Are Cookbooks the Best Way To Learn New Recipes?

Cookbooks come in an incredible variety of cuisines. They can take you on a journey to places you’ve never been before, and envelope you in elaborate stories told through food. Between the pages of cookbooks lies an exceptional scope of knowledge, techniques, creativity, colors, and of course, scrumptious flavors. 

But, are cookbooks still relevant with all of the online options available? Keep on reading, to find out why cookbooks are one of the best ways to learn new recipes.

Authority Behind a Cookbook

Whether it’s a social media post, blog, website, video, or podcast, posting anything online is a lot easier than having a print book published. This factor alone means pretty much any home cook (or even someone that has no inclination towards cooking,) can share recipes of their own concoctions with the world. They can also share other people’s recipes as their own. 

On the other hand, when writing a cookbook, you have to be someone or know something. Writing a book takes a great amount of time and effort, experimenting, perfecting measurements, and editing. You can’t just fix a mistake or change incorrect measurements in an instant as you would online. Everything has to be perfect before the reader receives it. This means you can have the certainty that cookbooks include recipes that taste good, are correct, and are compiled by someone who has formal knowledge of cooking.

A Guide to Success

Although there are a host of tremendous home cooks sharing inspirational material online, there are also cooks who simply record themselves cooking for their benefit. A cookbook author, on the other hand, aims to be your guide to success. The way the recipe is designed and laid out is to help you, the reader, replicate it successfully. 

Textbooks for the Kitchen

Many recipe books include measurement guides and conversions as well as explaining techniques. They cover the ‘why’ behind the ‘how’ of cooking methods. Having this information and using it as a textbook when cooking can help you learn faster and avoid making mistakes.

Cookbooks Fuel Creativity

Paging through a cookbook can be inspirational. Recipes and ideas usually lead on in a sequence or theme and can help you plan complimentary meals for dinner parties or special occasions. 

Books about different cultures and international cuisines can also introduce you to a culinary world you’ve never explored. When traveling to new places, getting a cookbook about the local cuisine is a great way to bring what you’ve experienced home with you.  

Cookbooks Won’t Break

Setting up your iPad or laptop in the kitchen to read your recipe can be useful, but also hazardous. Kitchens are messy and accidents happen. Cookbooks won’t break irreparably if they get a dusting of flour on them or if you turn the page with a sticky finger.

Specialize

Using a book that focuses on a specific cuisine or technique can help you specialize in something you want to master. As you get more comfortable with the techniques and recipes, you can start experimenting and bring your creativity to the table, literally.

Although visual presentations, videos, and plenty of practice are essential to mastering cooking skills, cookbooks lay an irreplaceable foundation in your journey as a cook.