Recipes

[ChynnaBlue]

On 3/2/2014 house cat said:

On 3/2/2014 luvpoos said:

That's why I like to try the recipes that are posted here. Tried and true. I very rarely use my cookbooks anymore and I have quite a collection.

Same here. There was a poster recently who suggested we just Google our cooking questions and not waste time on the boards. I disagree. There is no substitute for ""talking"" to other cooks.

I think it depends on the boards you use. I prefer to Google my recipes and then read the threads and comments on the recipes I find because the people commenting have usually tried the recipe or something like it. That seems better that coming to a generic forum and asking about a specific recipe. I think a forum like this is better for general knowledge than info about an individual recipe.

[faeriemoon]

On 3/2/2014 house cat said:

On 3/2/2014 Nancy Drew said:

Yep! Some of Martha Stewarts are kind of bad.

I was a great admirer of hers in the late 80s and 90s, but I rarely used any of her recipes.

I once stated on this board that I thought Martha Stewart was a terrible cook. I was blasted by a Martha Wannabe.

I'll say it again; Martha's recipes are not good. It's like she learned to cook from a "Cooking for Dummies" book.

[RocketMom]

I will chime in and say I always like to preview new cookbooks and I can do that with e-cookbooks. iTunes are my favorite because I can download to my iPad and flip through a couple, but I'm sure other services can do the same now. I must say that some of the previews are of no help because they don't show a variety sample of recipes, they just show a lot of background discussion. These I take a pass on. Also, it does me know good to see a listing of some of your salad recipes (hint Bobby Deen) because unless your entire book is salads, I want to see a couple of your main dishes to see the ingredients you are using to make things healthier. If it's not something I would cook with or don't like, I don't want to waste my time buying the cookbook. Hence I am taking a pass on Bobby's latest cookbook because I can't see a good preview. If we are not going to eat it, why bother buying a cookbook.

[sidsmom]

Define "good". 200 people will give you 200 different definitions. Cookbooks are made to inspire...as well as provide their interpretation of a good recipe. Pictures, stories...that's what I like about a cookbook...and I don't even cook!

[bbluvr]

Taste of Home! Used to subscribe to the magazine but now I just go on their website. I also like to collect the ""church"" cookbooks. I love the simple recipes and most are tried and true.

[stilltamn8r]

I have to laugh.. My son says "Giada" is "Italian for 'recipes that don't turn out'"!!

I have one of Paula Deen's early cookbooks- (so old its spiral bound) and I'll be darned if about 80% of the recipes don't turnout- I bought it at Home goods,. years ago,and wonder if it was the kind of thing that there were so many problems, they re-did it and these were the shoddy originals marked down..

Some of them, you can just LOOK at and know they won't turn out- no leavening, too much or too little liquid, etc... some have ingredients listed in the instructions that aren't even LISTED in the ingredient section..

[StylishLady]

When I bought the more current/up to date Better Homes & Gardens cookbook I found they had changed some of my tried and true recipes. Guess newer isn't always better.

[Beebee2]

Because what you say is true "

Just because someone writes a cookbook that's no guarantee the recipes are good,

and that means that it is incumbent upon those who buy
books to do their homework, to know what they are buying
and why they are buying it.

There are so many different kinds of cooks these days.
So, that is a major first consideration, imo.

What do you, as a cook, want?

Do you want to learn how to cook, the techniques, the
principles, et al, that it takes to become a proficient
and good cook?

Are you busy and/or disinterested in spending a lot of
time becoming proficient cook and simply want some good
tried and true recipes?

Are you primarily interested in healthy food, and don't
want to use processed ingredients?

Are you a vegan?

What criteria do use to judge the 'celebrity' cooks?
The less we know, the greater the chance of disappointment.

In my own case, I have discovered that not all celebrity
cooks are consistent with the results of their recipes.
While they may get it right once in awhile, the chance
that an entire book of recipes will bring great results
is slim.

But, others are quite good.

Because I'm a 'senior' cook and have collected recipes
longer than some of you have lived, I have some distinct
advantages and experience in choosing recipes. But, I
still get disappointed from time to time, and when I don't
it's usually because of what I've learned over the years,
both from experience and from doing my homework, studying
a little bit about the subject, not relying on the opinion
of others.

We learn to depend on the judgment of 'some' others, but
not all others whose experience and or preferences are
different from our own.

All this to say that there's got to be real effort extended
in order to have consistently good results, whether in
choosing the books or fixing the recipes.

[sal2008]

When I hear about a cookbook that I'm interested in, I get it from the library. I can keep the cookbook for 3-4 weeks, read through it and even try out some of the recipes. Once I've done that, I decide whether it's worth buying or not and I'm not paying for a cookbook that I may not want.

[DoneTryin]

For me, it's the opposite: just because somebody wrote a good recipe doesn't mean I can get it to come out that way!