I have an addiction. Its sad really. I love and collect cookbooks. All shapes, sizes and eras, all of them filled with information from the world over. My idea of a heavenly afternoon is sitting back and enjoying a cookbook all the way through until finally deciding on the one recipe to taste test, right then and there.
I especially enjoy vintage ones. Not because I like cooking from them, far from it! Usually the vintage ones have fantastic artwork, intriguing words, wonderful musty smelling paper and the most interesting recipes. Some of which either make you collapse in a puddle of pure delight or grimace with pure disgust!
To keep my collection to a managable level I had to adopt a checklist of criteria:
-
Is it fun to read?
-
Does it take me to another time or place?
-
Does it enhance my knowledge and/or library of recipes?
That’s it. But you would be surprised how many do not fit this bill.
Since I have way more than any one person needs (over 52 at last count, not including my recipe cards, food magazines and other loose recipes I have acquired) I have decided to share them with all of you. Every Tuesday I will highlight one of them from my collection, either new or vintage.
1913 - The People’s Home Library
1887 - The White House Cookbook
1968 - Time Life Foods of the World - American Cooking
1968 - Time Life Foods of the World - The Cooking of Provincial France
1968 - Time Life Foods of the World - Chinese Cooking
1968 - Time Life Foods of the World - Pacific and Southeast Asian Cooking
1968 - Time Life Foods of the World - The Cooking of Vienna’s Empire
1968 - Time Life Foods of the World - The Cooking of Italy
1962 - Boston Cooking School Cookbook
1830 - American Frugal Housewife
