbooks in my cart
I might have decided not to buy any new cookbooks but that doesn’t stop me from adding them to my Amazon cart! I’m lucky that Amazon doesn’t have a base in NZ, and we must pay exorbitant shipping fees. It’s the only reason I’m able to stick to my resolution!
Three cookbooks I’m pining for:
What goes with what, Julia Turshen
What to cook when you don’t feel like cooking - Caroline Chambers
The New York Times Cooking No-Recipe Recipes - Sam Sifton
Two zines I’m waiting for:
Maybe moving forward, I’ll only purchase cookbook zines because they combine that community feel I love with well-tested recipes that work.
Panaderia, Teresa Finney
Burnt Basque Cheesecake Zine, Olga Koutseridi
And here’s a few cookbooks specifically on Indian food from my collection:
Masala Lab: The Science of Indian Cooking, Krish Ashok
Pangat, a Feast: Food and Lore from Marathi Kitchens, Saee Koranne Khandekar
Tiffin, Sonal Ved
Parsi Food and Customs, Bhicoo Maneckshaw
How do you use your cookbooks? Is there a specific type that you buy? What are your thoughts on cooking zines? And if you have some secret method to organise the recipe overwhelm, please share it?
Oh, and I order all my cookbooks from Unity Books; not Amazon. Recommend!
I gave away 50 cookbooks recently to the local Farm to School program. I had too, my book shelves were simply overflowing. Slowly the shelves are filling up again. Why? I think cookbooks are like stacked firewood. They need to be collected and stacked. They keep us warm and cozy as we read and flip through their pages. They excite us with new ideas and possibilities, and while we can’t honor all the work inside each book, just having the book keeps the magic inside safe for us. It’s human to over reach but where’s the real harm? I’m happy to support food explorations, for me it is a necessity.