Mouthing OffDo we need cookbooks still with millions of recipes online? I stopped using mine long ago
- Despite cooking at home for the past three months, Andrew Sun didn’t dig into his library of cookbooks even once
- The colourful photos and mouthwatering recipes are fine, it’s the complicated instructions and hard-to-find ingredients that are off-putting
The difficult past few years have forced all of us to re-evaluate our material values and life priorities, and generally think about what is existentially important.
I, for one, have been contemplating some drastic, radical changes over the past weeks. One of the big questions I’ve been asking myself is: should I throw away all my cookbooks?
Since then, I’ve occasionally had takeaway meals but mostly I have been cooking my own food. When the pandemic began and it seemed staying at home more was prudent, I thought that this would be the ideal time to dust off some of the fancy hardcover food books I own and try their recipes.
Many of them are beautifully rendered, glossy tomes from famous chefs and top restaurants, and others are thick, attractive anthologies about cuisines. They feature detailed and intricate recipes accompanied by immaculate food photos.
Although I’ve thumbed through these pages for reading pleasure, I can honestly say I’ve never tried to replicate the featured dishes. Many of the recipes are extremely detailed and intimidating, putting me off attempting them at home. The preparations are complex, and often incorporate hard-to-find, expensive ingredients. “Maybe I’ll try it another day, when I have more time,” I promise myself.