Found On the Internets

[ladysprite]

Given how thoroughly I have immersed myself in cookbooks and cooking over the past year and a half, I am utterly fascinated by and enamored of this list I found today:

The 50 Best Cookbooks of All Time

I am sad to learn that I only own one of the books on the list, but amused as heck that that one book - Bartolomeo Scappi's Opera dell'Arte Del Cucinare (written in 1570) made it onto the list at all.

I am also far too tempted to use this as a shopping list, given that the Project is almost over and I need a new direction to go in..... Hm. This is what libraries are for.

Comments

[guruwench.livejournal.com]

On the subject of cookbooks, and with the idea that I'm going to start my own version of your Project, my hunny N and I saw some Williams-Sonoma books at our local supermarket this weekend, and thought of you. I see why you love these so much! The photography is delectable, and we very nearly bought the book on grilling.

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Aren't they the sexiest cookbooks ever? :) The thing that I've learned that has honestly surprised me, though, is that while they're shiny and seductive-looking, the recipes are honestly practical and tasty - I had assumed they were more style than substance....

[guruwench.livejournal.com]

Yes, they are! I expected them to be huge, thick, expensive tomes, somehow, from the names Williams and Sonoma - but they're quite small and affordable without being wimpy and overpriced, if that makes any sense.

Glad to know about the recipes being actually good, too. :)

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

Hm, I have a couple of those and a couple of other books by those people-- Madhur Jaffrey's "World Vegetarian" is one we go back to constantly-- I've made her flatbreads and daal and all kinds of random stuff from there. I have one of Diana Kennedy's Mexican cookbooks that I actually haven't used yet, and, hm. Well, I'm familiar with Jamie Olivier and some of the more celebrity-ish chefs in there. It's a very Brit-heavy list (what with being from the Grauniad and all), and there's lots of meat, but I'm happy to see a couple of celebrated vegetarian cookbooks on there.

It did inspire me to finally order a copy of Jacque Pepin's "La Technique" so I can work on my somewhat lame knife skills...

[bess.livejournal.com]

I have The Greens Cookbook -- want to come over and cook from it with me sometime?

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

Ooh, sure! Let me look at my schedule, and I'll drop you a line.

[leanne-opaskar.livejournal.com]

I own _Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art_, and it is a good book. I am vastly amused that I got rid of the Chez Panisse book because I thought it was just too darn fiddly and restaurant-y to be a proper home cookbook. (:

Edit: I note there are no barbecue books on the list as of yet. I've poked at the Meat book, and it's not barbecue.

[medeaschild.livejournal.com]

Can other people use it as a shopping list for you?

[ladysprite.livejournal.com]

I'm torn as I try to answer this - the total bibliovore in me wants to say yes, but the practical part of my brain is arguing loudly that over 180 cookbooks is more than enough... :)

[curmudgn]

I have three of their list (#s 45, 39, 21) and own-other-title-by two others (#s 27, 18). Scappi looks intriguing--is it readable, and is it usable?