The cookbooks should actually be used...

angeltreats

PasturesNew wrote: »

And you'll never make anything from your books because you can't find a recipe that's suitable in under 3 minutes .....

My way of doing it gives me an instant list of possibles .... could find and decide on something in under 3 minutes if I cared to.

I don't buy/collect them because I need them though. I enjoy them, I like reading the stories and learning about food in different parts of the world, and I do use them for inspiration. But I don't need a cookbook to think of something to make for dinner. I'm a qualified chef and have run a busy kitchen, I can certainly come up with something tasty to use up whatever I have in the fridge/cupboards.

My old boss had far, FAR more cookbooks than I will ever have, he used to always have a few at the restaurant and we all enjoyed leafing through them at break times.

daska

I too have a collection of food !!!!!!, I seldom cook from them I just drool over the pictures...

I found out less than 24 hours before the event that Dad was planning to sell mum's collection (2 large Billy bookcases) WITHOUT TELLING US! My sister and I are still hurrumphing at the notion. I'm just hoping that he doesn't try again before our next visit.

Smokemeakipper_3

I'm never quite sure which is the best way to keep recipes. I have numerous books and a folder of random recipes given to me or collected from magazines, but I also use the Internet a lot. Especially when I have bits and bobs to use. I find the 'love food hate waste' website quite good for that.
I too enjoy just looking through cookbooks at the recipes and the pictures, but as I've said I don't use them as much as I should. Hence a new leaf has been turned and I too might do one thing a week from a book.
Thanks for everyone's thoughts so far. Interesting to learn people's views.

threemuttleys

I am a big Cook Book fan. I also aim to cook something new every week, and I always bake a cake on Sunday (How much of an old fart am I :rotfl:)

I do have my faves (Any River Cottage book) and my dislikes (Gordon Ramsay is going to the car bootie on Sunday)

rachbc

I love cookbooks - I read them for all sorts of reasons - plus the big advantage to me is not have a £1500 laptop in the kitchen getting splashes and spills on it.

I spend an afternoon looking through my books and picking recipes for the monthly meal plan - plus I keep a note book a jot down ones I fancy trying so its just not important to me to be able to find a recipe in under 3 minutes. But each to their own - I wouldn't be without mine - 100 or so and adding more all the time!

PipneyJane

Ahhh..... Recipe !!!!!!! I love reading cookbooks.

Long ago, I made it a rule that there had to be at least one recipe in each cookbook that I actually used. Therefore, whenever I bought a new cookbook I had to cook from it ASAP. (I think I broke this rule when I was doing WW because only half of those books have been used.) My favourites are Nigella Lawson's first 3 books (How to eat, Domestic Goddess, and Feast), a 30-year-old Newnes All Colour Cookbook, Pat Chapman's Indian Restaurant Cookbook and Bernadette Laurence's How to feed your family on £4 a day.

angeltreats

Have we ever had a "post a photo of your cookbook collection" thread? If so, can someone point me in the direction of it please as I want to be nosy?

If not, I'll have to post a photo here so you can all laugh at how obsessed I am.

rachbc

angeltreats wrote: »

Have we ever had a "post a photo of your cookbook collection" thread? If so, can someone point me in the direction of it please as I want to be nosy?

If not, I'll have to post a photo here so you can all laugh at how obsessed I am.

are yours arranged in a rainbow but colour of spine like mine?

jeanniebeanie_2

For me, there are three ways I decide what to cook.

1. Easy weekday usuals- no recipe required

2. What can I make that's a bit different with what I have in - Google is my friend.

3. Spend a lovely leisurely evening browsing my cookbook collection (mostly charity shop or gifts) for something unusual/special then get ingredients next shopping trip.

All work for me at different times/situations.

Meadows

Smokemeakipper wrote: »

I've just been rummaging in my freezer for inspiration for something for tea. I spotted some minced beef and thought "oh I could do shepherd's pie"... Again! But today and stopped and I decided there must be something a bit different I could do with it. I keep doing the same things!
Please tell me I'm not alone and that others out there are as guilty of this as me?! If so please have a rummage and join me in making something different. Oh and feel free to tell me what you've made so I can get more inspiration!

I seldom cook the same things over and over as I/we like variety, I tend to use cook books and cook programmes as inspiration rather than follow exact recipes.
Often I think to cook one thing and change my mined as I hit the freezer or as I actually start to cook the idea for a meal is changed to something completely different just using the main ingredient/s, some times I come from the fridge armed with vegetables etc. and use or discard (for that day) what I do not feel like adding to a dish and have been known to hit the freezer looking for other things to add at the last minute (chillies, ginger, prawns etc.).
As they say variety is the spice of life so even I do not know what is for dinner until I turn the cooker on half the time.