With S. gone I have been doing all of my spring-cleaning lately. Whenever he is away from home for extended periods I tend to clean. Or, I rearrange the furniture. Or, I paint the furniture and the walls wild and wacky colours. These days I don't exactly have the energy or the patience to live in an 'upside down home' whilst I rearrange furniture (it takes a few days and lots of hemming and hawing about where certain pieces should go). And since I do know that the paint fumes would be bad for Leith, I decided to just do some super cleaning projects that I had been meaning to do since I got home from the hospital last summer.

I cleaned out our closet - top to bottom. I pulled out clothes that I had put away during my first trimester of pregnancy (and they fit me now, yay!). I tossed clothes that will never fit me again (some too big, some too small) and packed up the very last vestiges of my maternity wardrobe (I was clinging to the black suit pants that saw me through my entire pregnancy when I saw what my butt looked like in them now - saggy!) for whomever is lucky enough to get pregnant next and wants them. I ended up with two and a half garbage bags full of clothes to be toted to Value Village or Goodwill and a closet full of clothes that fit, that I like and that I can wear without being embarrassed about my wardrobe. That took one evening.

What next? I cleaned out the fridge and freezer, the bathroom had a good scouring, Leith"s closet was next, then S.'s office. I cleaned the kitchen - more than once - as well as the dining room and living room. I even cleaned our storage room and arranged the recycling bins in a more appealing manner. Everything in our house is now organized to the point where I am pleased as punch and it is done just in time for S. to come bounding through the door in two weeks and mess it all up again. Don't get me wrong, I really can't wait for him to come home, but a home with my husband tends to be a slightly messier home...

Anyway, what I was going to get out (in my own round-about way) is that I purged my cookbook collection. Well, I "purged" it in that I took down all the books I don't use on a weekly basis and moved them into the study so if I do need them they are still within reach. I left the more "popular" books on the shelf in the kitchen for me to gaze at longingly all the time. I am wondering if my favourite cookbooks are the same as anyone else's favourites and if your favourites are ones I should look into buying.

So, here are the questions:

What are your favourite cookbooks? Why?
What do you look for in a good cookbook? What will make you purchase one over another book?
How many cookbooks do you own?

To repay you for this kindness I will take down the names of anyone who emails me their responses to all the questions above, and draw one out of a hat and send them a copy of one of my favourite cookbooks (I will make sure it is one you don't already have, don't worry!). So get emailing! I'm super curious!

Filed under:   Books

Comments:
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Apr 13, 2007:	katrina My Favorite Cookbooks- id have to say right now its got to be the King Arthur FLour WHole Grain Baking book. i love it for so many reasons, not only does it have oodles of amazing recipes tha are very reliable, it also exposes you to many more unusual type of grains in baking.( have you ever had barley flour in pie crust? its AMAZING) it also has the nutritional info for all the recipes, but is not a "low fat" or low carb" or even "healthy" cookbook persay, it just has the info there if you want it which is nice. it also has the majority of ingredients listed in weights as well as volume which is unfortunatly unusual in american cookbooks. other favorite cook books are Great Cookies by Carole Walters. the recipes are very dependable and fabulous, and their is a wide variety of recipes, from more homey ones to more unusual ones and for all skill levels and time frames. a nice thing about her book is that for every recipe she tells about how long they stay fresh for and if they are good travelerswhich is nice. what do you lok for- i dont know, it really depends on my mood, ive bought books based on the photos alone, others because they were from a very reliable author or just becuase it yells to me "take me take me" hehe how many- oooo i have have no idea id haveto say over 40 i think, mostly baking books but around 10 or so cookbooks too.
Apr 12, 2007:	Jackie 1) My absolute favourite is the "Larousse Gastronomique" - fantastic reference book (food encyclopedia) with excellent recipes. What more could one ask for? I also really enjoy: - "Barefoot Contessa": Ina's recipes are foolproof, great tasting and no fuss. - "From the Land of Figs and Olives": I cook from this a lot! Great North African and Middle Eastern recipes; excellent flavor and accessible ingredients. - "Joy of Cooking", for reference 2) Now that I'm set with my reference books and a good amount of skill in the kitchen, I look for books that are directed towards regional cuisine - something that will introduce me to new and authentic approaches to food (I've recently discovered Marcella Hazan!). If I must decide between two books, I often go by word of mouth. What have I heard about it? Who's liked it? 3) Really, I think I own about 10. My collection is growing at a slower pace than I'd at times like (life of a grad student!). But I also like becoming very familiar with a book before buying more (assuming it's good!). Great questions! And great blog... love reading it. (P.S. I e-mailed you with my response).
Apr 12, 2007:	Michelle (www.studiouscook.blogspot.com) This doesn't exactly qualify as a cookbook, but my favourite resource is a big file that has tons of recipes from my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. I love the fact that some of them are typewritten or in my great-grandmother's handwriting, with names like "Mary Dickerson's Banana Pudding" and "Honeymoon Pork Chops". Other than that, I'm a big fan of "How to be a Domestic Goddess"...the photography by Petrina Tinslay is beautiful and Nigella's writing even makes me to venture into the recipes that don't have a photograph! I only have five cookbooks...but I've been eyeing certain books in my mom's collection (Martha Stewart, a 70's copy of The Joy of Cooking) to nab.
Apr 11, 2007:	Nancy (http://neuroti.ca) I bought Joy Of Cooking 25 years ago and have never used it. Somehow ironic, considering I get great joy out of the simple act of cooking. My favourites? Right now I'm constantly thumbing Nigella's Feast, and Giada's Family Dinners. A lifelong favourite is Edna Staebler's More Food That Really Schmecks (I bought the second one before the first). I'm currently lusting after, but have not obtained, Kylie Kwong's Simple Chinese Cooking.
Apr 11, 2007:	Jeanne (http://mathomhouse.typepad.com/mommy_cooks/) How many cookbooks do you own? I was rather ashamed to realize not long ago that I have far more cookbooks than I actually use, so I've started a blog project for myself of reviewing them in depth and cooking a sampling of recipes. What do you look for in a good cookbook? What will make you purchase one over another book? Good photos, good writing. I love those books that make me want to run into the kitchen that very moment. I have succumbed to Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's "The River Cottage Year" and Tessa Kiros' "Falling Cloudberries" this way! What are your favourite cookbooks? Why? I enjoy reading (and cooking from!) Nigella Lawson, especially "How to Be a Domestic Goddess" -- I have all of her books. I really like Marion Cunningham for the comfort factor -- I have her "Supper Book" and "Breakfast Book," both of which are excellent (although they do lack photos). Another of my reading favorites is "Pie Every Day," by Pat Willard, with all you ever needed to know about pie. Possibly my most dependable companion is the 1953 "Joy of Cooking"!
Apr 11, 2007:	Monika Korngut (www.monikakorngut.com/main.htm) This is a great post, and a wonderful qustion to post to your readers. I personally dislike cleaning and organizing... its seems that I have always something more fun and iteresting to do. Good for you. Soon we will be moving to Calgary, so the idea of slowly organizing and throwing stuff away is a little scary.
Apr 11, 2007:	Carrie My favorite cookbook at the momment is Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. The recipes are fairly straight forward and it is layed out in such a fashion that I want to make more from it. I look for a cookbook that looks inviting. One with beautiful photos of foods I want to make. The recipes need to be ones that I can make pretty easily with the ingrediants I have on hand or are at my local grocery store. I guess I just love beautiful cookbooks. I probably own around 40 or so cookbooks and use maybe 15. I need to start going through them again.
Apr 10, 2007:	Niki This is tough! I have probably 60-75 cookbooks. And at least 4 more on the way in the mail (I can't wait!). At this particular moment I am devouring Giada's everyday pasta. I also really enjoy Alton Browns books. But I also have many years of back issues of Bon Appetit and MS Living that I go back to again and again for inspiration. I also happen to have a an edition of the Betty Crocker Picture cookbook (1953?) and The Good Housekeeping Cook Book, 1944..I don't use them but I believe they are collectible and I love thinking about all the families that used them previously!
Apr 10, 2007:	marjorie I also love the books by Nigella Lawson, especially How To Eat. Sometimes, I will just read How To Eat for the pleasure of reading rather than cooking. Another book that I have really fallen hard for is Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros. It is full of wonderful recipes, arranged by color. It is a lot of fun and everything I have cooked from it has turned out great.
Apr 10, 2007:	Alyson (kaesha.livejournal.com) My favorite cookbooks: I actually love the Complete Canadian Living Cookbook, because its recipes are super simple, straightforward and never fail. I bought it because of its recipe for chilli (Stratford Heartburn's People's Choice). Also located within quick reach is the Japanese Kitchen by Hiroko Shimbo. When I lived in Japan, I never cooked Japanese food. Now that I'm back in Canada, I can't get enough of it. I also use recipes out of Cooking Light magazines every week. I use the Moosewood series a lot too, but their recipes are more hit and miss. Oh, and Martha Stewart's Parties - the farm picnic section has the best recipe for peach glazed chicken and roasted nectarines. In a good cookbook, I look for clear, concise directions. I also look for recipes that won't take hours of preparation. Pictures are helpful, but not necessary. I have no idea how many cookbooks I own. Too many. Five out on my counter, another 10-15 in the cupboard and probably another 20 stored at my parents' house. Perhaps its time for a purge of my own!
Apr 10, 2007:	Shauna Lately my fav cookbooks are actually my back copies of FineCooking magazine. My preferences change as my life does - how much time I have, seasonal veggies, etc. I look for recipes that inspire. I don't like following them exactly, but prefer to be motivated to attempt new combos and techniques. I own around 35 cookbooks and as many magazines. The selection is always changing as I pick and hand on books. The majority of my cookbooks are Canadian though.
Apr 10, 2007:	anne What are your favourite cookbooks? Why? My current favourites are Breakfast, Lunch, Tea (love the whole philosophy), anything Jamie Oliver (because my husband will also use his books so I get yummy meals cooked for me), Giada de Laurentiis, Anna Olson, and A Measure of Grace (from an awesome restaurant in a remote part of Utah). I've loved the Silver Palate cookbook for years and always have my Joy of Cooking on hand to consult on the basics of anything and everything. What do you look for in a good cookbook? What will make you purchase one over another book? I'm most inspired by simple food made with fresh, seasonal ingredients that highlights natural flavours. I love someone like Nigella or Ina for the passion and delight in food. And I really enjoy good writing with a personal story, or tip, or extra bit. I love good design and like photos but I don't need a photo for every single dish--and I love atmospheric ones just as much as photos of the dish itself. I do prefer food-related photos to photos of the celebrity chef him/herself (Giada). I'm constantly watching the Food Network so lots of my cookbooks are from those people. Others are from places I've visited or from blogs. Price doesn't figure in much unless it's really expensive (more than $40 for one that I really wanted and I might think twice). How many cookbooks do you own? Relatively few by the sound of it. I did just do a purge of all the ones I don't use. So I now have about 30. I have my eye on lots more now that I've made space on my shelves!
Apr 10, 2007:	Rhonda (www.scout87.wordpress.com) I emailed you my answers (from my work email). Wish I felt the 'spring cleaning' urge like you did. So far, that bug has not bitten me!! =]
Apr 10, 2007:	Lisa (http://thefoodsnob.typepad.com) My favorite cookbooks are The Domestic Goddess (how appropriate,) most of the Barefoot Contessa Books, and a Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen. I also look for the pictures. Maybe I am childish in that I want a picture, it will make me want to make the recipe. What makes me want to buy a book is seeing it on a blog, also looking at it in a store. If I would make most of the recipes, I will buy it. I have too many books that were reccomended to me that I've used a couple of times and are now dust collectors. I own about 60 or so, but I'd say only about 10-20 do I use on a regular basis. People give me funky ones as gifts that I never use.
Apr 10, 2007:	Cheryl (http://gruelomelet.blogspot.com/) What are your favourite cookbooks? Why? My favorite ones are Death By Chocolate Cakes by Marcel Desaulniers for the amazing pictures and amazing creations. Also Williams and Sonomas Desserts, once again for amazing pictures but it really goes over perfecting some of the most classic desserts. What do you look for in a good cookbook? Pictures, pictures, pictures. I am overly visual with baking. I must see what it looks like before I will even consider attempting it. What will make you purchase one over another book? Lately it has been the recommendations of all of you wonderful baking bloggers. I have been turned on to so many new wonderful cookbooks by you all, including Donna Hay and Dorie Greenspan. How many cookbooks do you own? Not as many as I would like. I am probably bordering upon 45-50, including some smaller books.