Storing cookbooks, getting rid of some, and has the (834 views)
applecrisp1
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Post by applecrisp1 on Jul 13, 2018 15:36:48 GMT -5
I don't have that many cookbooks, probably around 25 (well considering what it could be and I've donated a couple over the years). I decided to go through my books yet again, and put aside those that I no longer want. It is interesting to think how my taste in books has changed over the years, and how those super impulse buys often didn't make a fav list. Also, I just don't need that many books since you can get endless recipes online, get books/e-books from the library, and simply so many of my books have similar recipes. Not saying that mindset always works! : ) However, I'm on a get rid of clutter kick.
Has your taste in cookbooks/recipes changed? It is fun to see how cookbooks and recipes change with the times --- with ingredients gaining and waning in popularity. Quinoa or avocado anyone?
I will say a few times a book made the donate pile, then I would take another look and reconsider. But wait, that sounds soooo good. Hey I never said it was easy.
And lastly, where do you all store your books? I always thought I so preferred an actual printed book since I like flipping thru it and I find it easier to navigate -- but gotta say there is an advantage of having books on my Kindle.... no clutter and some of my books get a bit grimy (in my tiny kitchen).
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Post by soupandstew on Jul 13, 2018 16:40:54 GMT -5
I did a cookbook purge this year when a friend started a Little Free Library and requested a large variety of books. I was sort of disturbed by how many I had purchased, "Oh, look, shiny!" and never used a recipe from, especially the ethnic ones with great dialogues about the culture. I now recognize that I relate to a culture through its cuisine but that doesn't necessarily mean I will cook that food. I have two large binders full of online recipes I've printed out, and I even purged them to discard the ones that I would probably never make and the (many, many) ones that were almost copycats. Let's face it, there's only so many ways to cook kale. I do prefer print over digital for many reasons.
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Post by wallycat on Jul 15, 2018 18:30:52 GMT -5
I've thinned a few but still probably have close to 800. I've stopped buying. Period. I love looking through some old favorites or making something old and familiar but between the internet and my memory, I don't really "need" more books.
In this house, we have an IKEA wall to wall cubbie that houses most of the cookbooks and there are bookcases littered throughout the house that have, you guessed it, more cookbooks.
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applecrisp1
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Post by applecrisp1 on Jul 15, 2018 20:09:59 GMT -5
soupandstew --- Same here, even with not having that many books, there are a few that I've never used or just a few times. What I need to do, is just because the book has some recipes that look good doesn't mean I have to keep it.
Wallycat -- 800! That's impressive! That would take pretty much ever inch of my apartment or wall to wall bookcases. It's like your own personal library of cookbooks. It must be fun to browse thru your books and pick a book and find a recipe. I so agree, it is so easy to just look up a recipe online and I have a few favorite websites that I often my go-to's for ideas/recipes. And more that a few of my dinners I just wing it, and often would be way better if I used a recipe.
I donated a few this weekend. More to go. I keep a few books in a metal basket on top of my fridge --- I want to cull my books so I can keep the top of my fridge empty.
I know I shouldn't buy books, but not saying it isn't tempting. And, then when I see super deals on books for my Kindle I can't even use the rationale that I don't have the storage space in my apartment and you can't see Kindle clutter. : ) My library card helps!
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Post by PattiA on Jul 16, 2018 7:04:01 GMT -5
Going through cookbooks is such a trip down memory lane. I am about 80% through a large book and cookbook project. In the past weeks, I have lugged 4 huge bags of books to the library for donation. I have two 30" shelves of cookbooks left to go through and narrow down. I don't really use cookbooks much now, everything is online. The recipes I use are all in Plan To Eat, or in Mastercook, waiting to be moved to Plan to Eat. I have some sentimental cookbooks that I will keep, but I don't expect that I will miss any of the ones I have donated. I do have some that I have never used. But I am getting much better at resisting buying more. I do have a rule that for every new one, one has to get donated or given to someone who will use it. There are some that I love reading but I know I will never cook from. My single ingredient cookbooks all seem to have a lemon theme. ;-)
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Post by swedishcook on Jul 17, 2018 18:01:47 GMT -5
applecrisp, regarding keeping or not keeping a cookbook for a few recipes, here is what I did.
For every recipe I was interested in I searched online. If it was posted anywhere I could just copy & paste. If not, I typed it from the cookbook. Of course this only works for a limited number of recipes.
Good luck getting the space above your fridge back!
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applecrisp1
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Post by applecrisp1 on Jul 17, 2018 22:29:59 GMT -5
applecrisp, regarding keeping or not keeping a cookbook for a few recipes, here is what I did. For every recipe I was interested in I searched online. If it was posted anywhere I could just copy & paste. If not, I typed it from the cookbook. Of course this only works for a limited number of recipes. Good luck getting the space above your fridge back! I tried not to get distracted by looking thru the books, but that is a great way to go. I just knew that if I looked at one recipe, then it would be two and three ... and then I would likely just end up keeping the book. And really do I need it/would I even miss it since there are so many recipes available to me. The space above the fridge is not empty yet but looking better. And one thing that made it easy is that my friend was over and she looked at my books that I wanted to get rid of and she took two. She was happy with her new goodies, so a win all around. I'm going to try to sell a few, but if no takers after a bit, I'm just going to give them away. The only book I took out of my give away pile was an Ellie Krieger book. I got sucked in when I flipped through it since it was on top of the pile, so I reached back into the bag and put it right back on the shelf. I haven't used it much but what I have made I really liked. And since it has a healthy/nutritious slant, I was ok with keeping it. |
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