What Would It Take To Make You Pick Up A Cookbook?

[Maroonbluebonnets]

Easy and healthy cookbooks are my go to. Honestly I'm about 50 times more likely to make something if it has a photo as well! And I agree with Sarah_Kahn, please don't send me on a wild goose hunt to find the lost city of Atlantis so I can find a rare or unusal ingredient! If I can't find all I need at my local HEB (Texan version of grocery stores) then I will pass

[ebeth]

If someone gave me a really nice looking cookbook as a gift I would more than likely use it. Most of the ones I have are incredibly old and falling apart which doesn't make it that much fun to use.

[kanameyuutan30]

I would always consider the price and the content. I always go for dessert. <3 I love sweets. I rarely check cook books for main dishes.

[Lesa]

Good question!:)
#1 thing- Pictures of EVERY recipe is the best way to get me to pick up a cookbook. I want to know what the outcome is supposed to look like.

Nostalgia- Personal cookbooks with pictures and stories laced throughout add a nice touch that will have me picking up a cookbook.

Specialty cookbooks- Offers just what I'm looking for, whether it be a brownie cookbook, one on side dishes only, or a bbq cookbook. I love cookbooks that specialize.

I love it when cookbooks gives tips about the recipe. Share it's history (if it has one), or mention if it's a great one for company or to freeze ahead.

[cjohns105]

These days the cookbook would have to be absolutely packed with recipes. I could go on Pinterest for free and find nearly anything to cook, so how can I justify the expense of a cookbook? I will pick them up on clearance or at things like yard sales though, and then look through them for good recipes to try.

[Amagine]

I would pick up a cook book if it was simple enough for a cooking amateur like me to comprehend. Also, I agree that it has to be affordable.

[BookWormMommy]

I have a large collection of cookbooks, but my favorite ones are the ones I pick up when I travel. I love to get a small local cuisine type cookbook to remember my trip and make some of my favorite local dishes when I return home. I'm also starting to pick up more speciality e-cookbooks if it is about something new I'm trying- like a gluten free instant pot one I just bought.

[Bulabo]

I would grab anything that has to do with cooking desserts and sugary goodness

[classicaltwist]

All the cookbooks I've picked up in the past few years are books recommended by chefs and food personalities that I respect, such as Alton Brown, Jacques Pépin, etc. Honestly, my cooking has improved really dramatically.

[Kitkat3]

I look for unique recipes and just something that I cannot get online. Good formatting and beautiful photography help. I want a cookbook to be pretty and not only give me good ideas but also look good on a kitchen shelf. I tend to prefer hardback cookbooks versus paperback. My favorite are vintage cookbooks, in looks or actually vintage. I like shopping for used ones, because sometimes the previous owner will leave things in them like their personal recipes, and they are nice and cheap that way.

[Jaime Lync]

I love cookbooks so my opinion might be skewed, but when I have time to kill at the bookstore I like to look at cookbooks just to see if inspiration will hit me. Sometimes it's when you're flipping through that you see a simple recipe with interesting ingredients, cooked with a technique you'd never heard of before!

I'm not too picky about substituting ingredients and rarely make a recipe exactly as it's written, but learning the techniques means that you can make multiple variations of the same dish.

This person said everything I wanted to say. Photography is essential in cookbooks. I would buy a cookbook if I have to spend a long time without internet access and want to have a list of recipes handy.

[Lolly_Reader]

it would take every restaurant in the world to close. Even then, I'd rather re-read every book in my collection first. Why follow anyone else's recipes when you can be creative yourself?

[Suzieadong]

I would pick a cookbook because I get to keep it and refer to it easily. There is so much information on the internet but the traditional hard cover book still speaks volumes to me.

[csimmons032]

I do mostly browse the internet for recipes, but my mother likes to look through cookbooks and sometimes she will come across good recipes. Sometimes I will peak through gluten free and vegan cook books because of allergies that I have. It can be fun to just see the different types of recipes that are out there.

[rssllue]

Probably my arm.